Information about The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)

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Miguel Ángel Pollino

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The UAB stands out for the quality and innovative nature of its internationally recognized research. In addition, the university promotes internationalization and has collaboration agreements with universities around the world.

Information about The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB)

The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) is a Catalan public university based in Bellaterra, near Barcelona. In this post we will talk about the information about the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Currently, the UAB offers a wide number of degrees, both undergraduate and postgraduate, in areas such as social sciences, arts, sciences, engineering, health and humanities. Its university campus, located in Bellaterra, is considered one of the best in Barcelona and Spain.

The university participates in the Sustainable and Solidarity Campus program, with the mission of improving the health of the university community and promoting environments and habits for a healthy lifestyle and a university that is more sustainable and respectful of the environment.

In the 2022 QS World University Ranking, the UAB was ranked 209th, and in the Times Higher Education ranking, it was ranked 170th. As well, in the 2015 Scimago SIR Iberoamericano ranking, the UAB was ranked seventh in in terms of the number of publications at the Ibero-American level and it is the third Spanish university in terms of impact of scientific production. In the 2022 QS ranking, nine UAB scientific disciplines are among the top 100 in the world and the UAB is among the top 200 universities in 28 of the 48 subjects classified by the QS ranking.

 

History

The UAB is not the first university institution with this name in Barcelona. The first Autonomous University of Barcelona was created in 1933, with the advent of the Second Spanish Republic and the approval of the Statute of Autonomy of the University of Barcelona. This first Autonomous University of Barcelona was governed by a board of trustees with representatives of the Government of the Republic, the Generalitat and the university faculty. It is important not to confuse this first Autonomous University of Barcelona with the UAB founded in 1968 in Bellaterra.

The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) was founded in 1968 and initially had four initial faculties: Letters, Medicine, Sciences and Economics. In 1970, Vicent Villar Palasí became the first rector of the UAB. Since its inception, the UAB has defended an autonomous, democratic and socially responsible university model. Despite this, in 1973 the Statutes of the UAB were suspended during the dictatorial regime and another rector was appointed instead of Villar Palasí.

Despite Villar’s dismissal and the following years, the UAB has been growing and improving, and has taken great steps towards advancement and progress.

 

Some facts to highlight in recent years

  • In 2008 it opened an office in Shanghai and joined the Consortium of Innovative Universities (ECIU) and the Alliance 4 Universities (A4U).
  • The Faculty of Economics and Business and the School of Engineering were created, and the UAB was recognized as a Campus of International Excellence.
  • Rector Ferran Sancho Pifarré launched new student support programs, along with new innovative ways of teaching and free, massive open online courses (MOOC).
  • The ICTA-ICP bioclimatic building was inaugurated.
  • The rector Margarita Arboix Arzo obtained the certification of the internal quality management processes and consolidated the internationalization strategy.
  • In 2020, Dr. Javier Lafuente Sancho assumed the rectory of the UAB, maintaining his position among the 200 best universities in the world.

These achievements show that the UAB continues to be a leading university worldwide.

 

Innovation, quality and entrepreneurship at the UAB

The Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) is an institution committed to quality and innovation. During the tenure of Rector Margarita Arboix Arzo (2016-2020), the UAB became the first Catalan university to obtain certification for internal quality management processes. This demonstrates the UAB’s commitment to academic excellence and the continuous improvement of its internal processes.

In addition, the UAB has developed a solid internationalization strategy and has participated in the ECIU University, a new model of international university that seeks to respond to social challenges through innovative forms of training and research. The UAB is committed to innovation in all its areas and is always looking for ways to improve and adapt to changes in the academic and scientific world.

This university promotes activities and structures for entrepreneurship, such as the development of the UAB Research Park (PRUAB) together with the CSIC and IRTA, or the UAB Emprèn Programme. The latter consists of a set of initiatives and activities that are carried out on the Campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) with the aim of promoting the entrepreneurial spirit among UAB students and graduates. The program provides information and training on entrepreneurship to its users, focusing especially on social entrepreneurship and cooperatives. Likewise, its objective is to encourage the generation of ideas and facilitate the development of innovative and sustainable business projects.

Contact information

The contact details of the UAB are:

 

Scholarships at the UAB

The Autonomous University of Barcelona has a scholarship system that you can consult at this link.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Autonomous University of Barcelona is a first class academic institution, with a high level of quality in research and education, one of the best universities in Spain and one of the best in the world.

In addition, it has a scholarship program to help students finance their studies. Also, an innovative research system, a solid internationalization strategy and a commitment to entrepreneurship and sustainability. The UAB is committed to offering a quality education to its students and to contributing to the development of Spanish society.

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