Throughout the week of May 19 – 23, 2025, 44 invited guests representing 34 foreign universities and 22 countries took part in the 5th International Staff Week at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH). ISW is a biennial event filled with educational and cultural activities that aim to consolidate alliances and present the UMH as a strong and appealing institution to its foreign peers.

This edition marked the largest staff week, in terms of the number of participants, ever hosted by the UMH. The event got underway Monday afternoon for the 44 invited guests with a welcome and presentation of the university given by UMH Vice Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation, Vicente Micol, along with the Director of Service of International Relations and Cooperation, Inma Blaya. A brief tour of the Elche Campus followed the welcome, and then the first day concluded with a show cooking session featuring local gastronomy given by Bon Menjar Catering.

Tuesday opened with a networking session organized by the Service of International Relations and Cooperation. This was followed by a health break for some fun exercise that was led by the Office for Healthy Campuses and Sports.

Deputy Vice Rector for Internationalization, Alberto Rodríguez, gave a presentation on UMH COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning) projects. In the afternoon, the participants enjoyed a guided walking tour of the historical Elche city center.

On Wednesday, the spotlight was on radio, featuring a program highlighting the importance of Erasmus+ mobilities and events like International Staff Week. In the afternoon, the activities moved to the Clot de Galvany, one of the most important natural parks in the Valencian Community.

On Thursday, meetings with university services continued, which was followed by a tasting of local food and drink, which included local tomatoes, dates, and fondillón wine, at the Orihuela Desamparados Campus. On Thursday evening, an engaging hands-on flamenco cajón workshop at the Plaça de Baix venue delighted the foreign guests, showcasing a unique aspect of Spanish culture.

Moreover, Wednesday and Thursday alike afforded opportunities for 30 UMH services, faculties, schools, departments, and research institutes to exchange ideas and best practices with the foreign university representatives, as well as to present home-based internationalization projects.

Finally, the activities wrapped up on Friday morning with another networking session, designed to strengthen connections between the UMH and the university guests from countries that included Hungary, Rwanda, Poland, and Costa Rica, among many others. A university tuna singing group also performed for the guests, and their songs inspired spontaneous dancing by nearly everybody present.

International Staff Week is part of the Erasmus+ program, offering an opportunity to enhance UMH internationalization by empowering the skills and capabilities of its faculty and administrative staff within the framework of the European Union.