Rural Campus 2026: how to host university interns in your rural municipality or business

Key data

Rural companies and municipalities in Navarra now have a formal channel to access university talent without hiring costs. The Rural Campus Program, articulated through the agreement published on May 23, 2026 between the Government of Navarra and the Public University of Navarra, allows students to conduct their academic internships in rural environments, bringing technical and fresh capabilities to organizations that typically have difficulty attracting qualified profiles.

The resolution has been issued by the General Directorate of Policies Against Depopulation, positioning this program within the framework of active policies against rural depopulation in Navarra. This is not a direct economic aid for companies, but rather an institutional collaboration instrument that facilitates access to regulated university internships in rural areas.

What does this regulation establish?

The agreement published in the BOE formalizes collaboration between two institutions with differentiated roles within the Rural Campus Program:

• Government of Navarra (through the General Directorate of Policies Against Depopulation): provides the political framework, program financing and coordination with participating rural entities.
• Public University of Navarra: manages student selection, academic recognition of internships and educational monitoring of university students placed in rural areas.

The agreement regulates three fundamental aspects:

1. Collaboration framework: defines how both institutions interact to launch the program and manage internships.
2. Financing: establishes how resources are distributed between the Government of Navarra and the Public University of Navarra to sustain the program. Specific amounts have not been published in the BOE resolution.
3. Responsibilities: delimits what corresponds to each party —public institution, university and host entity— during internship development.

The stated objective of the program is twofold: to contribute to local development of rural municipalities and combat depopulation, while students gain real professional experience in non-urban environments.

Economic and operational impact

For rural entities participating as hosts, the operational impact is positive and without direct hiring costs. Students conduct academic internships—not labor internships—meaning the relationship does not generate salary obligations for the host entity in the usual terms of an employment contract.

The practical implications for a rural company or municipality hosting students are:

• Access to specialized university profiles (according to the student's degree) without selection process or direct salary costs.
• Need to designate an internal tutor to accompany the student during internships.
• Compliance with conditions established in the agreement between the Government of Navarra and the Public University of Navarra.
• Possibility of identifying talent for future team additions.

Since the resolution published in the BOE does not detail economic amounts, number of available positions or internship duration, interested entities must consult directly with the Public University of Navarra or the General Directorate of Policies Against Depopulation to learn specific conditions.

Who does it affect?

This regulation has direct impact on the following groups and organizations:

• Municipalities in rural areas of Navarra: can request the incorporation of university students to strengthen management areas, urban planning, social services, rural tourism or other municipal competencies.
• Companies in rural Navarra: especially SMEs and microenterprises in sectors such as agribusiness, rural tourism, technology applied to agriculture or local services.
• Third sector entities and rural associations: non-profit organizations operating in rural municipalities that can benefit from university support in specific projects.
• Students from the Public University of Navarra: seeking internship placements with academic recognition outside urban environments.
• Rural development managers and technicians: who must know this instrument to advise local entities on how to access the program.

Practical example

A municipality in a rural area of Navarra with fewer than 500 inhabitants wants to digitize its historical archive and improve its social media presence to attract new residents. Without budget to hire a technician, it can request through the Rural Campus Program the incorporation of a Communication or Documentation student from the Public University of Navarra.

The student conducts academic internships in the municipality during the period established by the agreement, with recognition of university credits. The municipality designates a civil servant as internal tutor and benefits from the student's work without direct salary costs. Upon completion of the internship, the municipality has digitized part of its archive and the student has gained real professional experience in a rural environment.

This same scheme is applicable to a cooperative winery needing digital marketing support, a rural tourism company wanting to develop its website, or a local development association working on sustainability projects.

What should companies do now?

1. Evaluate if your organization meets the requirements: the program is aimed at entities in rural Navarra. Verify that your municipality or area of activity is within the geographic scope of the agreement.
2. Identify what needs you could cover with an intern: analyze what areas of your company, municipality or entity could benefit from a university profile (communication, administration, agricultural engineering, tourism, technology, etc.).
3. Contact the Public University of Navarra: this is the organization that manages student selection and can inform you about requirements to become a host entity, application deadlines and available degrees.
4. Contact the General Directorate of Policies Against Depopulation: if you are a rural public municipality or entity, this Government of Navarra organization is your main contact for accessing the program.
5. Designate an internal tutor: any host entity will need an internal manager to supervise and accompany the student during internships. Identify who can assume that role in your organization.
6. Consult the full text of the agreement: to learn the exact conditions of participation, responsibilities and financing, access the official text published in the BOE.