Rafael Toledo Moreo (Cartagena, Spain, 1978) is Full Professor in the Department of Electronics and Computer Technology at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) and, since October 2023, Secretary General of the European University of Technology Alliance (EUt+), the body responsible for the alliance's executive management and operational coordination.

He holds a degree in Industrial Automation and Electronics Engineering from UPCT (2002) and a European PhD with honours from the University of Murcia (2006). He has carried out pre- and post-doctoral research stays at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology (Poland), the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (Nantes), and Université Paris-Saclay.

University governance and institutional leadership

Throughout his career, he has held several senior management positions at UPCT and at the European level. He served as Secretary and later Vice-Dean for International and Industry Relations at the School of Telecommunications Engineering, where he promoted the Aula Empresa programme and launched the school's first international double degree.

In 2019, he was appointed Innovation Coordinator of UPCT, leading the Network of Endowed Chairs, which grew to 52 active chairs. He subsequently served as Rector¿s Delegate for the European University of Technology and as Vice-Rector for Internationalisation and European University (2020-2024). During this period, UPCT¿s integration into the EUt+ alliance was consolidated, achieving record figures in student and staff mobility, international funding, and international student enrolment.

Since 2023, he has been Secretary General of EUt+, with responsibilities including the alliance¿s executive management, quality assurance, and inter-alliance coordination (ENHANCE, EELISA). He is the architect of the alliance's Standards and Guidelines for Harmonization and has played an active role in strategic initiatives such as JEDI (European Degree) and STYX (legal entity and quality assurance for European university alliances), presenting outcomes at international forums such as the European Quality Assurance Forum.

Research and knowledge transfer

His research activity focuses on space engineering, high-integrity navigation systems, and embedded systems. He has participated in more than 50 research projects and contracts, acting as principal investigator in many national and international projects, with a total funding exceeding ¿5.5 million.

He is the author of more than 228 peer-reviewed publications indexed in Web of Science, with an h-index of 33, and has received international awards for his scientific output. Among his most significant contributions is his role as leader of the Spanish contribution to the control unit of the infrared instrument of the European Space Agency's Euclid space mission, an M-class mission, working closely with ESA, NASA, AIRBUS Defence and Space, and the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.

In the field of innovation and technology transfer, he has served as Director of the Telefónica / Open Future Chair and currently directs the AED Vantage Chair, leading technology development contracts with public and private entities and participating in European initiatives on deep-tech entrepreneurship and dual-use technologies.

Teaching and talent development

He has more than 20 years of teaching experience and has delivered over 2,400 teaching hours in undergraduate, master¿s, and international programmes. He has consistently taught in English, receiving excellent student evaluations, and has served as a visiting lecturer at several European institutions, including Politecnico di Milano and Leibniz University Hannover.

He has supervised four completed PhD theses and is currently co-supervising an international joint PhD. He is strongly committed to practical training and employability, having mentored more than 55 grant holders and coordinated the recruitment of 17 graduates through research and innovation projects. Many of these alumni now pursue professional careers at organisations such as ESA, AIRBUS Defence and Space, GMV, and the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.