‘It was awarded to him during his lifetime, but due to circumstances, we were unable to give it to him in person. I am sure he is here today, happy to see us honouring his work. It is a great privilege for me to be able to present this award in so far as I can contribute to being part of this project.’ With these words, Andrés Muñoz Mosquera, head of the Legal Counsel of the supreme command of the NATO Allied Forces in Europe and contributor of UCAM for almost a decade, showed his pride in the ties that bind him to the Catholic University and the possibility of awarding María Dolores García Mascarell the 'Serge Lazareff Prize’, which the Alliance granted the founder of the educational institution in 2022; a recognition that has also been awarded to, among other personalities, King Felipe VI.  

Pablo Blesa, UCAM vice-rector of International Relations pointed out that 'José Luis Mendoza was a person who, via the university, contributed to the strengthening of the national ethos and the dissemination of a defence culture through a large number of Master’s Degrees and programmes.' Blesa also stressed that 'he was a man with a strong military sentiment, whose contribution to Spain has been of utmost importance. He grew up in Cartagena, one of the cities with strongest military roots; in fact, our headquarters there are located in former barracks’.    

UCAM has several lines of collaboration with NATO, including research projects on security and defence, postgraduate courses such as the Master’s Degree in European Union Studies and Human Rights, Master’s Degree in International Relations and the Master's Degree in Military Law. Furthermore, the University chaired by María Dolores Mascarell carries out important social work in support of war victims, with initiatives such as the launch of the University Platform for Peace in 2022.