Secretary General and Coordinator of NeurotechEU visit UMH
11 July 2025
On July 9 & 10, 2025, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) hosted the Secretary General of The European University of Brain and Technology (NeurotechEU), Mark Vlek de Coningh, along with NeurotechEU Coordinator, Richard van Wezel. Their visit highlighted the role of the UMH as a member of this alliance of European universities dedicated to the creation of a translational neurotechnology campus. Vlek de Coningh and van Wezel were welcomed by UMH Rector, Jose Juan Ruiz; Vice Rector for Internationalization and Cooperation, Vicente Micol; Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Susana Fernández; Director of the Service of International Relations and Cooperation, Inmaculada Blaya; and the leader of NeurotechEU at the UMH and Director of the Institute of Neurosciences (UMH-CSIC), Juana Gallar.
To strengthen collaboration links, review the progress of the project, and trace future strategies within the NeurotechEU framework, the Secretary General and Coordinator of the alliance attended meetings with the managing team of the alliance at the UMH. This team is comprised of project managers, Maria José Such, expert in quality assurance, and Sonia Martín; Alicia Sanavio, manager of funding; Sandra Manzanero, manager of student activities, and Júlia Santacreu, head of communication.
Other UMH personnel present at the meeting and who also collaborate in the promotion of mobility between alliance partner members included the Deputy Vice Rector for Institutional Position & Rankings, José Manuel Blanes; Deputy Vice Rector for Internationalization, Alberto Rodríguez; and expert on international mobility, Mónica Candela.
During their visit, there were also meetings with UMH faculty involved in the creation of teaching content for NeurotechEU. These individuals included professors of physiology, María del Carmen Acosta, Francisco Martini, and Víctor Meseguer; professor of physiotherapy and Director of the Center for Translational Research in Physiotherapy, María del Carmen Lillo; and professors of systems engineering, Eduardo Iáñez and Mario Ortiz. The NeurotechEU guests also toured the Institute of Neurosciences, and were guided by researchers, Santiago Canals and Silvia de Santis, along with José María Azorín from the Brain-Machine Interface Systems Lab research group.
To complement their visit, Vlek de Coningh and van Wezel spoke with the Rector Delegate for Digital Transformation, Federico Botella, who also contributes to the development of Campus+, the educational platform of NeurotechEU. Rector Delegate for Healthy Campuses and Athletics, Raúl Reina, reported on his efforts with them about the activities on equality, diversity, and integration of NeurotechEU.
Lastly, and to learn better about some UMH services, the Secretary General and Coordinator of NeurotechEU toured the Cyborg Center along with Fernando Borrás, its director. At the Scientific Park, they met Oleksiy Oprysnyk, a technician there from the area of Business Growth.
NeurotechEU is a university alliance funded by the European Commission that aims to strengthen education and train future professionals and investigators in neurotechnology, the goal of which is to find solutions to health issues related to neuroscience and mental health through affordable technologies. Besides the UMH, the NeurotechEU alliance includes seven other universities: Radboud University, the Netherlands; Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; University of Bonn, Germany; Boğaziçi University, Türkiye; Universitatea de Medicină și Farmacie din Cluj-Napoca, Romania; University of Lille, France; and the University of Reykjavik, Iceland.