Montserrat Gas-Aixendri, director of the Institute for Advanced Family Studies, has recently been elected president of the International Network of University Institutes for the Family (REDIUF). The academic was named during the Second General Assembly of REDIUF, which took place on 27 June in Mexico City.

The new president, who is also vice-dean of the Faculty of Law of UIC Barcelona, intends to “extend the network to more institutes in Europe, and in Asia and Africa, where there are no members yet”, said Gas-Aixendri.

UIC Barcelona has also been chosen as the venue to hold the next REDIUF assembly, which will take place in 2026. “These assemblies are spaces for work and reflection that allow us to confront the challenges presented to the contemporary family and to align training and research centres that work on the family, as well as the inter-institutional network,” explained the expert.

REDIUF was created in 2018 in Dublin, under the impetus and sponsorship of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. Currently, around 40 institutes from 30 countries around the world are part of the International Network of University Institutes for the Family.