Canary Islands and the ULPGC sign an agreement to research migration and population

The Government of the Canary Islands and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) have signed an agreement to collaborate on research regarding population, residential mobility, and migration in the Canary Islands. The agreement was signed on September 11, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands (Boletín Oficial de Canarias) no. 192, dated September 24, 2026, by means of the Resolution of September 14, 2026, from the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Government (official reference: boc-a-2026-192-3328).

The publication is ordered under article 20.1 of Decree 11/2019, of February 11, which regulates agreement activities and the electronic registries of agreements and cooperation bodies of the Autonomous Community. The resolution bears the signature of the General Secretary, Ceferino José Marrero Fariña, and the agreement appears as an annex in section III, Other Resolutions, starting on page 35235.

A 75,000 euro agreement valid until 2028

The agreement establishes a monetary contribution of 75,000 euros in a single advance payment, charged to the Budgets of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, under budget application 06.16.912D.4800200, project 19408911 “Complementary Actions”. The payment will be received by the Canarian Foundation of the Scientific and Technological Park of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (FCPCT), which will economically manage the funds.

The validity extends until December 15, 2028, with the possibility of extension or termination by unanimous agreement of the parties. The ULPGC must submit an annual activity report and a certificate of expenses each year, with a final report before December 15, and a global and economic report in the final year.

Studies on reception, mobility, and migration

The purpose of the agreement is to establish the bases of collaboration to carry out research and studies on population, residential mobility, and migration, sharing technical and human resources. The university’s commitments are distributed as follows:

• First year: define a multi-year research plan and conduct a study of the procedures and infrastructures that facilitate the reception and care of migrants arriving irregularly by sea in the Canary Islands.
• Second and third year: an annual study on the subject of the agreement.
• Promotion of a scientific seminar open to other universities.
• Preparation of a report on the viability and possibilities of creating an international-scope research structure on migration in the Canary Islands.

The Government of the Canary Islands will coordinate the actions, organize periodic meetings, provide all the funds, and facilitate the necessary information within the current regulations. The work will be linked to the Canarian Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and the demographic challenge, and a relationship will be sought with the Canarian Plan for Immigration and Intercultural Coexistence once approved.

Principal investigators and monitoring commission

On behalf of the ULPGC, Dr. Juan Manuel Parreño Castellano, Professor of Human Geography, and Dr. Mercedes de los Ángeles Rodríguez Rodríguez, Contracted Professor Doctor accredited as Associate Professor of Human Geography, are designated as principal investigators. Both will coordinate the work of the Research Group on Atlantic Societies and Spaces, a division of the University Institute of Textual Analysis and Applications (IATEXT).

The agreement is signed by the Vice-Minister of the Presidency, Alfonso Cabello Mesa, and the Rector Magnificus of the ULPGC, Lluís Serra Majem. The Monitoring, Surveillance, and Control Commission will consist of two representatives from each party and will meet at least once a year; for the Government of the Canary Islands, it will include Alfonso Cabello Mesa, and for the ULPGC, Dr. Juan Manuel Parreño Castellano and the Vice-Rector with competencies in Research and Transfer.

The agreement is framed within Law 14/2011, of June 1, on Science, Technology, and Innovation, and responds to the “grave migratory crisis” that the Autonomous Community describes in its statement of motives, with a sustained influx of migrants by sea. The text emphasizes that the phenomenon must be analyzed alongside the archipelago’s demographic challenge, marked by aging in certain islands, territorial imbalances, and pressure on public services.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 192, of September 24, 2026, section III (Other Resolutions), page 35235 (official reference: boc-a-2026-192-3328).