We welcomed Mr Santiago Miralles Huete, Consul General of Spain in Edinburgh, for a visit that celebrated our long-standing connections with Spain, and its vibrant cultural and academic community.
The Consul General met with Vice-Chancellor and Warden Professor Karen O’Brien; Professor Janet Stewart, Executive Dean of Arts and Humanities; and Santiago Fouz Hernández, Honorary Vice-Consul of Spain (Northeast & Cumbria) and Professor in our School of Modern Languages and Cultures. Together they discussed the University’s broader engagement with Spain and future collaboration.
The Consul General met with students and staff from the Department of Hispanic Studies, which has consistently ranked among the top five in the UK. Discussions highlighted the department’s ongoing commitment to high-quality teaching, research, and community engagement in Spanish film, culture, language, and literature.
Cultural highlights of the visit included a guided tour of Durham Cathedral, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site which is jointly owned and managed with the University, and a visit to the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland. The Consul General met children participating in the Spanish Apprentice programme, a University-led initiative and part of the Auckland Project, which introduces young people to the Spanish language and culture.
Durham and the surrounding county hold the largest collection of Spanish art outside London, reflecting the region’s strong links with Spanish artistic heritage. The University hosts the renowned Zurbarán Centre for Spanish and Latin American Art. The visit also reinforced ongoing partnerships with Spain, including three decades of collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes, formalised through a memorandum of understanding signed in 2024.
The visit offered an opportunity to showcase the University’s academic excellence and cultural collections, as well as the rich Spanish heritage within the county. It also underlined Durham’s active role in international networks, including the Coimbra Group and the ARQUS European University Alliance, which help foster collaboration, exchange, and research across Europe.
Durham University is home to a consistently high-ranking department of Hispanic Studies, currently rated among the top five by The Complete University Guide 2026. This reflects the excellence that characterises our research and teaching. Hispanic Studies at Durham is a gateway to several interdisciplinary centres and institutes within the University including the Zurbarán Centre for Spanish and Latin American Art and the Centre for Visual Arts and Culture.
Durham is committed to maintaining close relationships with our European partners. These connections are an integral part of our international activities in terms of collaborative research, training and learning opportunities, staff and student mobility. Our research collaborations with European institutions aim to address global challenges, from environmental sustainability and health, to emerging technologies and space.
At Durham, our academic staff conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference, globally and locally: research to empower and inspire. Collaboration with a broad mix of partners is central to enhancing global knowledge and developing global citizenship.
Main image (left to right): Professor Santiago Fouz Hernández (Honorary Vice-Consul of Spain, Northeast & Cumbria), Professor Karen O’Brien (Durham University Vice-Chancellor and Warden), Mr Santiago Miralles Huete (Consul General of Spain in Edinburgh), Professor Janet Stewart (Executive Dean of Arts and Humanities).
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