The University Development Cooperation (CUD for its acronym in Spanish) is understood as the set of activities carried out by the university community and aimed at social transformation in the most disadvantaged countries, in favour of peace, equity, human development and environmental sustainability worldwide. It is a transformation in which institutional and academic strengthening play an important role.

This is reflected in the Universities' Code of Conduct on Development Cooperation, a text created and approved by the CRUE Commission for Internationalization and Cooperation in 2015, and which has been ratified internally by 53 of Spain's 76 universities. 

Since the 1990s, universities have assumed a growing role in development cooperation, creating solidarity structures to make it effective. They have also launched a wide range of activities aimed at promoting solidarity among the different sectors of the university community, from teaching and research to cooperation projects per se, including technical assistance with other institutions, educational cooperation and awareness-raising activities (Source: www.ocud.es)