Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Edited by Secretaria General Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Coordination Gabinet del Rectorat Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Design Mètode Design
Photographs Pierre Caufapé Xavier Cervera Pedro Moreno Jordi Pareto Àrea de Comunicació i de Promoció Àrea de Relacions Internacionals Fundació Alumni UAB Fundació Autònoma Solidària Oficina de Medi Ambient Parc de Recerca UAB
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Campus de Bellaterra 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès) www.uab.es
Information in this report for the 2016-2017 academic year is accurate at 31 May 2017.
This report is also available in Catalan (www.uab.es/memoria/2016-2017/) and in Spanish (www.uab.es/memoria/2016-2017/castellano). Index
01 Presentation 04
02 Governance and institutional activities 06
03 Teaching 08
04 Research and transfer of knowledge and technology 16
05 International projection 22
06 Social and environmental commitment 26
07 University community 34
08 Resource management 38 Presentation
This year there has been a collective effort to discuss and reach a consensus on key questions for the future of this university.
In the 2016-2017 academic year the The university has continued to make Despite the problems imposed by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) progress in the internationalisation of its economic situation and restrictions on successfully carried out its missions in teaching and research and in attracting the number of permanent places, the teaching, research and knowledge talent. The innovative offer of courses UAB has given priority to the stabilisation transfer, demonstrating its firm includes a good number of postgraduate and promotion of academic staff and commitment to society and the region. courses in English and this has driven administration and services staff. In 2016, The Annual Report of the UAB is an the sustained growth in the number of 31 permanent lecturer positions and 23 essential exercise in transparency international students. This year also saw pre-tenure track lecturer positions and, bringing us an ordered account of the introduction of a new grant programme in accordance with the replacement rate most important results of academic to encourage the capture and retention policy, an offer of 21 position for activity and the large-scale consequences of research talent and a second call for administration and services staff was derived from it. I am therefore please to post-doctoral researcher positions as made. present this Annual Report for the 2016- part of the European P-Sphere project. The annual report also highlights the 2017 academic year, corresponding to Excellent research and transfer results illustrious academics that have been the first year of the Governing Team that have placed the UAB second in Spain welcomed to the UAB this year in I am head of. for the returns obtained in the Horizon recognition of their academic, scientific I would like to highlight the fact that this 2020 programme and the top Spanish and professional activity, and who have year there has been a collective effort to university in patent requests from the participated in important institutional discuss and reach a consensus on key European Patents Office. It should also events: Rosa Maria Calaf gave a lecture questions for the future of this university. be pointed out that the UAB Research at the opening ceremony for the The participation of the university Park celebrated its 10th anniversary this academic year, Josep Maria Flotats was community has therefore been decisive year, strengthening its commitment to awarded an honorary doctorate of the for the identification and approval at an the promotion of innovation and UAB, proposed by the Faculty of extraordinary meeting of the Senate, the entrepreneurship. Philosophy and Arts, and Jagat Narula framework document The Architecture of In the area of students, the approval this received an honorary doctorate on the Qualifications at the UAB and the criteria year of the UAB Tutorial Action Plan has proposal of the Faculty of Medicine. for planning proposals for new courses in allowed us to offer a framework of On the eve of its 50th anniversary, the the coming years. This year has also seen reference for orientation, evaluation and UAB strengthened its position as one of the presentation to the Senate of a strategy student support activities carried out in the best young universities in the world to support the quality of the centres and the different centres during the processes and is preparing to create the strategic general lines of the UAB Strategic Plan of learning and initial professional framework which, with the participation for the period 2018-2030. development undertaken by students. At of the whole university community, will In terms of processes for high-quality the same time, it makes monitoring and allow us to continue making advances teaching, it is also important to mention evaluation of the impact easier. and facing future challenges with the aim that all the qualifications subjected to of offering the best service to society and accreditation processes obtained a the progress of the country. favourable result, and a high percentage Margarita Arboix Arzo of courses, especially Master's degrees, Rector obtained accreditation with distinction.
04 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 01
Figures for 2016-2017
Courses Internationalisation
Bachelor’s degrees 87 International Bachelor’s degree students 1,407
Master’s degrees 133 International official Master’s degree students 1,148
PhD programmes 68 International UAB Master’s degree students 1,174
Lifelong learning programmes (2015-2016) 783 International PhD students 1,679
UAB faculties and schools 13 UAB students on exchange programmes 1,209
Attached university schools 11 Students on exchange programmes at the UAB 1,376
International students on the Study Abroad programme 3,038 Teaching
New undergraduate students 6,575 Human resources (2016)
Total undergraduate students 26,155 Teaching and research staff 3,759
Bachelor’s degree graduates (2015-2016) 4,861 Trainee research staff 616
Master’s degree students 3,078 Administration and services staff 2,375
Master’s degree graduates (2015-2016) 2,050 Budget (2016) New undergraduate students in attached centres 1,343 Expenditure settlement statement (in millions of Euros) 313.64 Total undergraduate students in attached centres 5,508
Bachelor’s degree graduates in attached centres 1,239 Notes: (2015-2016) • Information for the 2016-2017 academic year was correct at 31 Master’s degree students in attached centres 740 May 2017.
Master’s degree graduates in attached centres 416 • The number of full-time equivalent undergraduate students (2015-2016) is 24,300.
Lifelong learning centres (2015-2016) 6,410 • The number of students does not include students on interuniversity programmes who are not registered directly at the UAB. Research (2016) • Teaching and research staff includes postdoctoral researchers Research groups recognised by the Government 264 (Ramon y Cajal, Juan de la Cierva, Beatriu de Pinós, etc.), of of Catalonia whom there are 178.
Departments 57 • The number of full-time equivalent teaching and research staff is 2,691. Research and study centres 23
UAB research institutes 7
Attached research institutes 35
PhD students 4,847
Doctoral theses presented (2015-2016) 1,072
Articles published in indexed journals (WOK-ISI) 4,047
Total patents applied for 47
New companies in the UAB Research Park 8
Resources allocated for research (in millions of Euros) 76.86
05 Governance and institutional activities
On 3 October the UAB held the opening ceremony for the 2016-2017 academic year with an inaugural lecture by journalist Rosa Maria Calaf entitled "Coming out of the shadows. Against ignorance and inequality”. Also, staff who had retired during the previous academic year were thanked. The ceremony, which was presided over by the rector, Margarita Arboix, included speeches by the Director General of Universities of the Government of Catalonia, Josep Pallarès, the Mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès, Carles Escolà, and the President of the Board of Governors of the UAB, Gabriel Masfurroll. The General Secretary of the UAB, Cristina Riba, presented the video of the annual report for the 2015-2016 academic year.
Agreements of the governing bodies Board of Trustees
This academic year the governing and UAB Strategic Plan The function and structure of the UAB representative bodies have continued with With the presentation of the working lines Board of Trustees in 2016-2017 remained their activities. of the UAB Strategic Plan for the period along the same lines as the previous year but with the incorporation of Jaume Elections of members of the Senate were 2018-2030 at the meeting of the Senate Tintoré Balasch as UAB executive held by e-vote on 3 and 4 November 2016. on 25 May, with the broad participation On 15 December 2016 the constituent of the groups in the university community, manager, Tania Nadal Vicens as president meeting of the Senate was held. During the UAB set in motion a process of of the University-Society Committee, and that meeting members of the Board of strategic reflection which will define the the vice rector for Students and the Senate and representatives of the institutional vision of the UAB towards Employability as an ordinary member of Board on the Governing Council were the horizon of 2030 and signal the way that committee. There was also a renewal chosen and the rector's annual report on to achieve it. Specifically, during the year of the membership of the Board of the general policy lines of the university the processes of internal and external Trustees nominated by the Governing was approved. diagnoses began. Council of the university. The Senate met twice during the year: 15 In parallel to the commitment to promote 50th anniversary of the UAB March and 25 May 2017. During those actions in the area of university-society sessions the framework document for the At the same meeting of the Senate, the (see chapter 06 “Social and architecture of UAB qualifications was UAB 50th anniversary commemoration environmental commitment”), the Board approved, Manuel Gerpe Landín was programme was also presented. This of Trustees undertook the competences chosen as UAB Ombuds Officer and the programme will be carried out in the granted it by the Law on Universities in working lines of the UAB Strategic Plan 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic the areas of university community, for 2018-2030, the strategy for teaching years. The celebrations will include both programming and finance. Specifically, quality at the UAB and the 50th anniversary fun and cultural events and will allow a this year there were 26 committee programme were presented. look back over the years of the institutions meetings and 8 board meetings and 253 and its role in the transformation of the agreements were reached. The Governing Council met eight times: country, as well as recognition of the on 27 September, 8 November and 1 This year one of the highlights was the contributions made by people to December in 2016; 26 February, 23 March, work carried out together with the consolidate it as a university of excellence 1 May and 12 July 2017. 117 agreements Governing Team to strategically promote and one that is both scientifically and were adopted and the meetings included the UAB Alumni project and seek socially committed. points of information and discussion. formulas for improving transfer at the university. This has resulted in new collaboration initiatives in the case of UAB Alumni and the setting up of the Smart money programme to accelerate the process of knowledge transfer by 117 research groups to business. agreements made by the Governing Council
06 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 02 Highlight
At its meeting on 25 May, the UAB Senate appointed Manuel Gerpe, retired professor of Constitutional Law, as the new Ombuds Officer of the university. Manuel Gerpe takes over from Josep Font, retired professor of organic chemistry, who had held the post since 2009.
Josep Maria Flotats, honorary doctorate from the UAB On 27 June, the dramatist Josep Recognition for teaching Maria Flotats was awarded an staff at the UAB honorary doctorate by the UAB on the proposal of the Faculty This year two UAB lecturers were of Philosophy and Arts in awarded honorary doctorates, the highest recognition of his contribution distinction that universities can confer. to the areas of acting, direction, Specifically, Carme Riera, professor in translation and creation in the the Department of Spanish Philology at theatre. Roser Gauchola, lecturer the UAB was awarded an honorary in the Department of French and doctorate by the University of the Balearic Romance Studies was the On 6 October at the auditorium of the Islands on 11 April, and María Josefa sponsor Faculty of Philosophy and Arts the Ad Yzuel, honorary lecturer of the studia humanitatis fovenda award Department of Physics of the UAB, was presented. This annual award was received the same recognition from the created in recognition of an outstanding University of Granada on 17 May. person and institution for defending Among other distinctions awarded to and including the values of the humani- teaching staff at the UAB, this year the ties in their practice or for collaborating Government of Catalonia awarded the to develop the studies and research Cross of Saint George to Borja de carried out by the faculty. In this first Riquer, emeritus lecturer from the year, the honour was awarded to Department of Modern and Miquel Vilardell, emeritus professor of Jagat Narula, honorary Contemporary History. Also, Joan internal medicine at the UAB and the doctorate from the UAB Ramon Laporte, Rosa Suñol, Josep Society of the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Maria Tabernero and Miquel Vilardell Jagat Narula, world expert in Miquel Vilardell received the award “for received Josep Trueta medals for their cardiovascular diseases and in the personal and public work carried work in the field of health. the use of imaging technology out over almost fifty years in active in cariology was awarded an The Government of Catalonia and medical practice in the areas of honorary doctorate by the UAB Barcelona City Council awarded healthcare, teaching, management, on 1 September in a ceremony posthumously the gold medal of the city corporate and socio-political, always at the Casa de la and of the Generalitat to Muriel Casals, based on a humanistic view of the world Convalescència, on the proposal who was a lecturer in the Department of and its people and in the scrupulous of the Faculty of Medicine. Ignasi Economics and Economic History of the exercising of his profession”. The award Carrió, professor of radiology UAB. to the Society of the Gran Teatre del and nuclear medicine at the UAB Finally, we should highlight an act of Liceu was made for “its spirit of and director of the Nuclear homage to Ramon Pascual, lecturer in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine Serve at the Hospital physics and former rector of the UAB, Philosophy and Arts and the Humanities de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau, and the leading force behind the Alba Library through the digitization of its was the sponsor. Synchrotron project, which took place at historical archive, the offer of work the Palace of the Government of placements to students at the centre Catalonia. and the constant interrelations with research groups of the Department of Art and musicology”.
07 Teaching
The UAB has made quality the central consideration in teaching.
Academic policy
The UAB has made quality the central The architecture of qualifications at undergraduate and Master's degrees is consideration in teaching, as seen in the the UAB not resolved, cost may be the deciding activity carried out in this area over the year. Throughout the academic year the UAB factor between one option and the other. Bachelor’s degrees and Master's Degree has carried out a review of the qualifications As for the criteria for the planning of have continued, without exception, to satisfy it offers and its criteria for course planning, courses, the framework document warns the accreditation process. The collaboration motivated, among other things, by the of conditioning elements such as insufficient and participation of teaching centres and change in the legislation (RD 43/2015), the funding and problems to ensure the growth the different sectors of the university dynamics of the Catalan and Spanish higher of the teaching staff, and it also emphasises community have enabled the agreement education systems, and areas for the importance of differential features which and approval of the conditions for the improvement detected during the process enable the offer of a distinctive, quality architecture of qualifications and criteria for of verifying the studies. The process of education, and especially the fact that the course planning at the UAB for the next drawing up the proposal was carried out UAB is a campus university and therefore few years, the definition of a strategy for with consideration of the individual nature the facility to offer interdisciplinary quality in teaching centres and the review of each centre and the need to include the programmes of study. Consequently, of the Assessment Guide for teaching view of all the groups involved (teaching proposals of this kind are considered activity. The capacity to attract students and research staff, administration and strategic and they also favour degree and the results obtained in the international services staff and students). The framework options such as double and open degrees. rankings by subject are further evidence of document approved by the Senate on 15 It is also planned to make the programming the quality of courses at the UAB. March is therefore based on the three and deprogramming of courses easier in documents of conclusions from the order to better meet the needs of society The collaboration and participation of discussion that took place in the centres. at any given time. For example, there are teaching centres and the different sectors some very dynamic fields such as of the university community have enabled The approved document highlights the fact technologies where valid proposals may the agreement and approval of the that the basic architecture for most courses emerge in very short windows of conditions for the architecture of at the UAB will be 4 years undergraduate opportunity (5 - 10 years). qualifications and criteria for course degree; however, a more flexible planning at the UAB for the next few architecture is proposed with the The new criteria for planning courses years introduction of undergraduate degrees of emphasises the importance of the 180 ECTS credits and Master's degrees differential features which enable the In terms of internationalisation of teaching of 120 ECTS credits. As a whole, it is offer of a distinctive, quality education and learning, the growing offer for teaching considered that the undergraduate- in English has been supported by a new Master's degree pathway, and therefore grants programme, allowing centres to the period of university training for students, train their teaching staff and increase their should be 5 years and 300 ECTS credits, teaching in English in an organised manner. either 4+1 or 3+2. There is warning, however, that as long as the issue of the Also, there has been a new drive by the difference in the cost of fees between Graduate School to highlight the value of its offer of postgraduate and CPD courses at the UAB and strengthen the social projection of the university.
08 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 03 Highlight
Evolution of new Bachelor’s degree students
6,964 6,799 6,486 6,634 6,575
1,536 1,693 1,601 UAB 1,344 1,343 centres Attached Maria Jesús Espuny received centres 2012-20132013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 the Jaume Vicens Vives Award for Teaching Quality
María Jesús Espuny, lecturer in Bachelor’s degree students, 2016-2017. UAB centres History of Law and Institutions at the UAB received the Jaume Centre Students registered Vicens Vives Award for Teaching Women Men Total Quality awarded by the
School of Engineering 339 1,821 2,160 Government of Catalonia during the joint inaugural ceremony for Faculty of Economics and Business 1,280 1,638 2,918 the 2016-2017 academic year Faculty of Biosciences 1,224 640 1,864 for the entire Catalan university Faculty of Science 906 1,469 2,375 system, held at the University of Barcelona on 7 September in Faculty of Education 2,008 310 2,318 the presence of the President of Faculty of Communication 1,232 604 1,836 the Government of Catalonia, Faculty of Political Science and Sociology 490 567 1,057 Carles Puigdemont. Maria Jesús Faculty of Law 1,238 685 1,923 Espuny was previously vice- dean at the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Philosophy and Arts 1,895 1,290 3,185 coordinator of the Bachelor's Faculty of Medicine 1,856 805 2,661 Degree in Public Relations and Faculty of Psychology 1,422 314 1,736 the double Bachelor's Degree
Faculty of Translation and Interpreting 943 283 1,226 in Labour Relations and Law.
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine 655 241 896 The Faculty of Communication Total 15,488 10,667 26,155 and the Faculty of Law celebrate more than 40 years Bachelor’s degree students, 2016-2017. Attached centres of offering courses
Centre Students registered LaFaculty of Communication Women Men Total Advertising, ’activities (round tables...) May lecturers. Eina, University Centre of Art and Design of Barcelona 279 116 395 The Faculty of Law of the UAB Massana School. Municipal Art and Design Centre 220 86 306 and UAB Alumni organised the School for Prevention and Integrated Security 46 195 241 45th anniversary of the Degree US for Health Science* 333 233 566 in Law with a reunion of the law US for Social Science* 99 28 127 graduates who have qualified over the years. The celebration Gimbernat US for Nursing and Physiotherapy 814 583 1,397 took place on 9 June and was Sant Pau US for Nursing 293 52 345 attended by over 200 alumni and US for Nursing and Occupational Therapy of Terrassa (EUIT) 600 139 739 many the deans and lecturers
Tomas Cerdà US for Computer Science 2 45 47 from the faculty over the years. al llarg dels anys. Salesian US of Sarrià 78 541 619
US for Tourism and Hotel Management 493 233 726
Total 3,257 2,251 5,508
* In process of de-attachment.
09 Bachelor’s Degrees
Among the criteria to prioritise new course The capacity of the Bachelor’s degrees The number of graduating students in proposals it needs to be borne in mind at the UAB to attract students as a first 2015-2016 was 4,861 - 9.6% fewer than that there are also external references in choice has proved outstanding one year the previous year. The drop places the university systems in countries with which more, and at 10,260 applications is a figures at a similar level to those in 2010- the UAB carries out mobility exchanges; small rise on last years’ figure, which was 2011. In other words, before the the application of new methodologies, already very high (10,244). crossover between the pre EHEA new technologies and the use of English, The double degree in Physics and graduates, the new Bachelor's degree and that these are unique or minority Mathematics once again has the highest graduates and those who changed from proposals in the Catalan university cut-off point in Catalonia at 13.24. In fact, one type of course to another, meaning system. 20 of the 87 single and double Bachelor's an increase in the number of graduates of up to 10% a year. In that sense the new Degree in Smart degrees at the UAB have a cut-off point and Sustainable Cities, which will be higher than 10, specifically in the areas The double degree in Physics introduced in 2017-2018 as a UAB of biosciences (7) and medicine (4) plus and Mathematics once again has the degrees in Physics, Nanoscience and Bachelor's degree while the verification the highest cut-off point in Catalonia Nanotechnology, Audiovisual process is being carried out, should be at 13.24 highlighted. The course will be delivered Communication and Advertising, by the School of Engineering and the Advertising and Public Relations and In terms of affiliated centres, student Faculty of Philosophy and Arts and will Veterinary Medicine, and the double numbers have been maintained after the train professionals capable of degrees in Physics and Mathematics, previous year when the disaffiliation of understanding, managing and Physics and Chemistry, Political Science the university schools in Manresa means contributing to the governance of new and Public Management & Law, and that they were not included in the student urban situations that are emerging from Criminology and Law. numbers for the UAB. The total fees have the profound economic, social and In the assignment of places, it should be continued to fall, however, as a result of technological changes associated with highlighted that 87% of places in UAB this change (from 5,884 to 5,508). There globalisation. Student will receive a mixed centres were assigned to students who has been a slight increase in the number training based on engineering, urban had applied as their first choice. The of graduates in 2015-2016 from 1,154 geography and geographical information. number of newly registered students in a 1,239. UAB centres was very similar to the previous year at 6,575.
10 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Highlight
The UAB improves the teaching premises for courses in the area of healthcare
The UAB has increased and improved its teaching premises for medical and healthcare Finally, it is worth highlighting that the Support for teaching in English at practicals. At the Faculty of UAB has introduced a new double degree the UAB Medicine on the Bellaterra in Chemistry with the Thompson Rivers The growing offer of courses taught campus two new classrooms for University (TRU) in Canada and will also in English, which has contributed to clinical simulation, a new introduce a double degree in Biology and the internationalisation of the dissection room and a bone Microbiology in the 2017-2018 academic teaching staff and students at the room were opened. year. From the next academic year, the UAB, a new programme of grants for On 11 October new spaces were UAB will offer five international double centres has been introduced so that opened at the Sant Pau degrees: the three with Thompson Rivers their teaching staff can be trained Teaching Unit of the Faculty University plus the double degrees in and they can increase their teaching of Medicine and the Sant Pau Law with the University of Paris II and in English in an organised manner. University School of Nursing. the University of Toulouse 1. Faculties need to present a proposal For two years works have been Additionally, this year the UAB has agreed for the inclusion of teaching in carried out at the Ancient to participate in the teaching of the joint specific subjects in English in their Pharmacy Pavilion and the degree in Philosophy, Political Science courses. The lecturers of these underground part of the Convent and Economics offered by the 4 subjects will receive training in Pavilion to reinforce the Universities Alliance 2018-2019. English focussed specifically on buildings, adapt and redesign teaching activity and assessment in the interiors, completely line with the specific needs of the refurbish the facilities and install subject they are teaching. It is a new geothermal energy grid. anticipated that each year three or Thanks to these works the four centres will join the programme. Faculty of Medicine and the In 2017-2018 it will be offered in four School of Nursing have brand 5 faculties: Philosophy and Arts, new classrooms, a simulation Psychology, Translation and international double degrees area and skills laboratories Interpreting and Veterinary Medicine. equipped with the latest Teaching offer in English technology, as well as new spaces for support and • 5 Bachelor's degrees administration. • 4 Master's degrees Finally, on 28 November the new • 9 Erasmus Mundus programmes spaces at the Parc Taulí • 22 postgraduate courses Teaching Unit were opened, • 6 MOOC duplicating the useful premises to approximately 2,000m2. • more than 200 Bachelor's degree subjects Students now have four lecture rooms, two seminar rooms, a conference room, a basic simulation room and two laboratories.
11 Evolution of new UAB Master’s degree students
2,433 2,497
2,059 1,701 1,545
572 516 UAB 346 centres % 328 25 121 Attached centres of UAB Master’s degrees taught 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017 in English
Postgraduate Courses
The number of students registered on UAB University at Tours. In addition to the three Governing Council on 8 November and it Master's degree programmes rose by 8.2% universities the master's degree has the made up of a maximum of 40 members in 2016-2017 after two academic years collaboration of 34 partners from Europe with different professional profiles charged with increases of over 20%. This sustained and the rest of the world, including research with providing advisory services to the rise consolidates Master's degrees as an centres, industry, public health school's directors and to offer support for increasingly necessary level of study in the organisations, etc. Emphasis is on the the relationship of the centre with other context of the European Higher Education practical side of the Master's degree which bodies and institutions. Area. includes a six month stay at a research The Graduate School managed 800 UAB The large number of Master's degrees institute or company in the sector. Master's degrees and CPD programmes offered at the UAB is a clear sign of success this year, offering quality training to more Continuing Professional Development in the accreditation processes, with all than 6,400 graduates and professionals (CPD) Master's degrees receiving positive who took part in them. accreditation from the Catalan Accreditation In the area of CPD the Graduate School Agency, with more than a third (38%) carried out several activities to highlight receiving pathway to excellence and reinforce the relationship between accreditation. civil society and the business fabric. One of the measure was to create the This sustained rise consolidates Professional Advisory Committee. This Master's degrees as an increasingly new committee was approved by the necessary level of study
The capacity for attraction to Master's Postgraduate programmes and students degree courses reflects their high degree of internationalisation. The UAB teaches Students 25% of its Master's degrees in English and Programmes Women Men Total
the number of international students Official postgraduate courses (2016-2017) continues to grow, accounting for 38.5% Master’s degree in UAB centres* 90 1,855 1,223 3,078 in UAB centres this year. Master’s degrees in attached centres 20 409 331 740 The offer of Master's degrees is outstanding in terms of quality, number and diversity. PhDs 68 2,662 2,185 4,847 This year 16 new UAB Master's degrees TOTAL 175 4,926 3,739 8,665
were approved, covering areas such as UAB postgraduate courses (2015-2016) paleobiology, teaching Chinese, paediatric UAB Master’s degrees 181 1,883 872 2,755 physiotherapy and conference interpreting, and a new Erasmus Mundus Master's Postgraduate diplomas 144 974 435 1,409 degree has also been introduced in Specialisation courses 458 1,456 790 2,246 International Master of Science in Infectious TOTAL 783 4,313 2,097 6,410 Diseases and One Health (IDOH), taught jointly by the UAB, the University of (*) Figures for Master’s degrees include the programmes for which the UAB is responsible for coordination Edinburgh and the François Rabelais and registrations. The total number of Master’s degrees in which the UAB participates is 133.
12 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Highlight
The Graduate School organised the «Dialogues for knowledge: UAB and society» Teaching quality This year the Graduate School and innovation organised the first of a series of lectures in the form of dialogues During 2016-2017 the UAB programmed Internal Quality Guarantee System between prestigious speakers about topics of interest which four new MOOCs to add to the existing In 2016 the adaptation, approval and help to bring the university and 18 on offer. Altogether 22 courses were publication of the Internal Quality society closer together. Three offered with 370,000 registered students. Guarantee System was concluded in all lectures took place during the The model of validated certificates and the UAB and attached centres in year: on 16 December Ángel the model for demand have also been compliance with the requirements Gabilondo and Manuel Pimentel consolidated to allow registration and the established in the European Standard reflected on the importance of start date of the course at any time. Guidelines for quality assurance in higher the word and its value as a tool education and in order to fulfil the in social transformation; on 6 requirements for accreditation of the April Guillem López-Casanovas qualifications. and Josep Borrell discussed the A monitoring process was set up for PhD difficulties of economic science programmes and the Internal Quality in describing the present and on Guarantee System of the School for future uncertainty, and on 22 22 Doctoral Studies was adopted. June José Manuel Blecua and Luis Alberto de Cuenca spoke courses, with more than 370,000 Regarding the process of creation, about contemporary language registered students modification and monitoring of and literature. qualifications, the management and evaluation has been undertaken for the The UAB figures among the creation of seven Master's degree and best in the main international one PhD programme, the modification of rankings by subject 89 Bachelor's degrees and 25 PhD Courses and research at the programmes, and the monitoring of 22 UAB occupied high positions in Bachelor's degrees, 5 official Master's the main international university degrees and 38 PhD programmes. rankings by subject in 2016- In terms of the accreditation of 2017. The UAB was placed qualifications, in 2016 accreditation was among the top 100 universities obtained for 34 Bachelor's degrees and for 12 subjects, according to the 37 official Master's degrees, all favourably, QS WUR; it was in ninth place among which five Bachelor's degrees and for veterinary medicine seven Master's degrees were accredited according to the Shanghai with excellence. In 2017 it was forecast ranking; the 86th university for that 8 more centres with a total of 22 health studies and for qualifications would undertake this economics and the 100th for process. Currently the UAB has a rate of humanities according to the 11% excellence in Bachelor's degrees, Times Higher Education ranking. 38% in Master's degrees and 100% The CWUR placed it eighth for favourable accreditation in its own centres. environmental studies and for economics.
13 56 training courses offered to teaching and research staff with a total attendance of 1,074
During the year the teaching quality appropriate to real needs and enable the Examples of good practice in processes have been reviewed by the institution to establish measures to teaching innovation centres in accordance with the centres guarantee that the teaching team in The Association of Catalan Public quality strategy established by the qualifies and competent in their task. To Universities (ACUP)and the Governing Team. Within the framework that effect, the evaluation of teaching Secretariat of Universities and of post-accreditation of qualifications, the activity is an analytical tool to guide the Research of the Government of review of the Internal Quality Guarantee policy for teaching staff at the university. Catalonia have put together a series Systems enables requests for the With regard to the student satisfaction of examples of good practice in certification of the introduction of the survey in the 2015-2016 academic year teaching innovation from the eight systems in centres and the subsequent around 6,700 students took part in the Catalan public universities. They institutional accreditation of the centres. lecturer survey and around 7,000 in the chose 21 experiences from the best Given that quality assurance is a process subject surveys for the evaluation of more presentations at the International of continual improvement, the project than 3,000 subjects. Also, 1,181 graduates Conference for University Teaching established at the UAB provides for giving responded to the graduate satisfaction and Innovation which took place in centres for the staff and organisational survey. July 2016 at the UAB, and the Jaume resources for support to teaching quality Vicens Vives awards for the group to facilitate the production, updating and In 2016 the UAB collaborated with the category in 2016. monitoring of the policy and objectives Catalan University Accreditation Agency for quality at the centres. (AQU) to collect information in the sixth The UAB is present in this collection employment survey. with three projects: All qualifications received favourable Teaching innovation and training —«Improvement of personal and accreditation and 11% of Bachelor’s prosocial competences through Teaching innovation initiatives by the degrees and 38% of Master's degrees learning projects and service. university have continued through twelve received positive accreditation with Projects for social commitment teaching innovation groups participated excellence among future infant school teachers in by 168 lecturers from different faculties, and schools», by Sílvia Blanch, This year the Guide for the Evaluation who have achieved the recognition of 42 Mequè Edo and Gemma París of Lecturer's Teaching Activity was good teaching practices. Support was (Faculty of Education). revised and approved by the Governing offered to teaching staff in the form of 56 Council on 23 March. The evaluation of training activities with a total of 1,074 —«Improvement in engineering teaching activity allows teaching staff to registration in 2015-2016 and a level of students' performance through obtain recognition of the quality of their satisfaction of 8.1 out of 10. The main gaming», by Sergi Robles, Jordi teaching through the award of teaching reasons for lecturers to do attend the Pons, Adrián Sánchez-Carmona premiums. However, it also promotes training activities was to improve their (School of Engineering). reflection of professional teaching practice, teaching quality, professional development —«Quality assurance in the results consideration of which innovative elements and innovation in the classroom. of training programmes at the UAB» apply, where the problems lie and which by Núria Marzo and Mari Pau Álvarez solutions should be adopted. At the same (Office for Teaching Quality of the time, it offers the institution a vision of the UAB). development of teaching which enables it to plan CPD programmes that are
14 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Highlight
Orientation and promotion activities In 2016-2017, almost 90,000 Online support for students and more than 650 teaching Language Service secondary schools took part in the UAB introductory activities: In 2016-2017 the renewal of the online In the 2016-2017 academic year, 5,418 Open Days, Family Days, Campus visits, visits to town teaching area was planned as up until students signed up to classroom, blended councils and secondary schools, then it had been made up of two different learning and online courses for the 15 trade fairs in Catalonia, Spain technological platforms: The classic languages offered by UAB Idiomes and around the world, especially Online Campus (Campus Virtual) and the Campus and UAB Idiomes Barcelona. in Latin America, Europe and Moodle Online Campus. The aim was to Apart from the examination sessions for south-east Asia. There were also use the Moodle as the only support tool the taught courses there were also more than 125,000 requests for for teaching and learning at the UAB in opportunities to apply for accreditation information and a long list of the forthcoming academic year. The of language level, leading to certification activities carried out by the Moodle was introduced to UAB centres for 704 people, of whom 102 formed part centres at the university. in a series of informative talk in the first of special calls for application from quarter of 2017. administrative and services staff. 90,000 students took part in the UAB introductory A self-learning MOOC was also created Certificates at levels B1, B2 and C1 in activities to train teaching staff in the use of the English from the language Service continue to carry the CertAcles quality Moodle. This year formed the basis of a The university launched its stamp. bimodal training model, with both re-designed logo and new classroom based and online sessions, In June 2017 the Termcat portal published advertising slogan: “Choose which could be extended in the future to the interuniversity version of the University a future. Choose UAB”. an integrated system to move towards Management Nomenclature, produced Merchandise has also been an ecosystem of e-learning. by the Terminology and nomenclature made available such as the UABer t-shirts with great In the ninth year of the Moodle-based Working Group of the Vives University success in the Ensenyament and Online Campus 1,020 Bachelor's degrees Network, of which the UAB is currently the coordinating university. During the Futura trade fairs, and the new and 209 official Master's degrees have green folders and diaries with year the Guide for the Use of Non-Sexist been activated, considerably increasing the Columns of Knowledge Language and the Interuniversity Style the percentage use of all the tools. featured. The useful new PDF Guide for Writing Institutional Texts in In order to cope with this increase guides (Grants, Mobility, English were updated. different technical improvements have Company work placements, 10 reasons to choose the UAB, etc.) been made, for example the move In this academic year the Language had more than 4,000 downloads towards a new version of Moodle and Service offered 114 grants to UAB in the first few months of 2017 the adaptation of the design for use on students for the reduction of language alone. mobile devices. In 2017-2018 the course fees by 50%. Also, as part of the updated version will be available on a current Plan for Languages of the UAB, The UAB website has generated more than 85,000 requests for larger number of servers. Specifically, there have been several calls for grant information through the pages the capacity will be tripled to ensure applications for the improvement of third for Bachelor's degrees, official access by users who had previously been languages among the university Master's degrees, UAB Master’s using the classic version. community and the use of English as a working language degrees and postgraduate courses and PhD programmes as well as almost 40,000 consultations attended by the Information Point.
15 Research and transfer of knowledge and technology
The impact of the activity of UAB research groups has been decisive for the improvement in securing research funding from the National Programme and for situating the UAB as the second in Spain for the returns obtained in the Horizon 2020 Programme.
This year the UAB has promoted an active In order to promote the attraction and companies have generated 850 new jobs policy to strengthen support for research retention of talent, this year saw a new of which 25% are highly qualified staff and recognition of the task of the grant for grant applications for the positions, and they have an annual quality researcher. With that objective in contracting of PhD research staff. turnover of 50 million Euros. Also, thanks mind this year a support programme for In terms of the transfer of knowledge to to the activity of the research park, over the management of projects secured by society and to the production fabric, this the ten years more than 120 R&D projects UAB research staff was set up as part of year the UAB, in collaboration with the have been generated between the grants programme of the European Board of Trustees, opened the Smart researchers on the campus and Research Council, and which will extend money programme to finance companies, with a value of 6 million Euros. to the other European projects in Horizon precommercial activities for the This year the UAB drew up a strategic 2020 in its second phase. valorisation of research results. plan for transfer with the aim of improving the management and support processes The UAB and the centres of the The UAB also consolidated its leadership and structures for knowledge transfer, UAB-CIE Sphere have obtained 35 among Spanish universities in terms of increase the transfer activity at the UAB grants from the ERC since their patents at the European Patents Office and increase the social and economic creation 10 years ago and started the We Patent and Publish Programme to protect the research impact of transfer, in accordance with The internationalisation strategy has also results before they are disseminated. the RIS3CAT strategy benefitted from the second call for This year was the tenth anniversary of applications for 24 researcher positions the UAB Research Park, created as a as part of the P-SPHERE project. The strategic alliance of the three pioneering highly positive results of this project, research entities: the Universitat financed by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Higher Actions project of the European Scientific Research Council (CSIC) and Commission and the participation of the institute for Agrofood Research and centres from the UAB-CEI Sphere, have Technology (IRTA). been a deciding factor when presenting Since its creation the UAB Research Park the new joint proposal of the hospital has supported more than 300 research centres attached to the UAB to entrepreneurial projects and has the COFUND call for predoctoral promoted the creation of 92 companies contracts. with a success rate of 80%. These
16 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 05 Highlight 6 grants from the European Research Council for researchers from the UAB Mario Cáceres obtains a Proof and the UAB-CEI Sphere of Concept grant from the ERC Mario Cáceres, a researcher at ICREA and leader of the Comparative and Functional Research funding by main sources, 2016 Genomics group of the Institute of Biotechnology and Projects, groups and networks 37% Biomedicine (IBB) of the UAB Agreements and service provision 26% obtained a Proof of Concept grant from the European International funding 21% Research Council (ERC). This Grants 6% grant will enable the association between DNA inversion and New staff 5% certain human diseases to be Other funding 2% studied, such as haemophilia A, Specific financing 1% with the aim of developing innovative diagnostic equipment Mobility 1% which could have an industry Others 1% licence for its commercialisation.
Total: 76,865,460 euros. Jeroen van den Bergh receives an Advanced Grant from the ERC
Research funding by type of organisation, 2016 Jeroen van den Bergh, a researcher at ICREA of the Institute of Environmental State government 40% Science and Technology of the European government 20% UAB (ICTA-UAB) received an Advanced Grant from the ERC Companies 20% per to carry out the research Autonomous and local government 13% project «Behavioural- Service provision 5% evolutionary analysis of climate policy: Bounded rationality, Higher education / universities 1% markets and social interactions». Total: 76,865,460 euros. Researchers from the UAB and the ICMAB are recognised with Consolidator Grants from the ERC Eva Østergaard-Nielsen, researcher at the Department of Political Science and Public Law at the UAB received a Consolidator Grant de from the ERC in the 2016 competition. The grant will be used to finance the project: «Migration and Democratic Diffusion: Comparing the Impact of Migration on Democratic Participation and Processes in Countries of Origin».
17 On 27 and 28 February the Intelligent and Sustainable Cities CORE of the UAB organised a workshop on cyberphysics in which research groups from the UAB and the University of Kobe (Japan) took part to understand the research that is taking place in this area and explore possible collaboration agreements.
Strategic research communities
Capture and retention of research The strategic research communities (CORE) talent of the UAB are research networks and This year the UAB introduced a new generators of knowledge, made up of call for grant applications to research groups and centres from the UAB promote the capture and retention and the UAB-CIE Sphere. The CORE of research talent. Open to all areas networks are established according to of the knowledge of the UAB, the strategic challenges identified on an Talent competition allows for international, national and regional scale. temporary contracting of PhD The UAB has three actives COREs dealing research staff with an accredited with three priority social challenges: Smart academic career, including a and Sustainable Cities, Cultural Heritage postdoctoral period at other and Mental Health. universities or research centres for This year the constitution of the a minimum of two years. Education and Employability CORE The UAB aims to use this initiative was established to reduce the effects of the replacement rate in providing In addition, this year the process of research staff with access to stable constituting the Education and jobs. Even though the grants have Employability CORE was established. This a duration of three years, the idea CORE aims to become an instrument to is that the researchers can gain promote potential in research and transfer access to permanent posts in the in the area of educational policies and future wherever possible. teaching methodologies and their close It should also be highlighted that relationship with the employment market. this year there were calls for application for the incorporation of new teaching and research staff in both permanent and temporary categories (see chapter 06 «University community»).
18 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona maintain it. The event was attended by the director of the Spanish Research Agency of the Ministry of Finance and Highlight Competitivity, Marina Villegas, and the president of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Andreu Mas-Colell.
Meeting of the centres and units of This year the ministry renewed the Severo excellence of the UAB-CIE Sphere Ochoa seal for the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE) – a consortium of the UAB On 17 October almost 200 researchers and the Government of Catalonia located from five Severo Ochoa research centres The European commissioner on the campus. of excellence and the two María de for research opens the ECR Maeztu units of excellence of the UAB- Institute for European Studies CIE Sphere met in the auditorium of the On 16 December the European AgroFood Research Centre (CRAG). commissioner for Research, Representatives from the different centres Science and Innovation, Carlos discussed scientific excellence and Moedas, opened the ECR Institute strategies to follow to achieve and for European Studies of the UAB (IEE-UAB) together with councillor Raül Romeva, the secretary for Universities and Research, Arcadi Navarro, and the rector of the The UAB-CIE Sphere celebrates the the financing of different competitive UAB, Margarita Arboix. The IEE- 10th anniversary of the European programmes for researchers of any UAB is an interdisciplinary centre Research Council nationality and area of knowledge who dedicated to research, education On 30 March the UAB and the centres want to carry out cutting edge research and training in European topics. in one of the member states of the of the UAB-CIE Sphere celebrated the The UAB participates in two European Union or associated countries. 10th anniversary of the creation of the FET Open projects of the The UAB and the centres of the UAB- European Research Council (ERC) in an European Commission institutional act at the AgroFood Research CIE Sphere have been awarded 35 grants in the ten-year period 2007-2017. Two projects, with the Centre (CRAG), on the UAB campus. The participation of the UAB, on act was presided over by the rector of Alzheimer’s disease (ArrestAD) the UAB and emphasised the importance and experimentation in quantum of the innovative and ground-breaking physics (MaQSens), were among research that the ERC has promoted over the 22 proposals selected by the the years and the usefulness of the European Commission to receive programme for attracting international FET Open grants from the Horizon talent to the universities and research 2020 project. The FET Open centres in Catalonia. competition offers special support to early-stage projects involving The ERC was created in 2007 by the new ideas towards the European Commission with the aim of development of radically new promoting research of excellence through technologies with the potential to change society over the next few decades.
Raquel Piqué receives an ICREA Academia award Raquel Piqué, lecturer in the Department of Prehistory was awarded one of the 15 ICREA Academia awards in 2016. These awards are made exclusively to university teaching staff who are in an active and expansive phase in their own research. After nine years of the award, 192 researchers have obtained the ICREA Academia awards in Catalan universities, of which 23 have come from the UAB.
19 On 18 November 2016 and 19 May 2017 the PhD graduations ceremony and the special PhD prize awards took place.
Research support PhD programmes services
With 68 PhD programmes and more than Also this year, the monitoring process for This academic year there has been a review 1,000 theses presented in 2015-2016, the PhD programmes was put in place and and analysis of the scientific and technical UAB has shown that intensive research incorporate in the Internal Quality Guarantee services of the UAB, leading to an action activity is a powerful means of attracting System of the School for Doctoral Studies. plan to allow the efficient fulfilment of postgraduate student from all areas of In 2016-2017, 38 PhD programmes passed research support and to control the knowledge. the monitoring process. management of staff and equipment as The internationalisation of the PhD well as to facilitate the coordination between programmes, the programme of services and their internal and external transferrable skills activities and the promotion. promotion of industrial PhDs in the areas It should also be highlighted that this year of social sciences and humanities have the Technical Unit for Radiological been the priorities of the School for Doctoral Protection of the UAB received the ISO Studies. Great efforts have been made to 1.072 9001:2008 standard certification. Thanks increase the numbers of theses with the PhD theses presented (2015-2016) to this recognition the service, which is international doctoral research component charged among other things with the safety through the signing of agreement for co- of people and the correct functioning of tutoring and promoting the periods of the UAB laboratories working with radiation, doctoral study in international universities will be able to expand and consolidate the and institutions. services it offers to companies and institutions. L’activitat intensiva en recerca The UAB Libraries Service, for its part, has i l’augment d’estudiants de postgrau established new group work rooms in the s’han traduït en 1.072 tesis llegides Science and Technology Library and a new (2015-2016) Whatsapp information service. The service has also carried out the third phase of In terms of industrial PhDs, the Faculty of digitisation of the Archive of the Society of Philosophy and Arts and the Cultural the Gran Teatre del Liceu. Heritage CORE organised a one-day seminar to promote industrial PhDs in the areas of knowledge of the faculty and to give information about opportunities for collaboration activities in research and transfer.
20 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Highlight
Three students from the UAB win the Joan Oró Prize
Students Núria Lite and Carles Hernàndez from the Bachelor’s degree in Journalism along with the PhD student Jesús Sánchez from the IDEA programme won the 10th Joan Oró Prize for the dissemination Celebration of the 10th anniversary of The Digital Document Deposit of the UAB of academic research of the Catalan the Digital Document Deposit is used to collect, manage, disseminate Association for scientific and conserve the scientific, teaching and Communication. The multimedia On 24 October the Vice Rectorate for project they presented details how institutional documents of the UAB, and institutional Relation and Culture and the a study of the evolution of political it also brings together digital documents Vice Rectorate for Research and Transfer ideas helps to analyse the changes that form part of the UAB libraries’ of the UAB organised a joint one-day in public opinion and how these collection. It is an organised, open access event in the main lecture hall of the changes affect the policies collection which is characterised by great implemented in certain societies. Faculty of Biosciences to inform of new diversity in terms of the formats, topics developments in the management of and types of documents held. research data, and also to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the UAB Digital The Digital Document Deposit Document deposit (DDD). (DDD) of the UAB occupies the top This event also took part within the position of repositories among all celebration of the annual International Spanish universities open Access Week, which aims to disseminate open academic content for The Digital Document Deposit (DDD) of everyone through talks, seminars and the UAB occupies the top position of th lectures around the world. repositories among all Spanish 20 anniversary of the Humanities Library universities according to the January edition of the web ranking of Spanish On the occasion of the 20th university repositories drawn up by the anniversary of the Humanities library, Spanish national Research Council (CSIC) and coinciding with the International Day of Music, on 21 June there was and is placed 20th in the world ranking. a concert with works by J. S. Bach for solo violin performed by Josep Lluís Puig i Bartolomé. The Humanities Library, which includes the general Cartographic collection, covers an area of 8,600m2, on two floors, and contains around half a million volumes and 1,099 reading points. In recent years, the library has received many donations from large public library collections and has enriched its collections with bequests from the archives of writers and academics such as Pere Calders, Rafael Tasis, Francisco Rico, Jordi Castellanos and Enric Lluch. It is also continuing with the digitisation project of the Archive of the Society of the Gran Teatre del Liceu.
21 10th anniversary of the UAB Research Park On 26 may the UAB Research Park Monfort. All of them underlined the value organised an event to celebrate its 10th of the task being carried out by the UAB anniversary. The event brought together Research Park over these ten years to researchers, directors of the research strengthen relationships between research institutes and centres on the UAB campus and the business fabric. and representatives of related regional The day also included a round table institutions and companies. discussion on the future of science parks The celebration was attended by the heads and their role in the knowledge economy, of the three institutions that make up the moderated by the director of the PRUAB park: the president of the Board and rector and vice-rector for Innovation and strategic of the UAB, Margarita Arboix; the president Projects of the UAB, Javier Lafuente. of the CSIC, Emilio Lora-Tamayo, and the director general of the IRTA, Josep Maria
UAB Research Park
This year the UAB Research park carried their ideas and generate market solutions New TECNIO certification for the out programmes and activities to from their own research. During this fifth UAB promote innovation and entrepreneurial year of the programme the focus was ACCIÓ, the agency for competitivity spirit and to support the creation of on cultural, creative, experience-based of the Government of Catalonia has technological start-ups. industries. This year, for the first time, accredited the UAB Research Park In terms of support for innovation the programme was organised jointly and the UAB Office for Valorisation projects the UAB Research Park worked with the UAB CORE for Cultural Heritage and Patents as facilitators of with Sabadell economic Promotion to and the UAB CORE for Smart and technology through the TECNIO jointly organise the fourth year of the Sustainable Cities. 34 researchers from certification. This recognition has Forum for Technologies and 13 teaching research centres from the also been received by the Centre for Innovation. This year the forum humanities and engineering on the UAB Hardware-Software Prototype focussed on industry 4.0 and it was campus took part and eight projects Solutions (CEPHIS) and the Centre attended by over 100 people. This year were created. for Research in Metamaterials for the UAB Research park also launched The Research Park also ran the Engega! Innovation on Electronic and several transfer and innovation projects programme for the second year, together Communications Technologies with companies and institutions, among with the Repsol Foundation and the (CIMITEC), both from the UAB. which projects which deserve a special InnoEnergy accelerator. This project These groups join the ten groups mention are the reWINE project, offers training to help researchers find from the UAB-CIE Sphere that have supported by the LIFE programme of new application for their technology in already received this accreditation. the European Union, and the the energy efficiency sector. There were TECNIO is the accreditation awarded interregional cooperation project also three sessions this year of the by the Government of Catalonia HIGHER, working to define new Entrepreneur’s Corner, an opportunity through ACCIÓ to identify the most dynamics for open and collaborative for companies and entrepreneurs innovative technology, the innovation with the aim of promoting connected to the research park to share developers that offer it and the collaboration between research and and exchange experiences and facilitators participating in the industry in different European regions. knowledge. process of technology and In support of promoting In terms of company creation, this year knowledge transfer. Catalan entrepreneurship, the UAB Research the park helped to create three companies therefore now where to Park offered programmes and activities companies emerging from research on go to develop new products and to promote entrepreneurial spirit and to the UAB campus and also offered processes, whether through the accompany new entrepreneurs from the support to five new start-ups which have acquisition and exploitation of UAB campus in aspects of innovation joined the park’s company network. patents, contracting of R&D projects and creation of technological companies. or contact with spin-offs. Again this year, then, the Generation of Ideas programme took place to offer support to campus researchers to mould
22 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona these results to the production sector and generate a real impact in society. Highlight This initiative has the support of the University-Company Committee of the Board of Trustees and is open to UAB researchers leading projects that have the potential for obtaining company licences or becoming new companies. The results obtained must capture smart money or industrial partners interested This year the UAB launched the first calls in joint ventures. for applications to the Smart Money Prize for the best business idea Programme with the aim of accelerating The novelty and degree of innovation, from the UAB Research Park the knowledge transfer process for the degree of technological protection, On 30 November the UAB the viability of the proposal and the research groups at the UAB. The Research park awarded the prizes programme will finance and support three market impact are the elements that will to the winning projects of the fifth development projects that involve receive particular consideration. Generation of Ideas Project, which carrying our precommercial valorisation this year focussed on the best of research results in order to transfer business ideas in the sector of cultural and creative businesses presented by researchers of the UAB campus. Researchers from the Computer Vision Centre won Valorisation of research first prize with the Digitus II project, which offers an automatic service and patents for the transcription and indexing of manuscripts from historical In 2016 the Office for Valorisation and It should be highlighted that in 2016 the archives. Patents of the UAB received 27 new UAB maintained its leadership among This year the prize was organised inventions from research groups at the Spanish universities in patent application jointly with the Cultural Heritage university. This figure represents a to the European Patents Office. CORE and the Smart and significant drop compared with the Sustainable Cities CORE of the previous year when 44 inventions were We Patent and We Publish UAB, with the support of ACCIÓ, received. This can almost certainly be With a view to raising awareness among Eurecat and the National Archive explained by the decrease in financing research staff of the compatibility of the of Catalonia.. for competitive projects of over 50% in transfer process with the publication of Two projects from the UAB 2013-2014, which resulted in a reduction research results, this year the UAB selected for the CaixaImpulse of the number of projects capable of launched the We patent We Publish programme generating patents. However, it is also Programme. This initiative offers Two projects led by Xavier Daura significant that the annual average researchers the opportunity to send a from the Institute of Biotechnology number of inventions at the UAB is draft article which has been revised by and Biomedicine of the UAB, and substantially higher than the Spanish and the Valorisation and Patents Office of the by Rubén López, from the European averages. UAB, which undertakes to identify department of cell Biology, whether the research published can be Physiology and Immunology of In 2016 the UAB maintained its protected by a patent. If this is the case the UAB, were selected to receive CaixaImpulse funding, created by leadership among Spanish universities the office will work together with the the Fundació Bancària La Caixa in patent applications to the European researcher to deposit the patent before and Caixa Capital Risc. Two Patents Office the article is published projects from research centres of the UAB-CIE Sphere were also By sector, most of the inventions came selected, led by the Agrofood from the field of human health (455) and Research Centre (CRAG) and the from ITC and electronics (14%). Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). In 2016 the UAB also requested 6 new unique priority patents. Bearing in mind The projects will receive a grant of up to 70,000 Euros to carry out the total number of patents applied for their valorisation and (priorities and international extensions) the commercialisation plans and they total figure grew to 47. will have access to a support programme and expert advice for a period of eight months.
23 163 th in the world and number one university in Spain in the Times Higher Education ranking
Research dissemination
During the 2016-2017 academic year mobile devices which allow people with In the areas of humanities and social there were 113 campaigns for research speech difficulties to communicate. sciences the following projects are dissemination. Among the most Research has been disseminated in all highlighted: the confirmation of the outstanding research was the recovery areas of knowledge. In health sciences existence of a unique building in the of more than 150 wooden pillars over the most significant were the agreement forum of the archaeological excavation 7,300 years old from the La Draga between the UAB, ESTEVE and the site in Llívia; the analysis of Spanish archaeological site. These provide a ALBA synchrotron to research new pain public opinion on economic growth, the unique prehistoric example of wooden inhibitors; the observation that one in environment and prosperity; the architecture on the Iberian peninsula; the five Europeans is exposed to traffic noise discovery that milk was an important construction of an experimental water at levels above the European Union limit; element during the neolithicisation of purification plant based on sustainable a study of the stigma and discrimination the northern Mediterranean; the energy; the development of the first related to mental health in Catalonia; discovery that the first Europeans did automatic translator for Sardinian; the the discovery that a higher aggregation not use fire to consume food; the reconstruction of the climate in the Iberian of proteins does not also cause more analysis of the increase in motorcycle peninsula over the last 2000 years; the toxicity in Parkinson’s disease; the use and the decrease in car use during discovery of a fossil impression in a rock launch of a European project to develop the last decade in Barcelona; research of the skin of a dinosaur from the Late cortical implants to recover speech; the on the addictive use of technology in Cretaceous period in Vallcebre; the discovery that the activation of a protein adolescents; a study of sources of discovery of an unpublished musical work can allow treatment of memory loss in satisfaction in rural and indigenous by Enric Granados; and the use of a cases of dementia; and the development communities of third world countries; cognitive cerebral pattern to activate of light-regulated molecules to alleviate new evidence that the Neanderthals devices. symptoms of chronic pain. used plants to treat their pains; the opening of two new sites of the Campus biology The UAB carried out 113 In the area of the following for Archaeology and Palaeontology of research dissemination projects deserve to be mentioned: a the UAB at Coll de Nargó and Pallars campaigns study on the success of reintroducing Jussà; confirmation that the economic groundhogs in the Pyrenees; the effects crisis has meant an increase in students Other highlights were the genome of ocean warning and acidification on combining work and study; and the sequencing of the Iberian lynx, the wild calcareous phytoplankton; the joint 2,100 case studies of cat at most danger of extinction; the first creation of Mediterranean Biosphere socioenvironmental conflicts in the world ever demonstration that pregnancy Reserves, with Abertis and the UAB undertaken by the Atlas for causes lasting changes in the brain Campus; a study confirming the key role Environmental Justice (EJAtlas). structure of the mother; the development of citizen science in the conservation of In experimental sciences the following of a bronchial sat-nav for early detection biodiversity; the discovery of new clues should be mentioned: the detection of of lung cancer; the confirmation that to primitive marine life in an African lake; furthest gamma ray emissions today in official indicators of poverty do not the characterisation of the synaptic MAGIC telescopes; improvement in the adequately reflect recent changes in the proteome of the zebra fish; and the prediction of the probability of the Spanish economy; and the development forecast of pollen levels for the spring. biggest earthquakes based on of two independent applications for
24 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 12 th Highlight young university in the world in the QS TOP 50 Under 50 ranking
Second Night of Science and knowledge
On 18 May, the UAB, Sabadell City Council, the Parc Taulí, Bosch i Cardellach and Olga Torres Foundations and the ESDI School of Design organised the second Night of Science and Knowledge mathematical arguments; participation the research of ICN2 which has enabled at the auditorium of the Antiga in a project to analyse the materials that the discovery that flexoelectricity also Caixa Sabadell Foundation. During make up most of the Earth’s asteroids exists in semiconductors; and the the event several prizes and grants in order to study how they can be PHENOMEN project at the same centre were awarded and recognition deflected by a projectile; the discovery which is looking into new information given to scientific activity. Among of possible signs of new physics found technology based on phonons. the prizes, the vice-rector for in a new joint analysis of LHCb data and Research and Transfer of the UAB, Armand Sánchez, presented the other experiments; and the development These campaigns translated as grants of the P-SPHERE European of a pioneering technology that could 22,855 impacts in digital media, 1,319 project in the area of health: three transform treatment plants into impacts in national press, 93 on radio postdoctoral contracts for the UAB and 61 on television biorefineries. and three research contracts for In the area of environmental sciences: the UAB-CIE Sphere. These campaigns translated as 22,855 ICTA-UAB projects to analyse the impacts in digital media, 1,319 impacts process of green gentrification in cities; in national press, 93 on radio and 61 on the effect of random coastal occupation television. In terms of international in the tropical reefs of Brazil; the drop dissemination, 31 press releases were in heavy metal pollution on the Barcelona issued to international agencies. The coast; the effects of waste generated releases published through AlphaGalileo by tourism in the Mediterranean islands; obtained 20,296 visits by science writers the existence of an ice age thermostat and those published through EurekAlert which avoided extreme climatic cooling; The UAB and Abertis create the obtained 27,550 giving a total of 47,846 the new theory of economic a-growth UAB Campus for Mediterranean visits by specialist science journalists which contributes to the viability of Biosphere Reserves from different international media. Also, climate policies; the future threat to wild 74 scientific articles were published in The UAB and the Abertis fish and shellfish of unrestricted the electronic journal UABDivulga, which Foundation have signed a improvements in fishing technology; and collaboration agreement which has 2,785 subscribers. During the year the negative effect of palm oil plantations will enable the creation of the UAB this publication received 84,841 visits. on the fertility of tropical soils. Campus for Mediterranean Biosphere Reserves, linked to the In relation to the collaboration between International UNESCO Centre for the centres of the UAB-CIE Sphere, Mediterranean Biosphere some of the most outstanding topics to Reserves based at the Castle of be disseminated were the collaboration Castellet. The aim is to generate between the Catalan Institute of research, dissemination, exchange and innovation in the area of Palaeontology in the discovery of fossil biosphere reserves in the footprints of an unknown species of Mediterranean. On the part of the reptiles dating back 247 million years; UAB the creation of the campus will take place through the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA-UAB) and the Faculty of Science.
25 International projection
The UAB strategy for the international dimension aims to measure and consolidate a network of universities and institutions that collaborate with the UAB in terms of education, research, transfer and cooperation.
Strategic lines Institutional relations
International relations, internationalisation The UAB received a total of 46 visit by prepared for signing and will be in force and international projection are strategic international institutions from very diverse from the upcoming academic year. aspects for the UAB. The strategy in the countries during the 2016-2017 academic The number of visits by European international dimension aims to measure year. A total of 15 delegations were universities increased compared with last and consolidate a network of universities welcomed from Asian universities from year. The countries that visited most were and institutions that collaborate with the South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, UAB in education, research, transfer and and China. Among the visits, two that France, the United Kingdom and Russia. cooperation. To achieve that objective particularly stand out are the delegation work is being carried out closely with the led by the Indonesian ambassador in International relations at the UAB have faculties and research centres. The Spain, Yuli Mumpuni Widarso, with also been strengthened by UAB intensification of the presence and twenty representatives from nine institutional visits to the main international participation of the international university Indonesian universities, and the visit by congresses and education fairs as well networks that the UAB belongs to also committee members of the King Sejong as to numerous institutions in addition provide an important instrument for Institute of Korea, which established an to those made in the context of creating our own network. office at the UAB this year. Also, the visit participation in university networks and by a delegation of ministers from the consortia (see above). The UAB took part Work is being carried out closely Japanese parliament resulting from in the EAIE European Universities with the faculties and research centres increased Japanese interest in the UAB. Conference in Liverpool from 12 to 16 to consolidate a network of September, the APAIE conference with Visits were also received from delegations collaborating universities universities from Asia and the Pacific from Latin American countries such as held in Taiwan from 20 to 23 March, and Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ciba and Efforts have also been increased to the NAFSA conference with universities Chile, interested in getting to the UAB broaden the offer of classes in English from the USA and Canada which took better and expanding their collaborations and to develop and consolidate place in Los Angeles from 30 May to 3 in the areas of engineering, psychology, complementary options – such as the June. nursing and translations and interpreting. International Summer Term – which can As a result of the visits received and the attract international students and at the From North America, the UAB received international visits made, 27 agreements same time allow students from the UAB visits from twenty universities in the USA, were signed – 13 general collaboration to have international experiences at home. and student exchange agreements were agreements, 13 student exchange signed with eight of them for the coming To improve the efficiency of our actions agreements and one double Bachelor’s academic years. The student exchange work is being carried out to define and degree agreement. Currently work is agreement with the University of California develop an information and internal training being carried out on the double master’s was also renewed for three more plan which will guarantee access and use degree in European Integration between academic years, with a higher number of the knowledge generated in international the Faculty of Law and the Russian of students which will make it easier for relations and internationalisation for the Presidential Academy of National US students to attend the International three main components of the UAB Economy and Public Administration Summer Term. The agreement for a community: teaching and research staff; (RANEPA). double degree in Biology and administration and services staff; and Microbiology with the Canadian students. Thompson Rivers University was also
26 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 02 Highlight
The UAB took part in the General Assembly meeting of the YERUN, which took place at the University of Konstanz on 17 October and approved the next set of priorities for the network: young researchers, high quality research which takes social needs into Institutional mission to Asia account, and the employability with the A4U of graduates. From 26 February to 3 March the vice-rector for International Relations, Marius Martínez, took Participation in networks part in an institutional mission and consortia to Malaysia by the A4U. The mission visited the cities of Kuala The UAB forms part of some of the most Lumpur, Penang and Johor dynamic international university networks Bahru, and consisted of a and consortia and is an active participant number of meetings and visits in them. It has been especially active in to the main Malaysian the European Consortium of Innovative provision of grants has made mobility universities to establish contact Universities (ECIU). This year the UAB available to students, teaching staff and with a view to promoting bilateral hosted the two Leadership Development administration staff between Indonesian collaborations in the areas of Programmes which is organised by the universities and the universities of the teaching, research and consortium and took part in the meetings A4U. technology transfer and to of the Board which took place at the reinforce the relationships with University of Aveiro in Portugal in October the main higher education and the Universidad Tecnológica de agents there. Monterrey in Mexico in April. During the board meeting in Mexico the positions were renewed and Lluís Tort from the UAB was relieved from the position as president of the ECIU he had held since 2015 by The YERUN (Young European Research Victor van der Chijs from the University Universities) network has seen the of Twente. Also, the establishment of an participation of the UAB at its general office of the ECIU in Brussels was assembly meeting at the University of Konstanz on 17 October and at the approved. The World 100 network Universidad Autónoma de Madrid to focuses on Spanish initiate contact with European universities universities interested in offering double degrees. The UAB met the Tor Vergata University of On 29 March the UAB took part Rome and the University of Essex and is in the Discover the World 100 considering a joint programme with them. event at the University of Navarra. The vice-rector for Communication and Promotion, As part of the internationalisation strategy Virginia Louzón, attended of the 4 Universities Alliance (A4U), the together with the director of UAB took part in institutional trips to international marketing of the Indonesia in July 2016 and Malaysia at FUAB, David Miró. The World the end of February 2017. As a result of 100 network, which the UAB is the relationships established with the a member of, organises Indonesian institutions a project was occasional meetings in different present to the Erasmus+ KA107 countries to explore questions competition with associated countries. of standing from the specific This was approved and has with the perspective of the country and to involve new members.
27 The 2017 International Summer Term of the UAB in took place from 26 June to 4 August on the Bellaterra campus. More than 130 students from 16 countries around the world took part, and were able to take all their classes in English.
Welcome and support Mobility programmes for international students
During the 2016-2017 academic year the This year 3,038 students took place in the Over the year the International Welcome participation of the UAB in the Erasmus+ International Study Abroad Point has attended 9,448 requests for programme, which includes 1,448 programmes in all its different options. support in person. Of these it is significant agreements with 549 universities, enabled In the Pre-Established option, which offers that 3,472 were related to obtaining and 667 UAB students to study in European teaching at the Casa de la Convalescència renewing legal residence permits in Spain, universities and the UAB to host 800 and the Eixample campus, 46 subjects 3,281 were related to exchange and Study students from elsewhere in Europe. On were offered in the areas of business, Abroad programmes and 519 with the same programme, 66 members of the economics, social sciences, humanities requests for help obtaining work permits UAB teaching staff and 12 administration and arts and Catalan and Spanish or authorisation. No less important were and services staff visited other European language. In the Selected Courses option, the number of requests related to universities and 142 students did European 103 students took 290 undergraduate international postgraduate grants (MAEC- work placements. The Erasmus Staff Week classes, with most demand in the areas AECID, IFP/Ford, CONICYT, Erasmus organised by the UAB attracted 18 of economics and business, arts, tourism, Mundus, etc.), which totalled 441. members of the administration and translation and communication. On the The UAB also organises a series of events services staff from universities all over other hand, the Tailor-Made courses to welcome new students and offer them Europe. option saw a growing number of students help in their stay and in their integration The Spanish national SICUE programme and offered new programmes in the areas into the university and the country. The has 453 agreements which facilitated of science, engineering, psychology and International Welcome Days, held at the mobility visits for 172 students, of which risk prevention. New programmes were beginning of each semester, are filled with 125 were hosted by the UAB and 47 were launched with students from universities activities that allow international students UAB students travelling to other in the United States, Turkey, Chile and to get to know the campus and the universities in Spain. South Korea and existing collaborations services offered as well as the student were maintained with universities in the association at the UAB. During these days The UAB Exchange Programme offers United Kingdom, Mexico, Colombia, new students can also find out about the UAB and international students the Germany, Finland, Taiwan, Uruguay, China Mentor programme which offers peer help opportunity for mobility to and from non- and Macau. . and support, and the Tandem programme European countries and has 400 for language and cultural exchange agreements with 216 universities in 34 1,209 students from the UAB took between local and new students. One of countries. This year 203 UAB students part in mobility programmes the novelties during this academic year travelled abroad and the UAB hosted 451. was the introduction of the Buddy Also, 146 students did work placements Programme, where student volunteers in companies and institutions around the from the UAB give help and support to world thanks to the work placement the international students on the scheme which is included in the exchange International Summer Term programme programme. and encourage them to take part in activities outside the classroom.
28 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Participants in the mobility programmes. 2016-2017
Incoming Outgoing Highlight Erasmus+ study 800 670
Erasmus+ Internships 142
UAB Exchange Programme 451 203
UAB Exchange Programme Internships 146
SICUE 125 48
Study Abroad 3,038
Total 4,414 1,209 Erasmus Staff Week welcomes 21 administration and services staff From 15 to 19 May the UAB organised this year’s Erasmus Staff Week. During the week 21 members of staff from 11 Country of origin of Erasmus students at the UAB. 2016-2017 universities were able to see the UAB campus and find out about Italy 23% some of the aspects of its Germany 19% organisation and services. There France 8% was special emphasis on the procedures the UAB has in place United Kingdom 7% to give support to the students Netherlands 6% and administration and services staff taking part in the Erasmus+ Portugal 5% programme. Participants were Other (24 countries) 32% also able to present information about their own universities to create an exchange of experiences and new ideas in the management of international exchanges of students and staff.
Country of origin of students on the UAB exchange programme, 2016-2017
Mexico 13%
China 12%
Republic of Korea 10%
USA 9% The buddy, a new figure in the Argentina 7% international student welcome Brazil 7% programme
Japan 6% This year saw the introduction of the Buddy Programme – a new Other (12 contries) 36% method of offering help and support to international students taking part in the International Summer Term. The buddies are local students who accompany them during their stay at the UAB with a view to making their integration easier and more enriching. The aim is to offer cultural activities, interchange of experiences and the creation of a student network among the participants. This year the team of buddies was made up of seven students from five faculties of the UAB.
29 Social and environmental commitment
As part of the event to celebrate the first ten years of the Incorpora project of the ”la Caixa” Social Projects, on 27 June the UAB received an award at the CaixaForum in Barcelona as one of the five institutions and companies to have been part of the project since its inception. The Incorpora network promotes the contracting of people with special problems to find work from an innovative, transverse and integrated perspective
A university committed to University-Society Programme society and the region Student equity and support of the Board of Trustees
The UAB, as a public university, is This year, actions for conserving equity Through the University-Society Programme, committed to serving the community and and equality of opportunity were the Board of Trustees, as the body the region as well to the development of a strengthened with a campaign to ensure representing participation in society, socially and environmentally responsible that the UAB funding to palliate situations promotes strategic actions that contribute model of management. of emergency can reach all students in to strengthening links between the The result of this conception of the need of it. This year, in particular, there university and society. university during this academic year was were two calls for funding applications Within this programme, the Board of to continue to provide incentives for policies from students in situations of economic, Trustees offers support to actions that for equity aimed at conserving equality of social or family difficulties which could serve the interests of people who have opportunity to enter higher education and affect their normal course of study. had, have or may have in the future some it has developed several socio-educational kind of link with the UAB, either before their in collaboration with educational centres This year there were two calls for arrival (socio-educational support in the surrounding area. This year an applications for funding to palliate programmes and support for young people important addition to these programmes emergency situations at risk of social exclusion), during their time has been the Let’s Go! Programme to at the UAB (Impuls grants to support improve English language learning in the As part of the eighth call for applications students with special needs) or after they secondary schools of Badia del Vallès. for Ithaca - Banco Santander salary have left the UAB (UAB Alumni network, grants, thirteen awards were made to The volunteer programmes at the UAB this UAB Impuls employment finer). As part of high performing higher secondary school year have also increased with the project this programme, the Board of Trustees students from problematic socio- “From prison into the community” and the also works in strategic areas of the economic backgrounds. Also, the consolidation of the Welcome Programme university such as innovation, Fundació Autònoma Solidària, with the for refugees at the UAB. The university’s entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer and support of the Board of Trustees of the membership of the “Our house, your house” connection with the region, among others. UAB, awarded nine Impuls grants to campaign along with the support from the A new initiative this year was the agreement students with disabilities to facilitate their Caixa d’Enginyers Foundation offered by the Board of Trustees to collaborate access to the university and completion renewed momentum for the Welcome with the UniX and Let’s Go! Programmes of their higher education. Programme, which is introducing new to promote, strengthen and extend the activities to improve the stay and facilitate The UAB also has a line of collaboration actions of the Fundació Autònoma Solidària the integration of the refugees taken in. grants for students. These grants are in secondary schools to improve the awarded to students who collaborate in As part of its commitment to the academic results of young people in the different areas of the university while they environment, the UAB continues to support areas of basic competences. are studying. In 2016-2017 69 grants improvements in sustainable mobility, with were awarded. actions to promote the use of bicycles and the reduction of private vehicle use. In addition, the signing of the Vallès Circular Agreement with regional institutions has opened up new challenges for promoting a more sustainable economic model.
30 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 06 Highlight
The Plurilingual Teaching and Interaction Research Group at the UAB and the FAS received one of the Recercaixa programme grants to carry out research in the Let’s Go programme. This programme aims to promote English learning to improve the results of students in their fourth year of secondary school in Badia del Vallès. Argon Prize awards The fourteenth Argon competition for upper secondary Socio-educational school students received more programmes than 350 pieces of work, of which 46 were recognised, 21 With the aim of strengthening and creating The UAB wants to highlight its commitment with prizes and 25 with a special closer relations between the university and with less favoured parts of society and the mention, divided into 7 society, the UAB has different socio- region. It therefore has another set of socio- categories and areas. The first educational programmes which are carried educational programmes aimed at offering prizes in each area received free out both on campus and in schools in the accompaniment and support to students tuition at the UAB in their first region. Programmes such as the Ithaca from primary and secondary schools which, year. The award ceremony took Campus and the Argon Programme as a result of socio-educational or personal place in October when the seven promote the relationship between the circumstances, have difficulties to attain prizewinning project winners university and secondary school students their academic objectives. These are the received their prizes in the as an initiative to encourage them to CROMA, UniX, Shere Rom and the new thirteenth year of the event. continue with their studies after compulsory Let’s Go! programmes, managed by the secondary education. The Ithaca Campus FAS, which aim to motivate children and is one of the most successful socio- young people to continue studying after educational programmes at the UAB. Since the age of 16. 2004, more than 5,000 school students have taken part in it, mainly from secondary Since 2004, more than 5,000 young schools in the Vallès Occidental. The young people have taken part in the Ithaca people selected to participate in the Ithaca Campus Campus share a similar profile: family economic difficulties with could mean that Also, the University with your Reach 14th year of Ithaca Campus entry into the labour market is prioritised programme supports continuing education over the continuation of their studies. for an active old age and offers From 26 June to 4 July the UAB opportunities for training and social held the fourteenth year of the involvement through the Learning on Ithaca Campus. This iconic Campus and the 17 classrooms tutored programme at the UAB is by the UAB. This year the UAB held the managed by the Fundació tenth meeting of the organisers the Autònoma Solidària, and this university outreach classrooms for seniors year welcomed 385 lower at Catalan universities. secondary school students from 77 Catalan schools to attend the UAB campus for two weeks and take part in activities related to knowledge and the university with the aim of encouraging them to continue studying after compulsory secondary education.
31 Over the year, 610 people, including students, teaching and research staff and administration and services staff took part in the social and volunteer programmes managed by the Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS).
Social and volunteer programmes Support for disabilities
The task of achieving a more committed The support service for students with and supportive university community is disabilities or special educational needs clearly seen in the different social and PIUNE attended 243 students this year. volunteer programmes managed by the The service offers guidance to future Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS), in students of the UAB and promotes which 610 people participated this year measures to support students with between students, teaching and research disabilities or special educational needs staff and administration and services staff. during the time they are studying. The programme also manages the adapted The social volunteer programmes, such as transport service on the Bellaterra campus the Justice Programme (in prisons or New backing for the Welcome and the accompaniment service on foot juvenile centres), socio-educational Programme of the UAB for those who require it. programmes and the Social Health On 3 July the UAB and the Fundació programme attended a total of 3,200 This year was the eighth year of the Impuls Caixa d’Enginyers signed a people at risk of social exclusion or grants, supported by the Board of Trustees, collaboration agreement through experiencing a difficult period and poor which were awarded to eight students who which the bank will contribute to the health. Groups of students also led needed them to facilitate their access to funding of the Welcome Programme awareness campaigns for topics such as the university. of the UAB. This programme is a the environment, food waste and healthy pioneering experience for the The UAB Impuls programme also works lifestyles. This year a new experimental welcoming of refugees at the with the UAB Employability Service and programme was set up for research and university and which has taken in has the support of the Board of Trustees social action by mentors to support the around fifty young refugees since and ”la Caixa” Social Projects, as part of reinsertion of former prisoners led by October 2016 in the Vila Universitària the Incorpora programme, and has helped researchers from the UAB and the UB and housing complex. The main actions 80 students and graduates of the UAB to financed by RecerCaixa. carried out as part of the project find work. Cooperation for development have been: a welcome plan that This year, thanks to the support of the allows full access to all the services Board of Trustees of the UAB, the resource In the 2016-2017 academic year, the and resources through the creation centres and the adapted study cabins in Solidary Fund financed six university of housing provision on the university the Communications, Humanities and cooperation projects for development campus; accompaniment to ensure Social Science libraries were renewed. promoted by teaching and research staff in different areas of knowledge. It also gave integration through a network of support to seven postgraduate, Master’s volunteers offering linguistic and degree and PhD projects to be carried out psychosocial support, and academic in Algeria, Argentina Bolivia, Brazil, promotion and awareness through Colombia, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Nigeria, seminars and talks, etc. The project Pakistan, Uganda and Catalonia. has 39 volunteers from the university community.
32 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona From 24 to 28 April 2017 the 8th Healthy and Sustainable Week took place at the UAB. The event is aimed to Highlight promote better health in the university community through the encouragement of healthy habits and lifestyles, and to raise awareness of the importance of reducing global warming and the greenhouse effect.
European Sustainable Mobility Network at Universities
Since July 2016 the UAB has Environmental been a partner of the European management Sustainable Mobility Network at Universities (U-MOB). This is a Environmental management on the campus five-year European project co- is guided by the UAB sustainability funded by the European actions plan 2013-2017, as part of the Commission as part of its LIFE Healthy and Sustainable Campus project. project. The project is aimed at At the beginning of 2017 work began on creating a university network to the new sustainability plan for the period facilitate exchange and transfer 2018-2022. of knowledge about the best One of the main challenges for the UAB is practices for sustainable mobility the management of responsible and among European universities sustainable mobility. To put this into Signature of the Vallès Circular with a view to reducing CO2 practice several measures are being Agreement emissions. promoted such as encouraging public The objective of this agreement is to transport (increasing the service frequency), place Vallès Occidental at the front a more rational use of private transport of the processes of change and (pilot project of a car-sharing app using evolution towards a more sustainable the smart mobility concept) and the use of economic model, promoting the bicycles within the current integrated principles of circular economics BiciUAB project (new BiciUAB service in through the collaboration of all the the FGC railway station, new bike parking). administrations, institutions and This year the UAB became a member of organisations in the region, among the Mobility Committee of the Metropolitan which is the UAB. The UAB introduces a service Area of Barcelona. This initiative is based on the to encourage the use of bicycles In terms of dissemination and awareness- integration of transverse policies, the raising once again the Sustainable and With the aim of encouraging the creation of a public-private Safe Mobility Week and Bicycle Day were use of bicycles and reducing ecosystem, recognition of companies organised and for the first time the Middays private car use, the UAB has and organisations acting as agents on Campus programme took place as an created a service named for change, the potential of initiative to discover unknown parts of the BiciUAB, which offers bicycle governments to influence the campus and the surrounding area. services at accessible prices for economic model, support for the the university community. These In terms of energy saving the university production fabric to advance through include bicycle hire, open and introduced measures to raise awareness the ecodesign of products and closed bike parking, a repair among the community proposed by energy services and ecoinnovation and service and free self-service improvement groups (See chapter 08 industrial symbiosis. Actions are also repair service «Resources management»). planned to bring the public closer to a model of responsible consumption based on sharing, reusing, repairing, recycling and consuming locally- produced products and services.
33 University community
On 10 November 2016 the UAB Festa Observatory for Major took place. For the first time this Equality year there was a competition for the poster which was won by the student During the 2016-2017 academic year the Yerai Toledano, chosen from the 65 activity of the Observatory for Equality entries that were presented. concentrated on different aspects of visibilisation, training, research and participation. On 22 November 2016, Joana Gallego, lecturer at the Faculty of Communication was nominated director of the Observatory, taking over from Teresa Freixes.
From an institutional point of view, on 8 Student participation March the twelfth celebration of International Working Women’s day took The UAB promotes policies for Marathon and participation in the place. This year’s event paid homage to participation, especially by students, and University Debate League and the Mercedes Unzeta, professor of it offers the different parts of the university Secondary School Debate League. The biochemistry and molecular biology at community a series of activities aimed success of the #DebatsPublicaXXI cycle the UAB. On 25 November 2016 the at creating networks and cohesion within should also be mentioned. This initiative International day against Gender Violence the community. There are resources and aims to create different areas for debate took place. facilities to strengthen the different on the kind of university model needed organised groups in the UAB, such as for the 21st century and to promote With the aim of preventing and raising the associations, the academic group student participation in the functioning awareness of discrimination and sexist delegate network and the student of the university violence in free time situations the councils. Protocol for addressing and acting against sexist aggression at the UAB Student representation this year was Tutorial Action Plan Festa major was drawn up. consolidated in the figure of the academic On 12 July the Governing Council delegate: 379 delegates were registered Of the activities linked to the European approved the Tutorial Action Plan of in the census, 18% more than the EGeRA project, one highlight was the the UAB (PAT-UAB). This plan is an previous year, representing 845 of all UAB Third Gender Equality Report and open framework of reference based academic groups at the UAB. Also, on the signing of the EGeRA Charter by the on the actions carried out in the 15 march there were elections to the rector, for the sensitive governance of tutorial plans of the UAB centres, permanent Council of the Student Council gender in higher education and research with the aim of guiding, advising and at the UAB. institutions providing support to the students of This year there were 85 registered the UAB in the different aspects of associations with a total of 2,410 their learning and early stage career Protocol for the change of given members – more than 90% of whom are development. To that end the PAT- name to felt name students. The UAB community has had UAB has defined specific objectives The Governing Council at its meeting economic and logistical support for and the tutorial activities deriving on 23 March approved the Protocol organising events and has contributed from them along the pathway of the for the change of given name to felt to the consolidation of the use of spaces student. Academic guidance name for transsexual, transgender in the Group Resources Centre and the activities, promotion and transition and intersexual people in the UAB Associations Area, which this year to the university, integration in the community. The protocol established returned to the Plaça Cívica. Grant dynamics of the teaching centre, the conditions under which people applications for student groups and monitoring during the whole period should be treated and named in associations in 2017 totalled 45 of which of study and careers guidance, accordance with the gender name 40 were awarded funding to a total of opportunities for mobility and external with which they identify and 12,500 Euros. work placements. facilitates the change of legal name Student debating skills were encouraged for the gender-felt name in all with the second year of the Quick Debate documents and resources used without any legal implications.
34 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 07 Highlight
On 29 November the prizes were awarded for the best degree final projects from a gender perspective. This year 24 awards were made. The event was attended by the prize- winners and their tutors as well as the vice-rector for Students and Employability, Sara Moreno, the director of the observatory for Equality Activitat cultural of the UAB, Joana Gallego, and the director of the Catalan Institute of During 2016-2017 there was a Women, Núria Balada. programme of 205 cultural activities with a participation of more than 12,000 people. There Human resources were eight exhibitions attracting around 3,200 visitors, 99 During this academic year the UAB has In the area of administration and services activities in the Cinema with prioritised the stabilisation and promotion staff, the public offer of 21 places was audiences of almost 5,100 and of academic staff and administration and approved, corresponding to the staff who 46 activities in the theatre with services staff, in collaboration with social either retired or permanently resigned in audiences of more than 2,100. agents. 2015, in accordance with the partial Eight shows and concerts In the area of teaching and research, 31 replacement permitted by the Spanish performed by members of the UAB took place both on and off permanent positions were approved as government. It is anticipated that 43 places campus, organised by the part of the public offer for 2016 (20 will be offered in 2017. permanent associations with the associate lecturers and 11 university During the academic year work was carried participation of 100 members. professors) plus 23 places for assistant out closely with social agents and staff The production of La libertad en lecturers as part of the Serra Húnter from different areas to make progress on el tejado, by the Aula de Teatre programme. Consequently, the criteria for drawing up a list of all positions for de la UAB, is of particular note prioritisation of the position was also agreed administration and services staff, reflecting and was performed at the 15th for each of the categories. A new rule was both the permanent and temporary International Theatre Festival of also approved for emeritus and honorary positions in order to re-size the staff the University of Granada. teaching staff to facilitate the participation according to present needs and future There was also support for the of retired members of staff in research objectives. Efforts were made to stabilise organisation of around 200 activity. For non-permanent members of the staff in collaboration with the social activities by the university community. One highlight was the teaching and research staff the UAB agents and pressure was made on the the musical programme of the called for application for new trainee government to revise and revert the FMUAB which was possible researchers, postdoctoral research staff replacement rate imposed as a result of thanks to the Autònoma Actua and adjunct lecturers. the economic crisis. Work also began to Award, and enabled Also, committees were set up to work on establish a professional career model and performances on stage by 13 a new model of academic dedication by adapt the training plan to make it one of groups. teaching staff and a new theoretical model the main points for progression. Some of the most memorable of staffing for teaching staff for the musical and theatre activities department of the UAB. This important were the concert by Maria Arnal Recognition of retired staff task carried out throughout the year meant and Marcel Bagés and the productions of There was a that it could be concluded with a budget On 10 October, to coincide with the Fiesta, by Produccions la Copla to be presented to the Governing council official opening ceremony for the de Wisconsin, and Limbo, by the academic year, there was an act in and the Senate during the first semester Les Impuxibles company. The of the new academic year. recognition of the seventy members exhibition Text Art Objecte. Un of UAB staff, both teaching and itinerari per revistes d’art dels research staff and administration and anys 70 als 90 and the pre- services staff, who retired in 2015- première of the film Moonlight, 2016. winner of the Oscar award for best movie, were some of the most viewed activities in the exhibition space and the cinema.
35 On 18 December tghe fifth UAB Fun Run took place on the Bellaterra campus in support of the TV3 Charity Marathon. The run was a complete success in terms of participation and support with over 2,000 registered runners and 14,400 Euros collected.
Ombud’s Office Friends of the UAB UAB Alumni
The Ombud’s Office of the UAB is the The Association of Friends of the UAB The UAB Alumni Foundation works to body charged with ensuring the respect is made up of members and former promote a network of UAB graduates as for all rights and freedoms of the members of the university community a dynamic and interconnected members foo the university community, and friends of the UAB. This year, it professional community based on and in 2016 it dealt with 100 cases. The offered a programme of activities to employability, continuing professional content of these requests for action was enliven university life through a series of development and the offer of services. related to academic aspects (63%), debate, lectures and cultural excursions. To that end, in 2016-2017, UAB Alumni economic aspects (22%) and has taken up a new challenge with employment questions (8%), as well as activities centred on professional skills campus services (7%). The Ombud’s and networking. Highlights included the Office annual report, which was first international UAB chapter in Brussels, presented at the meeting of the Senate which was presented jointly with the on 25 May, highlights actions related to Euroacció Mentoring programme on 21 the economic problems of students when September at the headquarters of the paying their fees, complaints related to delegation of the Government of administrative procedures in the attached Catalonia in Brussels, with the presence centres and postgraduate school, and of Sara Moreno, vice-rector of Students with questions related to the fulfilment and Employability, and Amadeu Altafaj, of the syllabuses and teaching guides the permanent representative of the During the Annual Friends’ Party which for the taught subjects. Government of Catalonia in the EU. The took place on 24 November, the Friends international chapters are representatives At its meeting on 25 May, the UAB Senate of Friends awards took place in of the UAB Alumni that promote appointed Manuel Gerpe, retired recognition of the professional careers networking, offer professional support professor of Constitutional Law as the of Lluís Ferrer, professor in the and organise programme for knowledge new Ombud’s Officer of the university. Department of Animal Medicine and updating and debates on current topics Manuel Gerpe takes over from Josep Surgery and former rector of the UAB, related to the university in different cities Font, retired professor of Organic and Sergi Berbel and Toni Casares, around the world. Chemistry, who had held the post since dramatists and founders of the Aula de 2009. Teatre de la UAB. The UAB Choir also At the same time, UAB Alumni has received the UAB Group Prize. In parallel, consolidated its participation in activities the University-Company prize and the on the campus by co-organising University-Society prize of the Board of meetings of Alumni in different faculties Trustees were awarded to Joan Soto, and hosting the 17th Training Seminar of former CEO of Hewlett Packard Spain, the International Conference of Alumni and Josep Cuní, former presenter of the Associations. programme 8 al dia on 8TV.
36 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona With the aim of promoting the acquisition of knowledge among students about the generation Highlight and development of ideas in the Literary prizes 2016 area of social entrepreneurship and cooperativism, the UAB On 23 November the award published five audiovisual clips ceremony took place for the on topics such as talent, winners of the best works of creativity, design thinking, literature of 2016 organised leadership and shared project jointly with the Cerdanyola del management. Vallès City Council. The prizewinning authors and works were: Núria Broquetas, Valldaura Novel - Memorial Pere Calders Prize 2016, for El llagut de foc; David Yeste, Miquel Martí i Pol Employability and Poetry Prize 2016, for 24 entrepreneurship Vintervariationer; and Vera Sanahuja, Caterina Albert Short This Year the new Employability Service This academic year saw the launch of the Story Prize 2016, for La mare i was approved by the Governing Council UAB MIPUE project , which forms part of el monstre. on 26 January. The service continues the the Euroacció Mentoring programme. work carried out by the university’s career With the collaboration of UAB Alumni this Once again this year, the service, Treball Campus, but the activities programme offers guidance and advice to prizewinning works were are reorientated to provide more guidance students and graduates who are interested published electronically and on in the professional development of students in a career in the institutions of the European paper by the UAB Publications and graduates in accordance with their Union. Throughout the year different Service. courses of study and in order to facilitate session were offered in UAB centres to let greater involvement among those who use students know about the project and to the service. This second objective has led encourage them to take part. to the Committee of Users of the Employability Service, which includes representatives of the students, companies and institutions. The committee is of a consultative and advisory nature and will evaluate the activity of the service and make suggestions on its lines of action. The Physical Activities Service takes part in Active Campus Europe
In terms of entrepreneurial activity, the UAB On 24 January the Active Emprèn programme brings together all Campus Europe (ACE) project the initiatives and activities at the UAB was presented in Limburg, which are aimed at promoting Holland. The UAB took part entrepreneurial spirit among students through its Physical Activities This year the Employability Service and graduates of the university in a Service together with 15 other published 2,087 job offers and work transferrable and multidisciplinary way. European universities. The ACE placement offers and managed 2,836 The programme offers information and project is financed by the agreements. It also offered 125 professional training in entrepreneurial activities to Erasmus+ programme and its group guidance activities, attended by facilitate and promote the generation of main objective is to increase 5,579 people, and 250 professional ideas. UAB Emprèn has a workspace physical activity in daily life in individual guidance activities. where people with new ideas can receive the work and teaching spaces 288 students were able to take part in work specialist support and advice to develop of the university. placements both within and outside Europe them. The UAB Physical Activities through the Erasmus+ and UAB work This year, UAB Emprèn placed greater Service promotes physical placement programmes. emphasis on the distribution of benefits activity and good health and and the possibilities for social encourages the university entrepreneurship and cooperativism. community to take part in competitive activities.
37 Resource management
Implementation Actions for energy of the budget efficiency
In terms of income, in 2016 the Within the framework of actions for Government of Catalonia maintained the energy saving and improving efficiency, same contribution as the previous year. the UAB has opted for a strategy of Public prices for the 2016-2017 academic 314 responsible energy consumption, year were frozen for the second improvements in the energy efficiency of million Euros budget (budget consecutive year. In terms of other its facilities and the promotion of after expenditure settlement) income, the increase in research income responsible practices in terms of energy should be highlighted. use. In that sense one of the keys to the improvement of energy efficiency has In terms of expenditure, for personnel been the use of a monitoring system to the most significant items were the control energy consumption. This system additional salary payment and the 1% shows the consumption figures for the increase in salaries. Purchasing 25 buildings on the UAB Bellaterra expenditure for goods and services campus, with a total of 53 devices experienced a small rise and financial connected to the system. Specifically, expenditure remained stable. Investments this monitoring allows consumption by the Government of Catalonia remained reports to be drawn up, the detection of at similar levels to the previous year. unnecessary passive use, energy The UAB balanced its budget at the consumption profiles to be established close of 2016 and energy potential to be optimised. The system also helps the energy In terms of financial operations, a total improvement groups to design actions of €2.9m of repayable advances for the and raise awareness among the university financing of the science parks was community on energy saving. amortized. The new debt of €1.3m Among the action for energy saving corresponds to the FEDER and FSE carried out in the 2016-2017 academic advance, and will be reclassified as year was the installation of LED- capital subsidy in due course. technology fluorescent lighting in many Treasury requirements were similar to of the ground floors of buildings and in those in the previous year, increasing the outdoor lighting, the installation of towards the end of the financial year new, more efficient climatization meaning that the available credit policy equipment and the installation of was to the value of €2.27m. temperature valves to control the entry of water in the radiators according to the temperature of the space involved, and the double doors at the entrances of the buildings.
38 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 05
Income statement for 2016
Current transfers 56.43% Please note: the difference
Fees and other income 34.72% between recognised rights (€310.84m), part of which Capital transfers 7.97% corresponds to final and/or Equity income 0.46% multi-year income, and recognised Variation in financial liabilities 0.42% liabilities (€313.64m) does not
Total: 310,839,445 euros. determine the budget deficit or surplus for the year, as some of this income may have come from previous years and may be spent in years following the year for which the statements were drawn up.
Expenditure statement for 2016
Personnel costs 68.33%
Purchase of current goods and services 15.70%
Investments 9.06%
Current transfers 5.32%
Variation in financial liabilities 0.95%
Capital transfers 0.40%
Financial expenditure 0.24%
Total: 313,636,100 euros.
39
TERRASSA
I LLEIDA > LLEIDA I
A TARRAGONA A AP-7 SABADELL E-9 8 AP-7 2
B-30 C-58
BV-1414
1
AP-7 B-30 E-9 RIU LLOBREGAT BP-1413 SANT CUGAT DEL VALLÈS A GIRONA I FRANÇA >
CERDANYOLA
A-2
C-58 A GIRONA I FRANÇA >
A-17
A-2 TÚNEL DE VALLVIDRERA
RIU BESÒS 5
RONDA DE DALT TÚNEL DE LA ROVIRA A MATARÓ >
MERIDIANA C-32 C-32 DIAGONAL 3 4 RONDA DE DALT 7
RONDA DEL MIG SANTS C-31 BADALONA GRAN VIA DE LES CORTS CATALANES
CATALUNYA RONDA DEL LITORAL
6 RIU LLOBREGAT AEROPORT DEL PRAT
BARCELONA
UAB Campus University Hospitals (Faculty of Medicine teaching units) 1 Campus de Bellaterra 2 Campus de Sabadell 4 Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (Barcelona) 3 Campus de Barcelona 5 Hospital Universitari de la Vall d’Hebron (UAB Casa Convalescència) (Barcelona) 6 Hospital del Mar (Barcelona) 7 Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (Badalona) 8 Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí (Sabadell)
40 Annual report for the 2016-2017 academic year Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Campus de Bellaterra 08193 Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès) www.uab.es