IAESTE > THE ORGANIZATION > History

HISTORY

IAESTE was founded in 1948 in London by Sir James Newby, head of the Imperial College Vacation Work Committee. Representatives of ten European countries attended the opening meeting, held when the wounds caused by World War II were still healing.

The IAESTE constitution obeyed the inherent needs of the new world order, established under the spreading threat of atomic weapons. IAESTE brought to the academic sphere what society as a whole was claiming: to create understanding across cultures and nations.

Spain joined IAESTE in 1951, and it is one of its oldest members. Over the first years of its membership, only the Industrial Engineering schools of Madrid and Barcelona took part in the project. Nowadays, IAESTE España conducts more than 300 exchanges every year.