The event began with words of welcome from the rector, Alfonso Méndiz, and Raquel Peula, head of admissions and internationalisation. “This conference, the opportunity to greet friends from around the world, is a gift,” signalled Dr Méndiz. The rector went on to emphasise three of UIC Barcelona’s core characteristics: multiculturalism, personalisation and comprehensive education. “Internationalisation is at the centre of our name: 32% of our students are international, and there are over 100 nationalities,” explained Dr Méndiz, adding that, “students are not just a number to us. They are people with dreams, goals and difficulties.”

Raquel Peula, for her part, detailed UIC Barcelona’s strengths to the attendees and underlined several aspects, such as adapted teaching, practical training, research and innovation, position in the rankings and social impact.

This was followed by a networking session with representatives from the various departments at UIC Barcelona (International Relations, Admissions and the academic mobility coordinators for each degree programme).

A tour of the facilities and networking

Ludvig Lindlöf, a senior lecturer in Business Administration and Management at Halmstad University in Sweden, expressed his satisfaction with the visit to UIC Barcelona. “We are interested in UIC Barcelona’s educational programmes and wanted to discuss potential partnerships between the two institutions. I decided to come because I wanted to see what the campus was like first-hand,” he explained.

According to Leoncio Monjaras, from the Panamerican University in Mexico, “we are number 1 partners; we have a great relationship. And since we’re such close partners, we wanted to network and broaden our agreements. Today, there is a lot of mobility. Most students are interested in gaining international experience, and this seemed like the ideal setting.”

Ida Söderlund, international coordinator at Linnaeus University in Sweden, believes that this event is a fantastic opportunity. “I loved seeing the campus in person. We have a cooperation agreement, and I was eager to visit. The atmosphere of the event was really lovely, and it’s interesting to meet people from the university. So far we have had the chance to see communication studies, and I really liked it.”

Silvia Recoder, a lecturer in Psychology at UIC Barcelona and International Mobility coordinator, also pointed out that, “this networking event is a great opportunity to put a face to the name and make actual contact, which is much more personal than sending an e-mail.”