The RCC was founded as a joint cooperative institution to foster intellectual and scientific interaction between Harvard University and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), with the support of King Juan Carlos I, Queen Sofia of Spain and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

As of 2024, the director is Daniel Pablo de la Cruz Sánchez Mata,[3] full professor at UCM and faculty associate at the Harvard University Herbaria.

In the period 2012-2021, the director was Prof. José Manuel Martínez Sierra,[4] Jean Monnet ad personam Professor for the Study of European Union Law and Government.

The RCC sponsors a number of research projects and programs that cross over different fields of study, including experimental and social sciences, architecture, health, engineering, education, communication and humanities.

The relevance of RCC Fellows, Associates and Alumni/ae, as well as their partnerships with local scholars and the Faculty of Harvard University, allow these projects to generate international knowledge networks and to promote intellectual exchange in a multidisciplinary framework.