Spanish society, which became cohesive after the transition, has become polarized in recent years: this is what we perceive when we analyze the political discussion that takes place in Parliament, in the media and in social networks. agreement Although, at times, it seems almost impossible for us to agree on anything, perhaps in the university environment we can find a shared project . Some signs indicate that we are ready to tackle a hopeful change: the royal decrees underway and the proliferation of debates reflect that we want to take advantage of a great opportunity to move forward.

The pandemic has shown us that we are more fragile than we thought. And, at the same time, it has made us see that we will come out of this health crisis with financial aid from science and solidarity. These two levers are activated in an essential way at the University: campus is where most of Spain's research is produced; and our classrooms are where people with a service mentality are trained.

With the University's mission statement reinforced, the time has come to propose a new legal framework . The rules that regulate the Spanish university system have been paralyzed for some time, while the opposite has happened in the surrounding area: technology has transformed the labor market; private offers have increased significantly; the demand for postgraduate program has also grown; and there are more possibilities for online training , which covid-19 has accelerated.

Facing this challenge at the university level requires a coordinated response. Governments -both central and regional- must promote regulatory changes that favor the economic soundness and flexibility of universities; and, at the same time, universities must establish strategic priorities that allow us to be excellent, at least in some areas of knowledge.

On the basis of the goals already achieved, we must now move forward more boldly to meet the new social demands. In my opinion, the roadmap for change must bear in mind at least four principles:

1. Moving forward with agreements. A broad political pact, although it will never be "of maximums", will provide more benefits to the university system than a project imposed by a meager parliamentary majority. The most controversial issues can be avoided -and introduced later in regulations- so that there is a certain stability rules and regulations, at least on the fundamental issues. On the other hand, erratic swings lead us to the Lampedusian principle of "change everything so that nothing changes". If the University becomes a terrain for political battle, the university response will be skepticism and paralysis.

Overcoming resistance to change. The purpose to modernize the University must be unrenounceable. Changes make those who seek to defend their privileges or quotas of power uncomfortable. It is necessary to overcome this internal resistance, which almost always stems more from personal interests than from ideological questions, and which can be overcome if there is the political consensus mentioned above.

3. Be inspired by the best. There are very good universities in the world. You need to look at them: What do they do well, and in what regulatory framework do the best universities flourish? A quick look reveals that the most prestigious universities share at least three principles: they have strong governance teams that can choose priorities and set incentives; they are able to raise abundant resources from many different sources; and they are non-profit: the desire for profit is laudable for business, but I fear it is incompatible with excellence in academia.

4. Betting on research. Science allows us to see the light at the end of this long tunnel of the pandemic: in one year we have significantly improved covid-19 therapies and produced effective vaccines. Investing in science means allocating more public funds, always linked to results; providing special funding for interdisciplinary research ; supporting the most consolidated or most promising groups; and promoting a law on patronage that provides tax advantages to those who help with their resources.

In this new and uncertain environment, the University must exercise a natural leadership role that will make it a factor of cohesion. It must be at the epicenter of reconstruction, acting as a catalyst for scientific innovation and providing a supportive and committed response to the future of society.