The ceremony began with the appointment of Homs i Ferret as the new president of the Academic and Social Council. In his welcoming remarks, Josep Maria Pujol, the President of the UIC Board of Trustees, applauded the work done by Ferrer i Sala, who was president of the council for 15 years, since the UIC was founded in 1997. Ferrer i Sala is also the honorary president of Freixenet, the Catalan cava producer. Pujol publically thanked Ferrer for his dedication and expressed the hope that Homs would continue with the legacy left by Ferrer. Pere Alavedra, the UIC Rector, closed the ceremony with his own speech, in which he thanked the outgoing president and welcomed the incoming president.

In his inaugural speech, Francesc Homs i Ferret emphasized his wish to continue the "excellent" work carried out by Josep Ferrer and stated his intention to deepen relations between civil society, represented by the Academic and Social Council, and the university community. "We are living in a time of changes that also affect the university”, Homs said. He noted that the Academic and Social Council should contribute criteria to help the university adapt to these changing times.

In his speech, Homs discussed the main issues he plans to focus on as president of the council over the next few years. These include internationalization, encouraging closer links between the university and businesses, promoting research and entrepreneurship, and encouraging values, which are the hallmark of the UIC. Following his remarks, he presented the session calendar for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Homs began his professional career as a professor of Industrial Economics in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. He was later a member of the Spanish parliament, where he was the economic spokesman from 1986 to 1999 and the Head of the Industry and Energy Commission. He was a member of Barcelona City Council, a member of the Catalan parliament and the Economic and Finance Minister in the Catalan government from 2001 to 2003. Professionally, he is the Chairman of RJCE Business Consultancy and the Chairman of Fersa. He is also a professor of Spanish Economics in the UIC Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences.

The Academic and Social Council plays a consultative and advisory role at the UIC and promotes the university socially. It is currently made up of 60 people from Catalan civil society and its members are appointed by the UIC Board of Trustees.