At the SUD, we understand "university cooperation for development" to be the group of efforts made by a university community (students, faculty and PAS) from a northern country to help developing countries. The recipients of these efforts are mainly, but not exclusively, the universities of said countries.

The three objectives of the SUD are the following:

- To contribute to the training of human capital in developing countries. 
- To provide support to strengthen poor country institutions, especially university institutions.
- To highlight the "north-south" problem, and the cooperation for development in teaching and research in northern university centres, to the end of fomenting the social responsibility of those professionals working or being trained in them.

The main ways of university cooperation for development that the SUD will foment in poor countries are the following:

- Training of professionals with social commitment values.
- Transmission of teaching experience and educational technology.
- Development of institutional abilities and transmission of university management instruments.
- Collaboration in the design and execution of comprehensive development projects.
- Research and transfer of funding.