The new strategy

In 2015, coinciding with its twenty-fifth anniversary, Pompeu Fabra University decided to draw up a ten-year strategic plan. That plan was launched with the ambition of guiding UPF at ‘a turning point, marked by a global paradigm shift’ and, at the same time, with the aim of highlighting the specific distinctive features that make it unique within the Catalan and Spanish university system. A decade on, it is not a stretch to say that, thanks to that plan and the effort and professionalism of the entire community, our university has adapted to an increasingly dynamic environment, has met most of the challenges that have arisen, and, ultimately, has consolidated its position as a university that holds itself to the highest standards, is committed to society, and is dedicated to recruiting and promoting talent.

Our university has consolidated its position as a university that holds itself to the highest standards, is committed to society, and is dedicated to recruiting and promoting talent 

Now, though, the time has come to renew the firm commitment that drove that first plan and to continue building a unique university of the highest quality, a benchmark in the fields of teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and management. 

Renew the firm commitment continue building a unique university of the highest quality, a benchmark 

It must also be a university of which all members of our university community and society as a whole can feel proud. This pride must be grounded in the irreplaceable role of public universities as drivers and guarantors of democratic health, forums for plural debate, respectful disagreement, and the defence of fundamental rights. In a context increasingly marked by disinformation and polarization, Pompeu Fabra University must redouble its commitment to defending scientific evidence, informed knowledge, and academic rigour as essential public goods, in service to people and institutions.

A leading, ethically robust university, in constant pursuit of improvement a research-intensive university that aims to transform and meaningfully impact its environment through all the activities it carries out

To this end, the new strategy – which sheds the concept of ‘plan’ and is conceived of instead as a set of more general guidelines for defining more specific plans – continues to look ahead and is organized around two main aspirations: firstly, to ensure that Pompeu Fabra University remains a leading, ethically robust university, in constant pursuit of improvement; and, secondly, to bolster its position as a research-intensive university that aims to transform and meaningfully impact its environment through all the activities it carries out. Of course, our university must be able to adapt to the framework and conditions it operates in, but it must also get ahead of them and actively work to change them, in order to better fulfil its mission and, in so doing, contribute even more to society, the environment, and culture. 

In order to undertake this new endeavour with rigour and guarantees of success, however, we must bear in mind the transformations that have taken place in recent years, which reflect a very different dynamic reality from that of a decade ago. Briefly, these changes can be grouped into three complementary planes or levels: 

We must bear in mind the transformations that have taken place in recent years

Firstly, changes in the international system associated with the declining influence of states vs non-state actors; the growing weight of non-Western countries and regions, especially East Asia; the worsening climate emergency; rising inequality; the advent of new transnational and global challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic; and the emergence of movements and leaders who advocate an authoritarian worldview. 

Secondly, changes in the field of higher education linked to the new expectations of younger generations; the different needs of a constantly evolving job market; an ageing population; socio-demographic changes; the growing weight of private universities in the Spanish university system and emergence of some universities of questionable quality; increased regulatory pressure; the proliferation of non-university actors offering training programmes; or the technological revolution unleashed by generative artificial intelligence. 

And, thirdly and finally, internal changes at our own university, including greater organizational complexity; a significant increase in funding obtained through competitive calls (which, in turn, entails an increase and transformation of management); the retirement of a large part of the community that played a central role in the initial definition of Pompeu Fabra University; or the arrival of new staff, who make our community increasingly plural. 

All these changes have had and continue to have a significant impact on Pompeu Fabra University, which must be capable of identifying and seizing the opportunities inherent to them, prioritizing those that can best help it become an even better university. Whilst this strategy certainly does not offer solutions for all challenges, it aims to be a good roadmap and guide to help Pompeu Fabra University continue to make progress towards its goals. And it does so with the conviction that, to achieve the goals it has set, the University cannot do it all, let alone all at once, but rather must strike (sometimes difficult) balances and prioritize those issues that will do most to make those goals a reality. This strategy builds on the previous plan, updating and expanding it, emphasizing the aspects that make UPF a different and unique university. And, like its predecessor, it aims to continue being a useful tool to help us remember where we come from, reconnect with our present, and, from the moment it is approved, guide us on the path to becoming the university we dream of and aspire to be in the future. At the same time, this strategy seeks to help us strike the right balance between being an active and cooperative member of a broad ecosystem of teaching, research, and knowledge-transfer institutions and being an ambitious university with its own strategic orientation, mindful of its characteristics and capabilities.

this strategy aims to be a good roadmap and guide to help Pompeu Fabra University continue to make progress towards its goals

The development of this strategy began in March 2025, with five round-table discussions on the strategic areas of the previous plan, featuring speakers from all the university community’s component groups and attended by more than a hundred people in total. The considerations and proposals to emerge from those discussions served as the inspiration for five working groups, all of which were also made up of members from the community’s different groups, which were then tasked with reviewing the previous plan and identifying the core concepts to inspire the new strategy. The members of the University’s Board of Trustees and Global Advisory Board were also involved in this phase of the process, making further suggestions at two monographic sessions. In the final phase of the new strategy’s development, any member of the university community who so wished could make contributions and suggestions through a dedicated website or at the open sessions held on all three of the university’s campuses. As the result of this process, this strategy stands as an example of a collaborative, institution-wide effort.

Pablo Pareja Alcaraz, Deputy vice-rector to the rector. Coordinator of the 2026–2037 Strategy development process