Comillas Pontifical University

Comillas Pontifical University is a private Catholic university located in Madrid, Spain. Known in Spanish as Universidad Pontificia Comillas, the institution is run by the Society of Jesus.

The university was originally founded in 1890 by Pope Leo XIII. Fourteen years later, Pope Pius X granted the institution the power to award academic degrees in canon law, theology, and philosophy. Originally located in Comillas, Cantabria, the university moved to the Spanish capital in 1969. After the move, two other Madrid institutions run by the Society of Jesus - the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería (ICAI) and the Instituto Católico de Administración y Dirección de Empresas (ICADE) - were integrated into the university. As a result, the university is sometimes referred to as Universidad Pontificia Comillas ICAI-ICADE.

In its mission statement, Comillas Pontifical University says that as a Catholic university, it "aims...to serve as an institutional bridge between Christian ideals, as expressed in the Gospels, and all forms of cultural expression in order to promote dialogue and exchange”.

The university “welcomes and encourages feats of human spirit in the field of science, technical progress and arts, seeking to be a leavening force on culture, human value, life and society, while contributing to the message of Jesus Christ,” adds.

Famous alumni of the Comillas Pontifical University include Diego López Garrido, a former Spanish undersecretary for European affairs; José Bono, former prime minister of the Castilla La Mancha Regional Government; Enrique Barón, former president of the European Parliament; and Ignacio J. Pérez Arriaga, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.