On October 2, 2025, researcher Erika Ospina Rozo defended her doctoral thesis at the Faculty of Education Sciences of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, within the framework of the PhD Program in Education. The research, supervised by Professor José Luís Muñoz Moreno, a member of CRiEDO, is titled “University Management from an Intellectual Capital Approach in Colombian Universities.”
The academic event featured a distinguished examination committee composed of Jesús Rodríguez Rodríguez from the University of Santiago de Compostela, Elena Cano García from the University of Barcelona, and Anna Díaz Vicario from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
The thesis analyzed how universities can enhance their institutional management by valuing intangible assets (knowledge, processes, relationships, etc.) that constitute intellectual capital. In the context of global transformations in Higher Education, such as digitalization and internationalization, the research explored management practices in three Colombian universities with diverse profiles.
Using a mixed-methods approach, key elements related to human, structural, and relational capital were identified, and their level of development and areas for improvement were analyzed. The results highlighted that aspects such as leadership, internal communication, innovation, internationalization, and organizational culture are crucial for the quality and sustainability of university institutions.
The research provided valuable evidence for institutional leaders, emphasizing the importance of managing knowledge and relationships as strategic assets in the university context. This contribution represents a significant step forward in understanding university management in Latin American contexts and reinforces CRiEDO’s commitment to applied and transformative research.
