“Like an invisible hand”: Gender in university cooperation for international development in Spain

International development cooperation has been strongly influenced by gender mainstreaming. Recently, feminist cooperation and aid policies have emerged in different countries, calling for a change in approach. In Spain, universities are important actors in international development, not only by ratifying their commitment to the 2030 Agenda, but also by leading projects and educational actions towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Nevertheless, the gender perspective has sometimes been neglected or poorly implemented in higher education cooperation activities. This article analyses the experiences of cooperation projects in different Spanish universities, identifying their potential and limitations. The results show existing barriers to the integration of a gender perspective. Several opportunities and strategies for overcoming these barriers are addressed in order to move towards Spain’s ambitious commitments of feminist cooperation. •Higher education's critical role in international development is understudied.•Gender and feminism are central to Spanish cooperation discourse, yet its practices remain underexplored.•Gender analysis reveals an ambivalent potential of university cooperation projects.•Personal, organisational and external barriers hinder gender approach in projects.•Project leaders have strategies for overcoming resistance to gender inclusion in projects.