Mission. Vision. Values
Pompeu Fabra University was founded in 1990 by the Catalan government with the aim of creating a public university oriented towards academic excellence and contributing to the country’s development. To achieve this goal, over the last 35 years, UPF has carried out all of its activities in accordance with strict quality criteria, creating a model of urban university closely linked to the city of Barcelona. As a university, we have been selective in incorporating areas of knowledge in order to focus primarily on research and training related to the various dimensions of the human being, including the biological, communicative, and social dimensions. Our moderate size has emerged as one of our strengths, allowing us to maintain an ideal scale for fostering a cohesive university community in which both academic units and the various administrative units and services feel they belong to the same institution and share the same values. Additionally, over the years, UPF has proved capable of harnessing the opportunities offered by public-private partnerships and competitive calls to tirelessly champion the public interest and public goods.
To provide training based on a rigorous, innovative, and personalized educational model. We must train individuals and professionals endowed with a critical spirit, robust scientific and cultural knowledge, the necessary transferable skills to adapt to the changes and challenges of society, and the specific skills to successfully carry out their life plans.
To be a pre-eminent research university that strives to have the most meaningful possible impact. We must be leaders in knowledge creation, through scientific discovery and innovation, aligning our research activity with the needs and challenges of society and achieving international prominence in our areas of expertise.
To promote innovation and social transformation. We must go beyond the institution’s walls to create synergies with society in order to contribute to its welfare and value creation.
To foster the commitment to culture. We must be a think tank, a forum for debate, discussion, and reflection in service to culture, offering tools to decipher the contemporary world and actively engage with it.
A leading research university, dedicated to public service, that positions itself as one of the most internationally renowned higher education institutions in Europe, enabling it to draw the most talented and committed students, technical, management, and administrative and service staff, teaching staff, and researchers.
A flexible, effective, and personalized university that runs on teamwork and cross-functional collaboration grounded in efficiency, clarity, rigour, and immediacy, capable of anticipating and adapting to the context and change in order to effectively achieve its goals without ever losing sight of its commitment to society.
A financially sustainable public university, with sufficient public funding, as well as other sources of income generated by the university’s own activity.
A welcoming and open urban university, focused on the challenges facing Barcelona and its urban environment, which harnesses the modernity and creativity of a city open to the world as a source of inspiration to drive the university’s transformation.
In addition to the production and transmission of knowledge, Pompeu Fabra University’s identity must be associated with a set of core values that allow us to improve as individuals and establish ourselves as an increasingly global, ethical university community.
Pluralism. To integrate the diversity of perspectives and ideologies, provided they do not involve hate speech or discrimination, and uphold collegiality, promoting parity of esteem, understood as appreciation of others based on recognition of their differences, and fostering collaboration across all knowledge areas and amongst all activities carried out at the university.
Academic freedom. To ensure that research, teaching, knowledge transfer, and intellectual debate are carried out without interference or censorship, protecting university community members’ right to responsibly and respectfully ask uncomfortable questions, defend minority ideas, and explore paths of critical thinking.
Dynamism. To be alert to the world around us and play an active role in it, whilst at the same time adapting and agilely responding to the changes occurring in it and to the new needs to which they give rise.
Equity. To ensure equal opportunity and conditions, combat inequality and discrimination on grounds of sex, gender identity, social class, ethnic or racial origin, sexual orientation, and disability, and train professionals and individuals who then pass on these values – and all the others set out in this strategy – to their personal and professional circles.
Autonomy. So that, based on the recognition of our own identity as a university, we can have the organizational, financial, and regulatory capacity needed to achieve our goals in the best possible way.
Commitment. To become active agents and drivers of change and innovation in society, thereby contributing, with creativity, critical thinking, honesty, proactivity, and academic freedom, to finding solutions for the problems and potential conflicts affecting society and our community.
Rigour. From both an academic and human perspective, to strive, in keeping with the highest standards and to our full potential, to become a benchmark in teaching, research, and knowledge transfer, as well as for how we work and our management.
Generosity. To partner and network with institutions and organizations from our immediate environment and elsewhere that can help us better respond to collective challenges and have an even more meaningful impact on society as a whole.
Accountability. To establish a direct relationship with our stakeholder institutions and groups, offering them transparent explanations of the goals we set and the results we achieve, whilst being receptive to their feedback.