The Real Colegio Complutense
2008-2009
What is the Real Colegio Complutense?
The Real Colegio Complutense (RCC) is an institution, created in 1990 through an agreement between Harvard University and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), to promote academic, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two institutions. Through its fellowships and activities, the Real Colegio Complutense, affiliated with Harvard University, serves as a privileged link between Harvard and the Spanish Universities.
The Real Colegio Complutense is a non-profit organization, registered with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The President of Harvard University and the Rector of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid are the official managers, with the assistance of an Academic Council. The Council includes five representatives from Harvard University and five from UCM. The Universidad Complutense de Madrid provides the funds; in addition, foundations and private companies underwrite some of the expenses of seminars that are held at the RCC.
RCC is the only case of an official agreement of a foreign academic institution with Harvard University. Its creation was due, in large part, to the King of Spain, who inaugurated the building in 1993. The original ten-year agreement was renewed through 2009.
RCC is housed in its own building located at 26 Trowbridge in mid-Cambridge; a few minutes walk from the Harvard campus and Harvard Square. The Real Colegio exposes members of the academic community and graduate students from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and other major universities and institutions from Spain to the academic programs, research investigations, and activities at Harvard University. RCC also promotes visits and studies of Harvard University faculty and students to Spanish universities.
Among the most important programs of the Real Colegio Complutense are the Fellowships for research or for graduate studies at Harvard University. Every year, more than sixty Spanish investigators (professors with doctoral degrees, mainly from the Complutense in Madrid or other universities that have signed agreements with the Complutense) benefit from the privileges and activities of this institution. Typically, they are integrated into the departments at Harvard University as visiting scholars.
Between 15 and 20 Spanish graduate students are accepted in doctoral and masters programs at Harvard University every year, and many of them receive partial scholarships from the Real Colegio Complutense for their studies.
Recently, RCC created a summer program that brings high level researchers to Cambridge for two or three months to work on a common subject and share their work through weekly seminars, with participation of Harvard professors. In the introductory page of our webpage you can find information about applying for these programs.
In addition, the Real Colegio Complutense helps Spanish university and college faculty and students who need access to libraries at Harvard University for brief time periods.
During the year, especially during the summer months, special courses are offered on a wide variety of topics, including the economy, business accounting, environmental law and consulting, accounting, sociology and politics, and commercial law. Each course is organized by a distinguished professor from a Spanish university and is coordinated by a person who is responsible for the course-related logistics for the 15-50 participants. The organizers have to get funds for the course. The professors for these courses are highly qualified professors from Harvard University and other prestigious American universities. RCC provides administrative support, hotel bookings, the meeting place, and logistical assistance to participants once they arrive in Cambridge.
With the objective of introducing the Harvard and Cambridge communities to Spanish culture, the Real Colegio Complutense provides academic and cultural programs to the public, such as symposia, seminars, conferences, concerts, lectures, and films.
Each year, there is a series of lectures (RCC Fellows Lectures) where researchers talk about their own work. Harvard University professors and students, as well as the general public, are invited to these free lectures.
Anyone who wishes to be added to the events list can send a request with his/her e-mail address to: rcc_info@harvard.edu .
In our monthly Bulletins we include concrete information about our Fellows and our activities, with pictures and interviews that reflect the daily life at the Real Colegio Complutense.
