Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) is a young, modern, decidedly public university that, in just twenty-five years, has earned a place for itself among the best universities in Europe. UPF was founded in 1990 with the aim of providing top quality education. Over the years, it has also experienced substantial growth in research thanks to its policy, from the start, of seeking out top international talent, which has allowed it to recruit some of the best researchers and lecturers. Today, UPF is both a specialized university with a unique teaching model and a cutting-edge research institution in three closely related fields of knowledge: the social sciences and humanities (Ciutadella campus), communication and information technologies (Poblenou campus), and the health and life sciences (Mar campus). To promote its scientific...
Gaudi’s famous trencadís in Park Güell. This technique combines broken shards of tiles and pottery to make a colourful mosaic
... activity and enhance its visibility, the University has launched the UPF Research Park and is an active participant in the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park. Our university project is based on the creation, preservation and dissemination of knowledge. This approach is grounded in the belief that universities were originally created, and continue to exist, for this purpose. At the same time, we also work to strengthen our role and recognition in society. UPF aims to be recognized as a key social agent, a leading university in terms of both teaching and scientific output that consistently strives to offer original and effective solutions to social needs. To this end, I invite you to discover our university. Jaume Casals Rector
A university in the heart of Barcelona UPF is a modern, urban university with three campuses located in the heart of Barcelona. The University and the city share a cosmopolitan character and open-minded view of the world. In keeping with UPF’s mission to produce universal knowledge, the university’s campus is fully multilingual. At the same time, the university is also closely linked to its surroundings, to the Catalan language and culture, and thus strives to forge bonds between its teaching and research activities and industry, institutions, civic associations and cultural activities in Catalonia.
UPF’s commitment to Barcelona can also be seen from an urban perspective. The gradual expansion of its campuses has helped to revitalize several of the city’s neighbourhoods. The recovery of the Ciutat Vella district and overhaul of the city’s waterfront in the 1990s in the lead-up to the Olympic Games and the emergence of new knowledge creation and transfer hubs in the 22@ innovation district, including the new Poblenou campus facilities and UPF Research Park, are clear examples of this connection.
Who was Pompeu Fabra? This institution is called Pompeu Fabra University as a tribute to Pompeu Fabra i Poch (1868-1948), the engineer and linguist who classified, refined, systematized and standardized the modern Catalan language. Pompeu Fabra was director of the Philology Section of the Institute for Catalan Studies (IEC), which was founded in 1907. He coordinated the work involved in drawing up the Normes ortogràfiques (Spelling Rules) (1913), which provided Catalan with a genuine, modern, standardized orthography, and later published the Gramàtica catalana (Catalan Grammar) (1918), which was adopted as the language’s official grammar. His great endeavour to disseminate and consolidate a refined, modern language culminated in the publication of the Diccionari general de la llengua catalana (General Dictionary of the Catalan Language) (1931), which became Catalan’s prescriptive dictionary.
Main international rankings 1st Spanish university and 12th best European university according to the EU’s U-Multirank ranking (2016). 2nd Spanish university and 15th highest ranked university in the world among those under 50 years of age according to the Times Higher Education ranking (2016). 1st Spanish university in percentage of articles published in the most influential scholarly journals and 1st in percentage of papers produced in collaboration with national institutions according to the Leiden University research ranking (2016). 1st Spanish university in terms of research productivity according to the U-Ranking, compiled by the BBVA Foundation and the Valencian Institute of Economic Research (IVIE) (2016). 1st Spanish university in terms of the impact of its scientific output (citations per publication received), according to the CyD Foundation report (2015). The Dipòsit de les Aigües building, designed by architect Josep Fontserè in 1874, currently hosts the Library on the Ciutadella campus
Facts and figures (2015-2016)
9,943 5,699 43% 592 308 19% 678 133 Mâ‚Ź
undergraduate students postgraduate students (master’s and doctoral; data include the UPF Group)
of international students (master’s and doctoral programmes)
full-time equivalent lecturers
permanent lecturers
of international lecturers
administrative and service staff
2016 budget
UPF Group UPF works in alliance with a network of research centres and specialized schools with their own legal status, that make up the UPF Group and that complement and enhance its strengths. For instance, the Centre for Genomic Regulation and the Research Centre for International Economics facilitate the University’s involvement in highly specialized fields and research projects, often in collaboration with other institutions and universities. Similarly, centres such as the UPF Barcelona School of Management, the School of International Trade or the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics supplement UPF’s teaching offer.
In Balmes building, UPF provides a range of master’s and postgraduate programmes fully tailored to the educational needs of the professional world
UPF promotes its research and transfer activities in the fields of health and life sciences through the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), one of the largest hubs of biomedical research in southern Europe
A comprehensive education and student-centred learning Teaching and research at UPF are focused on three closely related fields of knowledge: the social sciences and humanities (Ciutadella campus), communication and information technologies (Poblenou campus), and the health and life sciences (Mar campus). Specifically, the University specializes in the following fields: — Health and life sciences — Economic and business sciences — Political and social sciences — Law — Humanities — Communication — Translation and interpretation — Information and communication technologies
Pompeu Fabra University offers high-quality, comprehensive, student-centred learning. The success of this model can be seen in the high demand to enrol at the University (with an average of two applications per place), the fact that UPF students have had the strongest academic performance in the Spanish university system since 2006, and the excellent rate of graduate employment (83% of UPF graduates work), among other indicators. Moreover, according to an external evaluation by the quality agency AQU Catalunya, 90% of UPF graduates would choose the University again.
The study of great apes evolution aims at understanding the evolution of human genetic variation in the last fifteen million years
The iCub, a robot with human characteristics, was designed by an international consortium made up of European universities
The recent excavations in Tyre (Lebanon) could expose the largest Phoenician necropolis known in the Middle East
The reactable is a revolutionary electronic musical instrument with a tableshaped tangible interface
Examples of research projects with social impact
Cutting-edge, competitive research in Europe Pompeu Fabra University actively recruits both national and international talent. In this regard, UPF was the first university in Spain to earn the European Commission’s “HR Excellence in Research” label, which recognizes the University’s commitment to pursuing a human resources strategy for researchers. The results of this policy can be seen in UPF’s excellent research indicators, including the number of EU-funded projects and the quality of its scientific productivity. Accordingly, UPF ranks among the top 20 European universities with the largest number of competitive projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC, 2016); it is the second Spanish university in terms of its
capacity to attract European funding in absolute terms (European Commission, 2014); and it is the most productive university in Spain according to several national rankings, including those compiled by the BBVA Foundation or the CyD Foundation (2016). According to Scimago (2014), UPF is also the leading Spanish university in terms of the percentage of international co-authored papers. This international focus can also be found at the University’s Doctoral School, which aims to offer highly internationalized programmes closely connected to the research conducted at UPF. For instance, in 2015 two out of three doctoral dissertations were defended in English.
Encouraging research transfer and innovation Investment in basic research has begun to bear fruit in the form of internationally acclaimed patents and spin-offs. The University collaborates with Barcelona Activa, the Barcelona city council’s local development agency, on the management of UPF Business Shuttle incubation spaces for new entrepreneurs with tech or innovation-based projects spun off or still linked to the University.
A committed university UPF is a university committed to its students, above and beyond academic life. The University promotes their participation in student associations, volunteer programmes and sports and cultural activities. Likewise, it fosters continued ties with alumni and encourages contact between them through its Alumni programme, which is also currently developing an international network.
UPF is also a university engaged with its community. The Social Responsibility Programme brings together and promotes all the actions undertaken by the institution to promote the principles of solidarity, cooperation, sustainability, gender equality and equal opportunity. The University works to make visible its contribution to society, with activities open to the entire community and events aimed at specific groups.
A strong international dimension The University’s international profile starts with its faculty, most of whom have extensive international experience or are directly recruited abroad (19%). This policy has helped to make UPF a multilingual university with three working languages (Catalan, Spanish and English) for both teaching and research. As a result, all doctoral programmes and a wide range of undergraduate and master’s programmes can be fully or partially taken in English. This multilingualism works to the benefit of UPF students, who are better prepared to go abroad and make the most of the extensive and selective network of international exchange partners
UPF has cultivated over the years. Over 35% of all graduates have international experience, well above the European benchmark of 20% by 2020. In recent years, UPF has deepened its international collaboration with highly valued, strategic partners on all continents, yielding new opportunities for students, faculty and staff interested in mobility and enabling the launch of joint programmes. UPF has also increased its participation in European academic cooperation projects and has further enhanced its international profile by actively participating in international associations and networks.
The Jaume I building was originally built and used as a military barracks. Its renovation won the 1996 Ciutat de Barcelona Prize in the architecture and town planning category
The JardĂ de les AigĂźes, a place for leisure for the University community
Bachelor’s degrees Communication
Political and social sciences
—Advertising and Public Relations —Audiovisual Communication —Journalism
—Political and Administration Sciences
Economics and Business —Business Management and Administration —Business Sciences-Management —Economics — International Business Economics**
Engineering degree programmes —Audiovisual Systems Engineering** —Biomedical Engineering — Engineering degree in Computer Science** — Telecommunications Network Engineering**
Health and life sciencies — Bioinformatics** (UPF-UB-UPC) (ofered by ESCI) —Human Biology —Medicine (UPF-UAB)
Humanities —Humanities
Translation and languages sciences —Applied Languages —Translation and Interpreting
Double degrees —Law + Business Management Administration —Law + Criminology and Public Prevention Policies —Law + Economics — Translation and Interpreting and Applied Languages
Simultaneous bachelor’s degrees — Information and Communication Technologies Engineering — Humanities and Journalism (Humanities itinerary) —Law and Labour Relations — Law and Political and Administration Sciences
UPF Open bachelor’s degree programme ——————————————————
Interdisciplinary programmes —Global Studies** —Philosophy, Politics and Economics (UPF-UAM-UC3)
Law —Criminology and Public Prevention Policies —Labour Relations —Law
Bachelor’s degrees are also offered by the following UPF Grup Centres: —Elisava School of Design —Mar Nursing School —Polytechnic School Tecnocampus — School of Health Sciences Tecnocampus —School of International Trade — School of Social Sciences and Business Tecnocampus ——— ** In English
A renovated textil factory in the heart of the new technological district in Barcelona gathers all studies related to communication (technologies and contents)
Master’s degrees Communication
Political and social sciences
— Contemporary Film and Audiovisual Studies — Historical Research of Communication (online programme) —I nternational Studies on Media, Power and Difference* —Social Communication — Strategic Communication and Public Relations (University of Stirling-UPF joint degree)*
— Current Democracies: Nationalism, Federalism and Multiculturalism* —Immigration Management* —Political Philosophy* —Research in Political Science* — Research in Sociology and Demography *
Economic and business sciences —Research in Economics, Finance and Management*
Health and life sciences —Bioinformatics for Health Sciences (UPF-UB)* —Biomedical Research* —Clinical Analysis Laboratory — Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industry —Public Health (UPF-UAB)
Humanities and history — Comparative Studies in Literature, Art and Thought —World History
Information and communication technologies —Brain and Cognition* — Cognitive Systems & Interactive Media* — Computational Biomedical Engineering* — Intelligent Interactive Systems* — Sound and Music Computing * — Wireless Communication (UPF-UPC)*
Law —Legal Sciences —European and Global Law* —Criminology and Criminal Justice System (UPF-UAB-UdG-UOC)
Translation and language sciences —Discourse Studies: Communication, Society and Learning (UPF-UAB) —Theoretical and Applied Linguistics —Translation Studies
Masters are also offered by the following UPF Group centres: — Barcelona Graduate School of Economics —Barcelona Institute of International Studies —Elisava, School of Design —Mar Nursing School —Polytechnic School Tecnocampus —School of International Trade — Tecnocampus School of Health Sciences — Tecnocampus School of Social Sciences and Business —UPF-Barcelona School of Management ———
Doctorates —Biomedicine* —Communication* — Economics, Finance and Business* —History —Humanities — Information and Communication Technologies* —Law* —Political and Social Sciences* —Translation and Language Sciences ——— * In English
Campus — Ciutadella campus
— Balmes building Balmes, 132 08008 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 542 18 00
— Poblenou campus
— Born building Pg. Pujades, 1 08003 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 295 47 10
— Mar campus
— Mercè building Pl. de la Mercè, 10–12 08002 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 542 20 00
Ramon Trias Fargas, 25–27 08005 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 542 20 00
Roc Boronat, 138 08018 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 542 20 00
Doctor Aiguader, 80 08003 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 542 20 00
Institutional video
UPFGREC 9740/I-ENG
www.upf.edu