The Universitat de València was represented by the Vice-principal for Internationalization and Cooperation, Carles Padilla, and the coordinator of the Silk Road Programme for the Universitat, Guillermo Palao.

The assembly gathered representatives of around 80 universities from 30 different countries where the historic Silk Road passed by. It had the objective of explaining the activities that have been carried out during 2018 and programming those activities that will be carried out in 2019.

It is an especially important moment because in this 4^th General Conference the universities that will be part of the board for the following 3 years will be chosen (it is the body where the policies and plans of the network will be designed for this period). The Universitat de València joins the board. It has been an especially active member since the foundation of the network. The directive board is also formed by Ca’ Foscari University, Coimbra University, Beijing Foreign Studies University, Imam Khomeini International University, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, National University of Mongolia, Ankara University and Moscow State Linguistic University.

The Silk-Road Universities Network has among its objectives to value the importance of the old Silk Road. It is based on the peaceful coexistence and collective prosperity of the countries where it passed by. It is the only university network of these characteristics and the Universitat de València is the only Spanish university that has participated since its foundation.

The participation of the SUN is part of the planning that was developed in the Silk-Road Programme Framework of the Universitat de València (https://www.uv.es/vlc-ruta-seda/ca/valencia-ruta-seda.html). It was promoted by the Governing Council thanks to the signature of the Protocol with different Valencian Institutions in 2015. The Governing Council coordinates initiatives with other institutions that take place in several centres and institutes of the Universitat.