The University of Oviedo will host on the days 13 and 14 December the I Doctoral Conference of the Group 9 of Universities. The encounter, which will take place in the Campus of Mieres, will count on the participation of 90 PhD students from all the universities making up the group. The organization of this encounter was announced by the Rector of the University of Oviedo, Vicente Gotor, in the meeting of the G-9 held last Friday in Zaragoza, in which the group's half-yearly presidency was also transferred to Manuel López Pérez, Rector of the University of Zaragoza.

This doctoral conference will be similar to the ones organised by the University of Oviedo last year, promoted by the Campus of International Excellence. During two days, students, lecturers and business managers will coexist to understand the value of the research carried out at the university and thus motivate "new collaboration agreements", pointed out the outgoing President of the G-9, Vicente Gotor. "In Spain, the PhD is not valued as it is in other countries", he highlighted. Each university will send 10 PhD students, two for each scientific field, who will present their research works.

The Rectors of the Group 9 also approved the future lines of action and the new regulations for the Shared Virtual Campus (CVC), which will offer 72 subjects next academic year that can be attended by any student at the universities of the group. It has also been introduced the new Director of the CVC, Jesús Valverde, senior lecturer at the University of Extremadura.

The Rectors have reviewed the work made by some of the sectoral committees and work teams of the G-9, who have held some encounters lately: Students, Sports, Genueve Editions, and Cooperation to Development. Besides, the new Rectors have been assigned the presidencies of the sectoral committees.

The highest authorities of the publish universities of the G-9 have dealt with some matters, among them the strategic lines por the 2012-2013 period, which include, among others, the presence in Higher Education international fairs to promote the Group's academic offer. Also, the Rectors have discussed some issues related to the implementation of the Royal Decree-law 14/2012.

The Group 9 includes other universities which have in common that they are the only public universities in their corresponding autonomous regions. Apart from the University of Zaragoza, the G-9 consists of the Universities of Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Extremadura, Illes Balears, Oviedo, La Rioja, the Basque Country and the Public University of Navarra. The fact that they are the only public universities in their autonomous regions facilitates information exchange and favours a closer collaboration.