The establishment of the Centro de Estudios Árabes Contemporáneos (Center for Contemporary Arab Studies/CEARC) was announced in the Spanish capital, Madrid. CEARC is a new research institution that seeks to enhance understanding of the political, social, and economic landscape of the contemporary Arab world among Spanish speakers, particularly in Europe and Latin America. The Center seeks to advance specialized knowledge on the region's issues by building bridges of communication between Spanish- and Arabic-speaking academic communities and supporting sound research production on the transformations taking place in the Arab world. It aspires to contribute effectively to the study of Spanish-Arab relations, as well as European-Arab relations more generally, by addressing their political, economic, and social dimensions. It also seeks to serve as an academic space for dialogue and knowledge exchange between researchers and those interested in these relations, in addition to providing knowledge produced in Arabic on regional issues, enabling its circulation in Spanish-speaking circles. The Center's Board of Directors is chaired by Miguel Hernando de Larramendi, a professor of Arabic studies at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Toledo. Furthermore, Sonia Boulos, a professor of international law at Nebrija University in Madrid, and, Mohammad Almasri, Researcher and Executive Director of the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies are members of the Board.

The Center’s Executive Director is Haizam Amirah Fernández, who, in his welcome address published on the Center's website, highlighted the importance of the Center joining the network of centers affiliated with the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies. He said: “We are pleased to be part of this extensive, cross-linguistic ACRPS research network, with Spanish now a publication language for ACRPS knowledge production, alongside Arabic, English, and French”. For her part, Deputy Director Rosa Meneses emphasized that the Center seeks to build a research space based on dialogue and critical thinking, saying: “We aim to be a reference in the Spanish language in the field of contemporary Arab studies, committed to constructive debate, academic rigour, and respect as utmost values”.

The Center includes an academic council composed of distinguished researchers from universities and research centers in the Arab world, Europe, and Latin America, including: José Abu-Tarbush, Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of La Laguna (Canary Islands); Ignacio Álvarez-Ossorio, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Complutense University of Madrid; Ibrahim Awad, Professor of Global Affairs at the American University in Cairo; Isaías Barreñada Bajo, Professor of International Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid; Irene Fernández Molina, Professor of International Relations at the University of Exeter; Moisés Garduño García, Professor of Political and Social Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico; Gabriel Garroum Plà, Researcher in International Relations at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona; Ignacio Gutiérrez de Terán Gómez-Benita, Professor of Arab and Islamic Studies at the Autonomous University of Madrid; Bichara Khader, Emeritus Professor of Arab Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven; Leila Nachawati Rego, Professor of Communication at Carlos III University of Madrid; Laura Ruiz de Elvira, Researcher at the Institute for Research in Development in Paris; Eduard Soler i Lecha, Professor of International Relations at the Autonomous University of Barcelona; and Marta Tawil Kuri, Professor and Researcher at the Center for International Studies at the College of Mexico.

The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies has launched its website (www.cearc.net​), which publishes specialized research and studies on social, political, economic, strategic, cultural, and other issues related to the contemporary Arab world and its relations with the rest of the international system, particularly with Europe and Latin America. It also organizes seminars and forums that seek to bring together researchers, thinkers, and academic, diplomatic, and media professionals.