The rector of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), Laia de Nadal, travelled to Mexico to attend the Guadalajara International Book Fair, at which Barcelona was a guest city, where she highlighted the international synergies between UPF and Mexican universities and research centres.

With the aim of narrowing and boosting ties with these institutions and accompanied by her deputy vice-rector, Pablo Pareja, de Nadal met with representatives of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the main public educational institution with more than 450 years of history; and the Monterrey Institute of Technology. UPF’s international agreements with these institutions, or research collaborations -especially in the fields of medicine, life sciences, engineering and also in communication studies in the case of Monterrey Institute of Technology- were on the agenda for a large part of the meetings.

Finding shared solutions to the common challenges of universities around the world

The UPF rector attended the Forum on good practices of innovation ecosystems in Mexico City and Barcelona to take part in the round table “Opportunities and challenges of knowledge and innovation ecosystems”, where she highlighted the importance of forging synergies with social and cultural actors beyond the academic world to seek creative responses to current challenges.

In addition, she had the opportunity to speak to representatives of universities in Mexico and from other countries at the round table “The University in the face of the complex world scenario”, promoted by the University of Guadalajara and its University Center for Economic and Administrative Sciences. In a debate on the challenges shared by universities in a changing social, cultural and technological context, Laia de Nadal underscored the importance of fostering interdisciplinarity, university-enterprise relations and lifelong learning and a global outlook in the world of research, due to the interrelation of local and global challenges. The rector engaged with the rectors of the UAB and the UB, who also travelled to Mexico, as well as those of the University of Guadalajara, the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and the University of Perugia (Italy). 

Meeting with UPF alumni in Mexico

The rector and the deputy vice-rector met with a group of 12 UPF alumni residing in the country and with undergraduate students who are doing mobility stays, with whom they had supper. The UPF delegation was able to find out first-hand about their work and entrepreneurial experiences and thanked them for acting as ambassadors to UPF in Mexico. The importance of maintaining and strengthening the UPF International Alumni Community was also stressed.

UPF at the Guadalajara International Book Fair

The UPF rector’s institutional trip to Mexico was within the framework of the 39th Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL), at which Barcelona was the guest city this year. Laia de Nadal was a member of the city’s institutional delegation to the FIL, promoted by the City Council and its Chamber of Commerce, together with the rectors of other Catalan universities. 

UPF lecturers and researchers participate at the FIL 

The International Book Fair was also attended by several UPF professors and researchers, including Marc Güell (Department of Medicine and Life Sciences), Rafael Argullol, Victòria Cirlot, Jaume Subirana, Javier Aparicio (Department of Humanities), Mercè Ibarz and Carles Feixa (Department of Communication).