"We have suggested the regional government a multi-year funding plan [...] aimed at financing the activity and results of the university, improving its efficiency, as well as making the adaptation to the environment, and based on a contract program." The rector of the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM), Miguel Angel Collado, justified the need to establish a multi-year financial plan framework that allows the institution to adapt its academic offer to the new reality of the labor market, and revive research. The head of the regional university had the possibility to directly transfer his request to the president of The Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García Page, during the opening ceremony of the academic year 2027-2018, held last September 22, on the Campus of Albacete.

"We want to carry out a selective extension of the degrees, linked to the strategic sector, and conducted in such a way that education, research, innovation, and qualified employment are closely connected," asserted the Rector. He acknowledged that, although during the last course there was an increase in the number of degree and master students, the academic offer of the UCLM is still insufficient. "We have significant rates of external transfers of potential students, who are forced to go to other universities to study degrees that we do not offer, which means a loss of skilled human capital in sectors of our region that demand it," explained Collado.

During his speech, the rector referred to the "commitment" of the autonomous community to the UCLM, which has resulted in an increase of the nominative subsidy of more than 7% in the last regional budgets, as well as a direct allocation for research. The Regional University also welcomed the call for regional research projects as good news.

For his part, the president of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García Page, stated that "we are in a scenario of positive perspective so that within a few months, we can put on the table a long-term program contract," and guaranteed "the shielding" of research projects for the University of Castilla-La Mancha until 2021." The head of the Regional Government referred to the evolution of the UCLM as "a story of success" that "is essential for the very identity of a community such as ours [...] The future cannot be good without a university going further," he concluded.
Report of the course 2016-2017
During the opening ceremony—and in compliance with the ceremonial—the General Secretary of the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Crescencio Bravo, read the academic memory of the last course, a document that presents the activity developed by the institution in this period. Data, such as the one that indicates the increase of 24,6% in the number of master students, or the growth of 8,4% in incoming students, can be extracted from the text. Continuing with the rest of the groups that form the university community, 2,383 professors were counted in the group of the Teaching and Research Staff (PDI, for its acronym in Spanish), which is 1.4% more than in the previous academic year; while in the Administration and Services Staff (PAS) were 1,087, practically the same as the previous course.

As concerns the evolution of the research, the General Secretary pointed out that the groups of the UCLM benefited, in a competitive way, from a total of 12.7 million euros, more than half of which came from the State Plan for Research, Development and Innovation, and 35% came through regional funds.

Finally, Bravo referred to the "digital transformation" of the University, with milestones such as increasing the use of the electronic headquarters, or the launch of the new corporate website and the Virtual Secretary.

Opening lecture
Another of the most solemn moments of the ceremony corresponded to the opening lecture by the Professor of Plant Production José María Herranz Sanz, who presented an essay on botanical gardens and plant conservation, focusing on the contribution of the Botanical Garden of Castilla-La Mancha. This space is considered a living museum of the vegetable world, which is located in Albacete. It has more than 1,500 species and about one hundred thousand plants, distributed in seven hectares intended for conservation and scientific study.

During the ceremony, the diplomas for Extraordinary Doctorate Awards, corresponding to the academic year 2015/2016, were delivered and honored the community members who retired during that academic year.

Later on, the Secretary of State for Education, Vocational Training and Universities, Mr. Marcial Marín, praised the results obtained by the University of Castilla-La Mancha in the latest report of the Foundation Conocimiento y Desarrollo (CYD), which points it out as the fourth-best Spanish university, regarding the percentage of highly qualified employment of its graduates. After noting that the UCLM is one of the most competitive of its kind in the price of teaching. Mr. Marín also indicated that it is among the best two hundred young universities in the world, according to the 'Times Higher Education (THE) ranking.

The mayor of Albacete, Mr. Manuel Serrano, agreed with Marín to praise the role of the UCLM because it provides "quality, guarantee, roots, excellence, added value, progress, and economic and social development."

The ceremony, in which the Chamber Choir Musicaviva from Albacete took part, ended with the colorful parade of the Doctorate Professors, ordered according to their fields of knowledge—identified by the color of their square academic caps and their mozzetta—the same the way the act began two and a half hours earlier.

Office of Communications UCLM. Albacete, September 22, 2017