This is the seventh consecutive year the UIC, with the support of Banco Santander through its Santander Universities Spain, has awarded the Alumni-Banco Santander fellowships. To be eligible, students must be members of the Association of UIC Alumni and Friends or must meet a series of requirements regarding criteria such as their academic record and economic and family situation (large families, families on unemployment, disabilities, orphans, etc.). With this financial aid, the UIC aims to improve students' welfare in areas that go beyond academic training.

The ceremony was presided over by UIC Rector Pere Alavedra, who was accompanied by Luis Herrero, the Deputy Managing Director of Banco Santander and the corporation’s Regional Director in Catalonia; José María García de los Ríos, the Grants Director for Santander Universities Spain; Jordi Mabrás, the Director of Institutional Banking for the Catalonia Region; Miriam Hernández, the Director of Banco Santander’s University Office; and Marianna Zanuy, the Director of the UIC Alumni Association.  

Law undergraduate Isidro Malmierca also said a few words of thanks to the Santander representatives on behalf of all the fellowship winners. The fellowships were awarded to an even distribution of students in nearly all of the UIC’s programmes.

Since 2004, Banco Santander has collaborated on this and other UIC initiatives through its Santander Universities division, which has allowed it to maintain stable alliances with more than 1,100 universities and research centres around the world. More information can be found at www.santander.com/universidades.