03 June 2026
Donostia-San Sebastián
The University of Deusto and C.D. Fortuna Kirol Elkartea signed a framework collaboration agreement on 3 June at the University of Deusto's San Sebastian campus. The agreement aims to establish a collaborative framework that fosters education, research and the promotion of sport in Gipuzkoa. The agreement was signed by Juan José Etxeberria Sagastume SJ, Rector of the University of Deusto, and Enrique Cifuentes Torres, President of C.D. Fortuna. This partnership seeks to strengthen the work of both institutions through the development of new joint initiatives that will have a positive impact on the people of Gipuzkoa.
Key areas of collaboration include teaching and research; the supervision of Undergraduate Final Year Projects (TFG), Master's Dissertations and doctoral theses undertaken as part of degree programmes offered by the University of Deusto; internship agreements; professional development; graduate recruitment and careers services; the organisation of and participation in conferences and seminars; and volunteering activities. The University of Deusto will contribute up to 600 staff hours per year to support the development of the various projects. C.D. Fortuna Kirol Elkartea will also provide the university with 20 race entries for the BSS and 20 passes granting access to its facilities at Pío Baroja and La Concha Beach.
To ensure that the various objectives are met, a Joint Monitoring Committee has been set up, comprising Professor Alazne Mujika Alberdi (University of Deusto) and Iñigo Etxeberria (C.D. Fortuna Kirol Elkartea). The agreement will have an initial term of one year and will be renewed automatically, ensuring a stable and long-term partnership between the two organisations.
With this agreement, both institutions reaffirm their commitment to excellence and to serving the community, bringing together academic rigour and the values of grassroots and community sport.
Since its foundation in 1911, C.D. Fortuna been dedicated to promoting sport across a wide range of disciplines. Its mission has always been to promote grassroots sport in both its competitive and recreational forms, and to organise mass-participation sporting events, the best known of which is the Behobia–San Sebastián race, first held in 1919. For its part, the University of Deusto, founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesus, seeks to serve society through its distinctive contribution as a university, guided by a Christian vision of the world. The University of Deusto has a strong commitment to Basque society, which it seeks to serve as a higher education institution by contributing to its cultural needs and to its social, technological and economic development at every level.
