One hundred excellent university students received yesterday, from the Kings, one of the La Caixa Foundation scholarships to study a postgraduate degree abroad. One hundred brilliant young people who the King encouraged to train and contribute with their efforts "to the construction of a better society".
Getting one of the La Caixa Foundation postgraduate scholarships to study abroad is not easy. Of the almost one thousand university students who presented themselves for the call, all with a brilliant academic record, one hundred have been selected to extend their studies at one of the best universities in the world. Yesterday, at the CaixaForum headquarters in Madrid, the Kings presided over the awarding ceremony in an event in which, with the assistance of the scholarship holders and their families, effort and talent were celebrated.
The Kings were in charge of handing out, two by two, the diplomas certifying the scholarships to the hundred students who, in addition, were the recipients of the words of the King, who congratulated them and expressed his wish for a good and fruitful experience in their destination universities.
The King addressed the scholarship holders to remind them that "there is no better way to engage with young people than by offering them more opportunities by strengthening their skills and knowledge, as well as encouraging their own efforts". He also remarked that "the advancement of science and knowledge, thanks to young people with potential like yours, is surely the best possible way to move forward and thus contribute to the construction of a better society".
The event was also attended by the First Vice-President of the Spanish Government and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño; the Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats; and the vice president of the La Caixa Foundation, Juan José López Burniol. From the start of the postgraduate scholarship program abroad, in 1982, until the call for applications in 2022, the La Caixa Foundation has allocated a cumulative investment of almost 200 million euros to training of 3,784 students in universities abroad.
López Burniol recalled, during the handover ceremony, that "the commitment to the excellent training of young people is one of the most emblematic and consolidated lines of action of the La Caixa Foundation.
The president of the entity, Isidre Fainé, for whom the King had an affectionate memory in his words, could not be present at yesterday's ceremony, as he is recovering from a surgical intervention in the shoulder The King said of him that "if the Foundation is the soul of La Caixa; Isidre Fainé, it's from the Foundation".
As in previous ceremonies, and representing the scholarship group of the La Caixa Foundation, this time she was the professor of Biomedical Sciences and researcher of the Materials Engineering Group (Gemat) of the Institut Químic de Sarrià (Barcelona ), Núria Oliva, who addressed the new scholarship holders giving an account of her experience: "12 years ago I was sitting in the same place as you, about to go to the United States. That opportunity allowed me to enhance my passion for breast cancer research, work on the development of new treatments and, subsequently, form my own research group”.
The grants awarded are distributed, for the most part, in universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. The one hundred university students with scholarships, with an average age of 26, come mainly from Barcelona (26), Madrid (12), A Coruña (4), Biscay (4) and Valencia (4).
The investment by the La Caixa Foundation in the 2022 call was 10.7 million euros. The average cost of each of the scholarships awarded to pursue postgraduate studies abroad is 90,000 euros. The effectiveness of this system is subsequently reflected in the success of Fundació La Caixa scholarship holders when they manage to be admitted to the best universities around the world.
