The Alfonso X el Sabio Asturias University Centre has taken another step forward with the appointment of Jaime Algorta as its new director. This centre, affiliated with the UAX Group and located in Oviedo, will commence its academic activities in the 2026/27 academic year, offering courses in health sciences based on the holistic ‘One Health’ approach, promoting a responsible, sustainable and multidisciplinary perspective on current health challenges.
Jaime Algorta holds a Doctorate in Medicine and is a pharmacologist, with an extensive and solid professional background in both the business and management sectors, as well as in clinical and academic fields. He has over two decades’ teaching experience at institutions such as UAX itself and, previously, at the University of the Basque Country and the Autonomous University of Madrid.
Throughout his career, the new director of the Alfonso X el Sabio Asturias University Centre has combined his teaching vocation with an active commitment to clinical research, which has enabled new, effective and safe medicines to be made available to patients in pharmacies around the world today. His profile is characterised by a deep commitment to advancing scientific knowledge and by his ability to integrate research into academic and business education, promoting the UAX educational model with a practical approach geared towards the current challenges facing the European healthcare system.
In addition to his academic background, Algorta has also led international multidisciplinary teams, working on high-impact projects both at an academic level and in collaboration with Spanish and European institutions and companies in the healthcare sector. His project management skills and experience in coordinating teams have enabled him to drive forward new, world-class initiatives within the university and research sectors.
The UAX Group’s new centre will open its doors in September
With this appointment, the UAX Group is strengthening the academic structure of the Alfonso X el Sabio Asturias University Centre at a crucial stage ahead of its opening this autumn. The new centre, which will be located in the iconic Calatrava building in Oviedo, will commence operations in the 2026/27 academic year with degree programmes in Medicine and Nursing, marking the first step in its commitment to strengthening and responding to the high demand for healthcare education in Asturias and northern Spain. In the medium term, the centre will expand its academic offering with new undergraduate degrees such as Dentistry and Pharmacy, as well as specialised master’s programmes such as Adult Emergency and Urgent Care for Nursing Professionals; Healthcare Leadership and Management; Orthodontics, Oral Implantology and Implant-Supported Prosthetics; and Public Health and One Health. This combination of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes will enable the creation of a comprehensive educational pathway, from basic training to advanced specialisation, within a university environment linked to real-world practice and innovation.
The project will implement the One Health approach, a vision that views human, animal and environmental health as interconnected realities, promoting a comprehensive, interdisciplinary education aligned with the current challenges facing the healthcare system. This proposal is backed by agreements with prestigious institutions and companies, such as the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNIC) and the European Network for Climate and Health Education (ENCHE).
The Alfonso X el Sabio Asturias University Centre will have a significant impact on the city of Oviedo and throughout Asturias, with an estimated total investment of 40 million euros and the creation of around 250 direct jobs. Furthermore, it aims to become a strategic international hub for knowledge and the creation of opportunities for the capital and, more broadly, for the Asturian healthcare ecosystem.
