Foreword by Emilio Botin, the President of Banco Santander

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid has strived since its beginnings to provide education and research, and to fulfill its commitment to society, all with the highest levels of quality and service.

This explains why the University has, in a relatively short time, attained a position of privilege within the Spanish and European university systems and, thanks to the quality of its faculty and scientific output, the University was awarded the distinction of Campus of International Excellence in its first edition.

It is not by chance that the collaboration between Banco Santander and the University focuses precisely on supporting research institutes and centers which cover highly diverse areas of knowledge. A special chapter in this collaboration is dedicated to funding the International Chairs of Excellence Program in order to strengthen ties between this institution and leading international researchers in their respective fields. It gives me great pleasure to see the extraordinary response
that this initiative has received and which is reflected, in part, in this book.

My congratulations to the university community, and I encourage you to continue to strive for greater internationalization and improved research activity. Everything we can do to further our work in these areas is vital to making our society more prosperous and competitive.

Be assured that all of us at Banco Santander feel both proud and privileged to be able to form part
of this exciting university project.

Emilio Botín
President Banco Santander