The UIS Board of Trustees held its final session of the year, a key meeting to evaluate the 2025 achievements, approve the institutional budget for 2026, and share national advances in health education. The session concluded with messages of recognition from the National Government and the productive sector, reaffirming UIS’s role as a leading public institution in the country.
The trustees highlighted progress in infrastructure, technology, student welfare, and research promotion, as well as the expansion of academic offerings in historically underserved regions.
Juan Carlos Bolívar, the Ministry of National Education’s delegate to the Board, emphasized the exemplary institutional performance:
“The balance is positive. We have consolidated a university that is now a national example, with strong infrastructure development, administrative agility, and a robust academic project strengthened with resources from the National Government.”
Bolívar also underscored the importance of UIS’s presence in areas affected by inequality and armed conflict, such as Saravena, Magdalena Medio, southern Cesar, the Orinoquía region, and Vaupés, emphasizing that public education is a tool to reduce conflict and expand rights.
2026 Budget
During the session, the budget for the 2026 fiscal year was approved. The investment will strengthen university coverage, modernize infrastructure, boost research, and enhance student welfare.
Alejandro Almeyda Camargo, the representative of the productive sector to the Board, highlighted the university’s financial strength and strategic growth over the year:
“We successfully closed 2025 with solid finances, significant growth in budget compliance, and—most importantly—advances in infrastructure, technology, and university coverage.”
Almeyda emphasized that the approved budget strengthens one of the university’s key pillars: university-business collaboration.
“We aim to work more closely with Santander companies, generate internships, research, and productive linkages that empower SMEs and students through the university’s institutional programs.”
He also celebrated the consolidation of research-strengthening policies, such as the expansion of sabbatical leave for faculty, an initiative he described as a competitive advantage for UIS compared to other institutions in the country.
Advances in Human Talent in Health: Expanded Opportunities and Democratization of Training
One of the most notable announcements of the session was presented by the Ministry of Education regarding progress in the Interadministrative Commission on Human Talent in Health, developed together with the Ministry of Health. Three regulatory instruments, soon to be formalized, will transform health education in Colombia:
- Significant expansion of practical training slots, preventing displacement of students from public universities.
- Prioritization of new slots exclusively for public institutions, strengthening the state higher education system.
- Democratization of access to medical training, ensuring real opportunities for youth from underserved neighborhoods and remote regions.
Bolívar explained that these measures aim to train doctors from Catatumbo, Caquetá, Orinoquía, and Arauca, rather than concentrating them only in major cities. UIS will be a key ally in this process, thanks to its territorial presence and academic capacity.
The final session of the year concluded with a shared vision to consolidate a more modern UIS, better integrated with the regions, and more committed to the country. With a robust budget, a positive institutional balance, and new national initiatives in health, 2026 promises to be a decisive year for advancing the university’s public mission.
