The meeting was attended by Spain's Prime Minister and executive chairman of the foundation, Mariano Rajoy Brey, the Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel García-Margallo, Education, Culture and Sport, José Ignacio Wert, and Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria López.

The trustees approved the foundation's 2013 financial statements and the new composition of the Advisory Board, which issues a scientific assessment of the Foundation's academic activities each year. For the coming year, the Foundation plans to increase the range of grants and to enhance relations with Iberoamerica in the areas of culture and education, to promote the internationalisation of Spanish research institutions and to strengthen its leadership and public diplomacy programmes with Iberoamerica, the Hispanic communities in the United States and—in coordination with Brand Spain—with priority nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

To this end, the Foundation plans to continue to offer the Government, Spanish universities and its member companies outstanding results that yield high social returns in terms of human capital and an enhanced external image.

Fundación Carolina was established in October 2000 with the mission of promoting cultural relations and cooperation in the fields of education and science between Spain and the Iberoamerican Community of Nations, and with other countries with which Spain has close cultural, historical or geographical ties.

Through its programmes, Fundación Carolina promotes internationalisation of Spanish universities and research institutions while also contributing to the construction of an Iberoamerican space for knowledge and to institutional strengthening in the Americas. It also engages in pubic diplomacy, by projecting our cultural, scientific and economic potential.