UPF Fact Sheet
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). 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.
Overview
UPF is a public, international and research-intensive university that, in just twenty-five years, has earned a place for itself among the best universities in Europe. Located in Barcelona, the University was founded in 1990 with the aim of providing the highest 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. Today, UPF is both a specialized university with a unique teaching model and a cutting-edge research institution spread out over three campuses focusing on three areas of knowledge: —— Social sciences and humanities (Ciutadella campus); —— Health and life sciences (Mar campus); and —— Communication and ICT (Poblenou campus). Specifically, UPF carries out its teaching and research in the following fields —— —— —— —— —— —— —— ——
Communication Economics and business Health and life sciences Humanities ICT Law Political and social sciences Translation and language sciences
Moreover, in order to promote the research and transfer activities undertaken by UPF researchers and heighten their international visibility, the University has created the UPF Research Park, located on the Ciutadella Campus. It is also part of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park, located on the Mar campus.
In the short time since its founding, UPF has already made it onto some of the most influential global rankings:
International rankings
—— 1st university in Spain, 135th in the world and 58th in Europe (Times Higher Education ranking, 2019) —— 11th in the world among universities aged 50 years or under (Times Higher Education Young Universities Ranking, 2018) —— 2nd university in Spain and among the top 250 universities in the world (Shanghai ranking, 2018) —— 1st Spanish university in percentage of articles published in the world’s most influential scholarly journals (Leiden, 2018) —— 1st Spanish university in percentage of papers produced in collaboration with national institutions (Leiden, 2018)
Facts & Figures (2018-2019) —— Undergraduate studies: 10,443 students in 27 programmes (UPF Group: 15,884 students in 48 programmes) —— Official master studies: 1,158 students in 33 programmes (UPF Group: 3,256 students in 58 programmes) —— UPF master studies: 810 students in 56 programmes —— Doctoral studies: 1,286 students in 9 programmes —— Teaching and research staff: 592 full-time equivalent members (308 permanent professors) —— Administrative and service staff: 678 members —— 2019 budget: €150,5 million The above figures show the results for UPF studies and the UPF Group. Since its founding, the University has partnered with various legally independent institutions and centres specializing in teaching, research and knowledge transfer, which, together, make up the UPF Group. These institutions allow UPF to be present in highly specialized areas of research, often in collaboration with other institutions and universities, such as the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Research Centre for International Economics (CREI). They also supplement the teaching offer at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, such us the UPF Barcelona School of Management (the UPF lifelong learning centre) and the School of International Trade (ESCI).
UPF is committed to offering high-quality teaching and outstanding, internationally renowned research.
The UPF model
A high-quality teaching model UPF offers high-quality, comprehensive, student-centred learning. The success of this model is reflected in multiple indicators, such as the high demand for UPF programmes, the achievement rates of its students, or the excellent levels of graduate employment and satisfaction. UPF is also a multilingual university. All doctoral programmes and a wide range of master’s programmes can be taken fully or partially in English, as can an ever-increasing percentage of undergraduate-level courses.
Key figures —— Two applicants per place available at UPF (2018-2019) —— 16% of new students graduated from secondary school with honours (2018-2019) —— New and innovative degrees: Open Bachelor’s Degree Programme, Global Studies, or Bioinformatics —— Highest achievement rate in the Spanish university system: 90% (20172018) —— MOOCs: partnerships with Coursera, FutureLearn, Miríada X, UcatX, Kadenze —— Internship agreements with 1,245 companies (2017-2018) —— Graduate employment rate: 90% (AQU Catalunya report, 2017) —— Around 30% of UPF graduates found a job through the University (AQU Catalunya report, 2017) —— Satisfaction rate: 91% of UPF graduates would choose the same university again (AQU Catalunya report, 2017)
Outstanding research UPF actively recruits both national and international talent. In this regard, it was the first university in Spain to earn the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research award, 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 output.
Key figures —— Horizon 2020:[1] 100 projects / €56.7 million, including: —— 26 ERC grants —— 31 Marie Curie actions —— EU 7th Framework Programme (2007-2013): More than €75 million: —— UPF obtained 10% of all funding awarded to Spanish universities despite accounting for just 1% of the entire system’s teaching staff. —— UPF was also the top Spanish university in Starting, Advanced and Consolidator Grants awarded by the European Research Council under the 7th FP (19% of the ERC grants obtained in Spain). —— Spanish R&D and Innovation Plan:[2] 216 projects / €20.9 million —— International teaching staff:[3] 19% —— ICREA research professors:[4] 43 —— 2 Maria de Maeztu[5] accreditations —— 2 Severo Ochoa[6] accreditations —— Theses defended in English: 75% (2017-2018) —— 30 Industrial PhD projects funded by the catalan government (20132018)
Data refer to the 2014-2018 period only. They include individual and consortia projects. [2] Data refer to the 2014-2017 period. [3] Data as of January 2017. [4] The Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA) offers permanent tenured positions at Catalan host institutions to top researchers from around the world. [5] Both the María de Maeztu and the Severo Ochoa programmes are funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Their aim is to accredit public research centres and units in any field in which they demonstrate scientific leadership and can have a global impact whilst at the same time actively collaborating in their social and business environment. [6] Id. [1]
International orientation 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. 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.
Key figures —— 39% of official master’s students and 49% of doctoral students are international (2018-2019) —— 43% of UPF graduates have studied abroad (2017-2018) —— 1st Spanish university in international outlook (THE, 2019) —— 1st Spanish public university in the percentage of international faculty (QS, 2019) —— Agreements with 30 of the Top 50 universities in the world (THE, 2018) —— Barcelona International Summer School (BISS) —— Center in Public Policy with Johns Hopkins University (since 2013) —— Strategic alliances: A4U, EUTOPIA, Europaeum, YERUN and CASA (Ivy League)
April 2019
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