Tec de Monterrey Education Group: Vision in action towards 2030

“Education is the start of what is possible.”

With this statement, Ricardo Saldívar, Chairman of the Board of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group, provided board members with a summary of the conviction that has guided the institution since its founding.

“The history of our Education Group is not common,” commented Saldívar at the start of the 2026 Board Meeting. He went on to explain that, in a country with a centralist tradition, the institution that came into existence far from the capital has forged a nationwide presence from north to south and east to west.

Saldívar added that its presence and national reach are a source of pride and embody the purpose and vision that inspired its founders.

He underscored in his message that, after a year of institutional evolution, the Education Group (which comprises Tecnológico de Monterrey, Tecmilenio, and TecSalud) is moving forward with its strategy for 2030. 

“We committed ourselves to education as a conviction more than eighty years ago; education as a national project and as a tool for building a more prosperous reality,” Saldívar emphasized.

For his part, David Garza, Executive President of the Education Group, outlined the progress, challenges, and opportunities facing higher education institutions in a complex global and national environment.

The board meeting was attended by over six hundred national and international leaders who sit on Education Group boards to review strategic progress and analyze trends in education, health, and research.

Forty years after this annual meeting was first held, it was hosted in Mexico City for the first time with Tec de Monterrey’s Santa Fe campus as the venue.}

“Education is a national project and a platform that fortifies nations and their inhabitants.” - Ricardo Saldívar

The Education Group’s evolution: From Vision to Action

Saldívar pointed out that the theme of the Board Meeting (“The Plan in Action”) reflects tangible progress made in the strategic plan for 2030 presented last year and the institutional evolution that has made it possible to report results for the first time as the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group.

He explained that this structure unites Tec de Monterrey, TecSalud, and Tecmilenio in a single management model in which each institution enhances its own identity and specific vocation while working together to achieve a common goal: to transform the lives of individuals and communities through education.

With this approach, he added, the Education Group seeks to respond to diverse life stages and circumstances through differentiated academic models without losing sight of the conviction that been its guiding light for over eighty years: education as a tool for transforming realities.

“Education is a national project and a platform that fortifies nations and their inhabitants,” he emphasized.

Saldívar called on board members to take an active role in implementing the 2030 strategy, which strengthens the formation and evolution of local bodies, promotes ties with communities, businesses, and authorities, and fosters a culture of generosity.

“Those of us who make up the governing bodies of the Education Group have the tremendous opportunity to guide and help local and regional leadership teams to implement the strategy outlined and monitoring its effective implementation,” he said.

“What a great cause this is! We have decided to give it our very best,” he enthused.

Progress and challenges in a disruptive environment

Now that the 2030 plan has been finalized, the challenge is to make it a reality in a complex global context. This was how David Garza, the Education Group’s executive president, expressed himself when describing the current situation in higher education.

Garza pointed out that universities face questions concerning the worth of an undergraduate degree, funding challenges, talent gaps, and the onrushing impact of artificial intelligence.

In this context, he stated that the Education Group’s goal is to characterize itself as a ray of hope through the work of its three institutions.

“Each institution has a vision, a vocation, and certain priorities, but they are all united by the single purpose of transforming the lives of individuals and communities through education,” he said.

The most noteworthy advances and priorities expressed by Garza are:

Tecnológico de Monterrey

• It has presence in twenty states across the country and more than 400,000 graduates after almost eighty-three years.
• Nearly 30,000 students have graduated under the Tec21 model and are now gainfully employed.
• It is ranked among the top seventy universities in the world and number one in Latin America in terms of employability by Times Higher Education.
• The Tec has strengthened the Monterrey Innovation District with the Expedition FEMSA building at its center and the upcoming opening of the Eduardo Garza T. Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub.
• It Increased industry funding for applied research in 2025.

TecSalud

• It has consolidated the OriGen Project, whose biobank achieved 100,000 samples: the world’s largest for Latino population genetics.
• TecSalud collaborated with the University of Texas at Austin, where a research unit was established outside Mexico.
• It made improvements to highly complex clinical procedures and biomedical research.
• TecSalud has international partnerships to expand scientific and clinical reach.

Tecmilenio

• It has presence in twenty-three states with more than 60,000 students.
• The MAPS model (modular, stackable, and customizable) was implemented; approximately 30% of Tecmilenio’s enrollment is under this scheme.
• It focuses on employability and purposeful training.
• Tecmilenio has expanded its flexible models geared toward different stages of life.

On the topic of the Vice Presidency for Research, Garza called for strengthening ties with the private sector to promote applied projects that generate short-term solutions in the economic, social, or health fields.

He pointed out that, in an international context in which other countries have increased their investment in research and development, the Tec must differentiate itself through creativity, collaboration, and greater coordination with industry.

Garza also highlighted the creation of the Vice Presidency of Lifelong Learning to expand training opportunities beyond traditional models and respond to a changing work environment. 

He reported that Tec de Monterrey and Tecmilenio already teach more than 200,000 people with refresher and retraining programs and hope to increase this number to reach millions through lifelong learning schemes aimed at developing new skills in the digital age.

On the subject of artificial intelligence, Garza explained how the world is undergoing the largest investment in technological infrastructure in history with rapid developments in model capabilities, automation, and intelligent agents. 

He indicated that this transformation poses a double challenge for universities: preparing students for a redefined work environment while also reflecting on which human skills should be developed to combat the risk of “cognitive atrophy.”

He added that the Education Group should not simply aspire to develop people’s skill in the use of these tools but should also lead the debate on their responsible use and the public policies that regulate them.

Mexico City: Fifty years of presence and a strategy to deepen its footprint

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations of Tecnológico de Monterrey in the Mexico City metropolitan area, the Board Meeting was held for the first time in the country’s capital with the Santa Fe campus as the venue.

“Today, as part of our strategy for 2030, we have decided to enhance our presence in Mexico City to leave an even deeper mark,” said Saldívar.

He described Mexico City as a place of national convergence: the seat of the federal government, a center of progressive thought, and a historic destination for young people seeking educational, cultural, and employment opportunities. 

He explained that the Santa Fe, Mexico City, and State of Mexico campuses will be at the center of the growth and positioning strategy with the aim of attracting the best talent, consolidating alliances with academic peers, and strengthening ties with the productive sector.

The Education Group’s work: “It’s forever”

At the end of his message, Garza shared the testimony of Enrique Marco, a Tec graduate who traveled 9,000 kilometers to reconnect with his alma mater during an anniversary celebration.

“The Tec embodies what we’ve been taught: to be responsible,” Marco said in the video.

“I remember the day I was awarded my degree. I put it back in its folder and lay it across my knees. ‘Nobody can take this away because it’s forever’ I thought”, he said emotionally.

For Garza, this is an example of how the Education Group’s work makes a difference in people’s lives.

“What we are doing, what we are planning, is forever; it’s not just for a few years, it’s forever.”

For the executive president, this phrase sums up the meaning behind the strategy and decisions taken today by the Education Group: in an environment of rapid change, education is not a short-term commitment, but a permanent commitment to people and communities.

“What a great cause (education) is! We have decided to give it our very best.” - RIcardo Saldívar

The 2026 Board Meeting

The “Plan in Action” Board Meeting discussed the lines of action of the Tecnológico de Monterrey Education Group’s strategic initiatives.

The meeting featured April Rinne, futurist, best-selling author, and advocate for humanity; Ángel Cabrera, 12th President of the Georgia Institute of Technology; Pablo Legorreta, founder, CEO, and Chairman of Royalty Pharma; and Professor Mathias Uhlén, professor at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden.

Prior to this meeting, the Annual General Meeting was held, at which the results achieved and progress made in 2025 were reviewed. 

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