UVic-UCC News
The University in action!
A team of students and researchers at UVic-UCC design 3D printed synthetic human bone as part of the "Phygital Human Bone" project
24.07.2023
Five students at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) have participated in the "Phygital Human Bone" project undertaken by Elisava and the TR2Lab research group. In addition to the study's objectives and its innovative results, the project is also important because for the first time, it has been carried out on a coordinated basis by students from two of the four campuses of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC): UElisava and UVic. "Phygital Human Bone" is a pioneering research project that involves the creation of a phygital (physical and digital) model of synthetic bone which uses an innovative biomimetic design and a 3D bioprinting technique to replicate the properties of the human femur. It aims to replicate its internal microarchitecture in order to synthetically simulate the biomechanical properties of the bone. As a result, fracture patterns can be studied for the first time, although other similar studies in this field have been carried out in the past. The result is a synthetic model that can recreate the properties of a biological tissue (bone tissue). This recreation achieved by "Phygital Human Bone" is very useful for both controlled trials and biomechanical experimental studies, since it enables a controlled reproduction of human bone, and allows various scenarios to be studied which were previously impossible, due to both ethical and legal issues and availability of material. The results of the project also open up new opportunities for conducting more precise research in the field of medicine and biomechanics. Multidisciplinary teamwork Four of the five students who took part are Industrial Design Engineering bachelor's degree students at UElisava - Nim Carbonell, Gerard Estrada, Maria Jesús de Pouplana and Pau Daura, and one, Júlia Guri, is a student on the bachelor's degree in Biotechnology. They all worked together on their respective degree final projects, thereby combining several disciplines in a single project. The project was carried out in the bone remodelling research area of the Tissue Repair and Regeneration research group (TR2Lab - Tissue Repair and Regeneration Laboratory) at UVic-UCC, and was supervised by Dr Juan Crespo, a researcher and professor at Elisava, and Dr Xavier Jordana, a researcher and professor at the UAB, who are both members of TR2Lab. The academic tutors were professor Marco Gesualdo, for Elisava, and Dr Marta Otero, of UVic, the director of the TR2Lab. "This collaborative project is a clear example of the TR2Lab's commitment to fostering the scientific vocations of our bachelor's degree students, by involving them in active research projects and undertaking work in multidisciplinary teams to address complex challenges in the field of tissue repair and transformation," says Marta Otero, the coordinator of the TR2Lab. Greater reliability and accuracy in biomedical studies "Both the high precision model and the compression tests have given very innovative results, which to the best of our knowledge have not been published or manufactured. That is why they are so important," explains Juan Crespo. "While carrying out the project, we developed a digitised parametric model of human bone using algorithm-aided design (AAD) and we produced it with 3D printers, experimenting with composites developed during the project. This phygital model can be used to study fracture patterns and compare them with other fractures taking place in real human dry and wet bones, and by doing so study the correlation between the two.""This is only the first step," adds Xavier Jordana, the co-supervisor of the project and a researcher at the TR2Lab. "Important improvements need to be made, such as the type of material used to print the synthetic models, but we have achieved our main goal: recreating the biomechanical behaviour of real human bone in its propagation of microfissures and its resistance to fractures." According to the participants in the project, using synthetic bone models is essential in fields including biomedicine and forensic medicine in order to be able to perform biomechanical tests and trials, thereby overcoming the difficulties involved in performing these tests on real human bones. They also point out that the human bones from donors that are commonly used in these tests vary considerably (due to age, sex, state of health, etc.) and using synthetic models would help practitioners and researchers to standardise these parameters and adapt them according to the needs of each study.
Record levels of sea turtle nesting on the Western Mediterranean coast this season
17.07.2023
The beaches of the western Mediterranean have been experiencing a rise in the numbers of nests by loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) over the last decade. This increase may be due to the species engaging in a process of colonisation as a result of climate change. This process is considered very important for its survival in view of the evidence and predictions of increasing feminisation of the species and a reduction in the viability of the offspring on the beaches where eggs are laid in their original nesting areas. However, this incipient colonisation is taking place in areas with high levels of human occupation, including the Spanish coast, and as such adequate management is required if the eggs are to be laid successfully near humans. The recent emergence of this colonisation process has required all the stakeholders involved, including those in the scientific field and government agencies, to develop new capabilities over the past few years. The main factors that can have a negative impact on this growing population are ignorance among the public, the lack of scientific information, changes on the beaches where eggs are laid which affect the eggs' successful incubation, and the effectiveness of the management measures that are being adopted. A very busy start to the 2023 season The first sea turtle nest reported on a Spanish beach this season appeared on Can Pere Toni beach in Palma, in the Balearic Islands, at the beginning of June. This was quickly followed within a few weeks by other nests reported on beaches in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, Murcia and Andalusia. Some failed attempts at nesting have also been reported. The research teams have been able to observe and work with several nesting female turtles as a result of these events. Three of the nests in Catalonia are located in the Ebro Delta, which may be indicative of this natural area's growing importance as a new region for nesting. A significant detail in 2023 is that the nest reported on Sa Riera beach in Begur is the northernmost located on the Iberian Peninsula to date. All this activity is creating a very serious challenge for the networks responsible for monitoring the nesting, and the local and regional governments and academic institutions involved, which have activated the recently developed protocols in both Catalonia and in Spain's other coastal communities aimed at conservation of the turtles and collecting scientific data. This increase in nesting activity on Spanish beaches is consistent with events in other areas of the Western Mediterranean, where Italy is a case in point: nearly one hundred nests have been reported in the first few weeks of the season. Regions such as Campania have recorded increases of more than 50% compared to previous years. The InGeNi-Caretta project Thanks to funding from the Biodiversity Foundation, a consortium consisting of the BETA Technological Center at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, the University of Barcelona, the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) at the University of Barcelona, the Polytechnic University of Valencia, in partnership with the University of Valencia and the Doñana Biological Station, has begun work on the InGeNi-Caretta project. This multidisciplinary project involves a research team consisting of leading experts on sea turtles, and it aims to produce the scientific knowledge necessary to understand this unique phenomenon of colonisation, and to facilitate decision-making relating to the planning and management of this endangered species on the Spanish coast. The results of the InGeNi-Caretta project will lead to improvements in conservation measures to protect the species, particularly with regard to its nesting activity on Spain's Mediterranean coasts. The project involves various actions. First, a detailed study will be carried out on the potential suitability of the beaches on the Spanish coast for nesting by sea turtles, taking into account their physical and chemical characteristics, and improving the definition of the environmental parameters on the nesting beaches. Second, it will study the number, origin and behaviour of the nesting turtles by means of genomic studies of the nests, as well as their biological effectiveness, the number of eggs, the development rate of the embryos, and the viability of the young. Finally, it will combine all the data obtained to assess the impact of the offspring's genotype on their dispersion, viability and growth. The consortium also hopes to study the behaviour of the females and their young using satellite telemetry and by studying stable isotopes. By doing so, it will be possible to use their movements to establish the location of their feeding areas and how the females use the habitat before they lay eggs and subsequently disperse, in order to determine which areas are important for nesting. Finally, the success of the conservation measures will be studied ex situ in order to determine the hatching percentages and the parameters of growth and viability among hatchlings in captivity to enable head-starting. InGeNi-Caretta is supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by the European Union ? NextGenerationEU.
The UP University consortium, of which UVic-UCC is a member, receives the European Universities Seal of Excellence
17.07.2023
The "UP University - Responsible living for the next generations" consortium, of which the University of Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC) is a member and which contains six other European universities, has recently received the Seal of Excellence from the European Universities initiative. As a result, UVic-UCC has been recognised as a European Campus by the European Commission within the framework of the European Universities Erasmus+ project. Receiving this seal is recognition of the value of the work done in recent years, and it opens the way to receiving financial support from other EU, national or regional sources. The other members of the consortium in addition to UVic-UCC are Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (Ghent, Belgium), HAN University of Applied Sciences (Arnhem/Nijmegen, Holland), IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (Krems-an-der-Donau, Austria), Oulu University of Applied Sciences (Oulu, Finland), FH Münster University of Applied Sciences (Münster, Germany) and Vasile Alecsandri University of Bacau (Bacau, Romania). United by their dedication to an applied approach to research and higher education, the members of UP-University complement each other in their educational programmes and specialist fields. Recognition to keep working The Seal of Excellence is a quality seal which is awarded by the European Commission for proposals that meet the standards set out by the specific EU programme. This seal will enable all the universities of the UP University consortium to continue working towards the progress of each region, but with a European perspective, and working together. "Participation in the European Universities programme is one of UVic-UCC's strategic projects that helps us position our University in Spain and internationally," explains Josep Bau, the vice-rector for International Relations at UVic-UCC. He says that "receiving this Seal of Excellence is a very important step that shows us that what we have to offer is of high quality and is encouragement to improve it with a view to the next call, next year." The decision to establish the consortium was taken at the most recent meeting of rectors and working teams which took place in Vic in May. "The measures that will be implemented are aimed above all at facilitating transnational mobility, and connecting working teams from different areas in order to create dynamics for collaboration in the academic, research and service fields," says Bau. Meanwhile, work has begun on applications for joint projects that will position the UP-University alliance as a key player in the international arena, with the combined potential of expertise of all its members. "In the same way that the federation with Manresa in 2014 opened up a whole new potential for us as an institution, I am convinced that being part of an international consortium committed to a European Campus project like this one places us on a completely new and frankly stimulating level," says the vice-rector for International Relations of UVic-UCC. The next steps The challenge for the UP-University consortium in general and for UVic-UCC in particular in both the present and the future is to work to maintain this Seal of Excellence, and in a future call, to obtain funding from the EU or from other national or regional sources to implement all the actions planned in the project. The European Commission is scheduled to publish a final call for the European Universities Initiative in the autumn of 2023, in order to achieve the objective of the European strategy for funding sixty consortia by mid-2024. In the long term, the alliances in the European Universities scheme are anticipated to bring together increasing numbers of faculties, departments, staff and students. The aim is for the universities involved to offer more innovative pedagogies based on transdisciplinary approaches and challenges, and to implement more joint programmes in order to be even more inclusive and to be committed to their communities. The firm commitment of each member of the UP-University consortium, together with the recognition conferred by the "Seal of Excellence" highlights the excellent work done to move forward within the framework of the next call, and for the progress of each region, working together and with a European perspective. Seven universities that make up a multicampus The seven regional universities that make up the UP-University consortium coordinated by Artevelde University of Applied Sciences (Ghent, Belgium) have been working to become a European University and establishing a solid interregional framework for more than two years, thereby increasing regional opportunities for innovation and growth. These universities aim to become an invaluable asset in spreading economic strength and individual well-being more equitably across Europe. As they are a multi-campus containing seven universities, they will be able to access funding and opportunities for collaboration that would otherwise be inaccessible to each partner acting on its own. One of the major challenges for all the members of UP-University is to develop a responsible model for the next generation, linking the efforts of the 9,800 members of teaching and research staff and administrative and services staff, and the 100,000 students at the member universities. This mission will be addressed by co-creating innovative solutions for high-priority regional challenges, and providing education aimed at creating solutions for the future. The main tools will be joint academic programmes, research and knowledge transfer, and in particular, mobility for students, teaching and research staff and administrative and services staff. The European Universities: transnational alliances The European Universities are transnational alliances of higher education institutions from across the EU that come together in order to benefit students, teachers and society. They receive financial support from the Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programmes, and enhance the quality, inclusion, digitalisation and appeal of European higher education. Fifty funded alliances made up of around 430 higher education institutions from more than 30 countries have been set up since the first call for the European Universities initiative. The European Union aims to achieve 60 alliances of European Universities by 2024, containing more than 500 higher education institutions, with a total of 1.1 billion Euros from the Erasmus+ Programme. The goal of the UP-University Consortium is to become a European Universities alliance in the next call. This initiative will help universities to move beyond the existing models of cooperation in higher education. European Universities have to act as models of good practice in order to gradually increase the quality, international competitiveness and appeal of European higher education.
Some lakes are more heavily affected by plastic pollution than the oceans
17.07.2023
Fragments of plastic debris, clothing fibres and the remains of packaging are among the plastics and microplastics that have invaded lakes and reservoirs all over the world. The pollution caused by this debris affects even the remotest areas, where human impact is minimal. Furthermore, and for the first time in some cases, it appears that the concentrations of plastic in freshwater environments are higher than those in the well-known "garbage patches" or plastic islands in the oceans. The underlying factors behind this pollution have been studied in the GALACTIC (GlobAl LAke miCroplasTIC) project, led by Veronica Nava, a researcher at the Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences at the University of Milan-Bicocca, under the supervision of Professor Barbara Leoni, coordinator of the Inland Water Ecology and Management research group, which studies lakes and rivers in the same department at the University. The project has involved 79 researchers and researchers who belong to the international Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), which undertakes scientific research on a global scale on processes and phenomena that occur in freshwater environments. The participants in the study include Mireia Bartrons and Àngels Leiva, researchers in the Aquatic Ecology research group (GEA) at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC). The results of the research were published in the scientific journal Nature on Thursday 13 July, with the title "Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs". The research was carried out using collected samples that were taken to the University of Milan-Bicocca, where they were analysed using technologically advanced instruments provided by the university's interdepartmental spectroscopy network. The most valuable device in the facility is the one used for Raman microspectroscopy (Horiba Jobin Yvon LabRAM HR Evolution Raman Spectrometer), which is located in the laboratory headed by Professor Maria Luce Frezzotti. Using this instrument, it was possible to confirm the polymeric composition of the microplastics with extreme precision, and they were found to contain particularly high levels of polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene. Plastics also affect the airThe group of 79 scientists also used plankton nets to take samples of surface water in 38 lakes in 23 countries on six continents which are subject to different environmental conditions. Among the lakes where the highest levels of pollution due to plastic debris were identified are some primary sources of drinking water for their local populations, including Lake Maggiore (Italy), Lugano (Switzerland-Italy), Tahoe (USA) and Lough Neagh (United Kingdom), which are also central to their respective leisure economies. In addition to its negative impact on the use of drinking water, plastic pollution has harmful effects on aquatic organisms and the workings of the ecosystem. "The plastic that accumulates on the surface of aquatic systems can lead to methane and other greenhouse gases being released," explains Verónica Nava. According to the researcher, "plastics can go beyond the hydrosphere, and interact with the atmosphere, biosphere and lithosphere, potentially affecting biogeochemical cycles. Those cycles are the circulation between the earth's different compartments of chemical elements that pass from living matter to inorganic matter by means of chemical transformations and reactions, involving mechanisms that have not yet been understood, and which require a holistic assessment of plastic pollution in lentic systems (still waters)." Given the relatively high levels of concentration of microplastics in lakes and large reservoirs, these environments could be considered "pollution monitors", since they act as collectors and integrators of various sources of plastics from reservoirs and the atmosphere. "These environments can also retain, modify and transport plastic debris through river basins to the oceans. These results show the global scale of plastic pollution: no lake, not even those furthest away from anthropogenic activity, can be considered truly pure," explains Nava. And she concludes: "This should motivate us to review our strategies for reducing pollution and our waste management processes."Mireia Bartrons says that "plastic pollution has become an unprecedented crisis." According to the UVic-UCC researcher, "estimates suggest that millions of tonnes of plastics are produced every year, and much of it ends up in our lakes, reservoirs, seas and oceans. Plastics are persistent, and take centuries or even millennia to fully decompose." This accumulation of plastic waste is having a devastating impact on our aquatic ecosystems and the organisms in them, "with dire consequences for the health of the species that depend on them, including human beings."
Helping others or improving the situation in the country - key factors when choosing health studies during Covid-19
31.05.2023
The Covid-19 pandemic had an impact on the choice of bachelor's degree studies related to health. The most significant factors were the desire to help other people (33.2% of cases), enhance civic values (28.4%) and contribute to improving the situation in the country (27.5 %). Those results are apparent from the TEMPS research project led by the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC), which aimed to study the impact of the pandemic on social-health and biomedical degree studies in Spain, and to examine the underlying factors that could contribute to this impact. Some of the results have recently been published in the journal BMC Medical Education, in an article entitled "The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on enrolment in undergraduate health-related studies in Spain".The cross-sectional study was conducted by means of an online survey of 2,344 Nursing, Physiotherapy, Medicine, Psychology and Podiatry students who began their health-related undergraduate studies in higher education institutions all over Spain after the outbreak of Covid-19. According to the research, women were influenced to a significantly greater extent in terms of the social value attached to the profession during the pandemic, while men and students taking the bachelor's degree in Podiatry were more influenced by the outlook in terms of salaries. The increase in the desire to help others was significantly greater among women and among Nursing and Medical students.Podiatry and Psychology were the two study programmes most affected by Covid-19, as more students decided to study them, in contrast to before the pandemic. The pandemic further reinforced interest in studying the bachelor's degrees in Nursing, Psychology and Medicine. In addition, students who had been personally affected by Covid-19 said it was a major influence when they reconsidered their career path, and had reinforced their desire to pursue studies in higher education related to health.The TEMPS project was organised by the M?O (Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences) research group and the Grífols Foundation Bioethics Chair at UVic-UCC. The University of the Basque Country, the University of A Coruña, the University of Málaga, the University of La Rioja and the Complutense University of Madrid were also involved, as well as the Rioja Salud Foundation through the Bioethics and Medical Education Platform.Changes in demandAnother branch of the TEMPS project was an analysis of the change in demand - the number of applications for enrolment divided by the number of places available - for bachelor's degree studies at university related to health in Spain between 2015 and 2021. It also aimed to compare the changes that took place in each region between the pre-pandemic (2015-2019) and pandemic (2020-2021) periods. In this ecological observational study, time series analyses were performed using data for public higher education institutions taken from the Spanish Integrated University Information System.There was greater demand for qualifications in Biomedicine (85%), Medicine (29%), Nursing (26%), Dentistry (27%) and Pharmacy (15%) after the outbreak of the pandemic. However, this pattern did not apply to qualifications in Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Podiatry, Psychology, Social Work, or Nutrition and Dietetics. A significant increase in the demand for bachelor's degree studies related to health, of over 27%, was observed in all regions of Spain during the pandemic. Navarre (203%), Asturias (83%) and La Rioja (77%) are the autonomous communities that experienced the most dramatic changes. The changes were more limited in regions with more universities, such as Catalonia, Andalusia and Madrid. Despite the fact that the database analysed does not include data on demand at private universities, the information provided by this study "may be useful for higher education institutions when planning for trends," according to Javier Jerez, the principal investigator of the project and the coordinator of the M?O research group at UVic-UCC. He says that "this analysis could also help institutions in the health sector with their planning in terms of the workforce they need."Qualitative resultsThe TEMPS project also included a qualitative aspect. One of the aspects that were addressed in the interviews with students was their experience of the pandemic, which was shown to have had a significant emotional dimension. Feelings such as confidence and peace of mind were replaced by disbelief, uncertainty, panic and fear. The pandemic has had an impact in employment, economic and social terms, and a common determining factor observed was the type of home where the interviewees lived. The thoughts of the interviewees concerning the consequences of the pandemic for society focus on the hope that this health crisis will trigger social change, but there is also some degree of resignation that nothing will ultimately happen.As for how they had obtained their professional vocation, some of the interviewees found their vocation outside the health field, in more socially common professions for each generation - while other people were clearly focused on the field of health from the beginning. Reasons such as experience as a patient, being able to provide care or the usefulness to society that healthcare professionals are believed to have are very important factors when choosing health-related studies. Some of the reasons why the students had not started studying health-related fields earlier were of a financial nature, or related to difficulties with balancing study and family life. The interviewees did not begin their studies earlier due to the fact that the studies were only on-site, or because of the working conditions in these professions. Close acquaintances played a major role in all cases, which was sometimes negative (in the form of warnings about the working conditions) and sometimes positive (rating the contribution to society in a positive light).As for the pandemic's influence on the choice of bachelor's degree course, the study shows that in some cases it had no influence (the student would have chosen it anyway), while in others it reinforced their decision and in others it created an opportunity, either in terms of the point in time they started or an opportunity to change profession to begin health studies.
The Government of Catalonia recognises all 25 UVic-UCC research groups and provides funding for 3 of them
29.05.2023
The 25 research groups currently working at the University of Vic ? Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC) have been recognised by the Government of Catalonia in the latest SGR-Cat 2021 (Research Group Support) call, which has just been published its provisional ruling. As in the last call, the University has once again achieved recognition for all of its research groups. Twenty of the 25 groups work at UVic; two at UManresa; one at the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies (FESS), which has a recognised research group for the first time; one at ELISAVA Faculty of Design and Engineering (the previously emerging group is now consolidated), and one at the BAU University Design Centre (affiliated to UVic-UCC). Twenty-one of the research groups have been accredited as established groups, and four as emerging groups.The SGR call provided funding for a total of 140,000 Euros over the next three years, an amount practically identical to that of the previous call. The groups that have now obtained funds are: Gender Studies: Translation, Literature, History and Communication (GETLIHC), coordinated by Pilar Godayol; BETA, coordinated by Sergio Ponsá, and the Education Research Group of the University of Vic (GREUV), coordinated by Jordi Collet. All three are consolidated research groups.Eva Espasa, the vice-rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer at UVic-UCC, is very satisfied with the recognition obtained in the SGR, and emphasises the increase in consolidated research groups at the UVic-UCC, from 14 in 2018 to this year's 21. "This is a very good indicator of the research that has been carried out at the University in recent years. It shows a consolidated trajectory over time, and adds value to the good work that is being done," she said. The vice-rector recalled that accreditation as a consolidated research group "is based on strict indicators" and on the fulfilment of specific parameters, such as obtaining competitive research projects led by the group, having six-year research periods, publishing in indexed journals and supervising doctoral theses, among others.Espasa emphasised that in this latest SGR call, funding for UVic-UCC research groups was achieved in "three areas that are very extensive studied in the twenty-first century - gender studies, the environment and education." She also highlighted the fact that this recognition is the result of the work done by the research community, led by the group coordinators, and overseen by the previous Office of the Vice-rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer, and by the Technology Research and Transfer Unit (OTRI) at UVic-UCC.In the previous call, which took place in 2018, UVic-UCC achieved recognition for all its research groups, which have made a very significant qualitative and quantitative improvement in recent years, bearing in mind that the University only had five accredited research groups (19%) in 2009.The SGR calls organised by the Government of Catalonia, through the Catalan University and Research Grant Management Agency (AGAUR), support groups that undertake research in various scientific areas in Catalonia. The programme aims to foster the work done by the research groups and their scientific, economic and social impact, and to enhance the international profile of their research. Accredited groups may therefore be eligible for calls at higher levels, such as predoctoral FI and industrial doctorate calls, among others.Reorganisation of research groupsThe provisional ruling of the 2021 SGR call comes at the same time as the reorganisation of the research groups at UVic-UCC that has taken place in recent months, based on a commitment to establishing larger research teams. The increase in critical mass employed in research at the institution has been facilitated by a significant amount of teaching staff working full-time at the University who combine teaching and research roles. As a result, there are currently 25 research groups at UVic-UCC.UVic has the following research groups: Gender Studies: Translation, Literature, History and Communication (GETLIHC); Biodiversity, Ecology, Technology and Environmental Management (BETA); Bioinformatics and Bioimaging (Bi-SQUARED); Aquatic Ecology (GEA); Tissue Repair and Regeneration (TR2Lab); Innovation in Mental Health and Social Welfare (ISaMBeS); Methodology, Methods, Models and Outcomes of Health and Social Sciences (M3O); Attention to Diversity Research Group (GRAD); Data Analysis and Modeling (DAM); Emprèn; Sport and Physical Activity Research Group (GREAF); Knowledge Construction Research Group (GRECC); Applied Linguistics, Didactics and Literature Research Group (GLOSSA); University of Vic Education Research Group (GREUV); Inclusive Societies, Policies and Communities (SoPCI); Sport, Exercise and Human Movement (SEaHM); Audiovisual Translation, Communication and Territory (TRACTE); Mechatronics and Modelling for Materials Technology (MECAMAT); Data and Signal Processing (TDS) and Digital Care.UManresa has the Transformative Innovation and Simulation Research Group (GRITS) and the Epidemiology and Public Health in the Digital Health Context (Epi4Health) Research Group.The Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies is home to the Mechanisms of Disease Lab (MoDLab) research group.Elisava has the Elisava Research-Human, Information, Materials, Technology, Society (HIMTS) group.Finally, the BAU University Design Center (affiliated to the UVic-UCC), is home to the Design and Social Transformation Research Group (GREDITS).
The UVic-UCC creates a chair of Marketing and Business Communication with Lluís Bassat
29.05.2023
Marketing and business communication are important tools for the growth and success of companies in today's competitive globalised environment. In order to contribute to development in this area and provide knowledge in the field, the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) has created the Lluís Bassat Chair of Marketing and Business Communication, which has launched its first initiatives this year. Those involved with the Chair include Lluís Bassat Coen, the founder of Bassat Ogilvy and a doctor honoris causa of UVic-UCC.The director of the Chair is Santiago Jordán Ávila, and it has close links to the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies (FBC) and to the bachelor's degree in Marketing and Business Communication at UVic-UCC. It "seeks to become a benchmark of excellence in terms of research, training and dissemination in this area", as Josep Burgaya, dean of the FBC, points out. Bassat's involvement in the project means that "we have one of the most renowned marketing and advertising professionals in Spain and the world, who is recognised as a leading expert in the management and creation of great brands through advertising creativity," according to Jordan.Research, innovation and trainingThe scientific objectives of the Chair include undertaking research and innovation in the field of Marketing and Business Communication, and contributing to the training of professionals in the sector, as well as investigating the evolution of consumers of media and the criteria for selecting brands and trends. In the training field, it will participate actively in teaching on master's degrees, postgraduate courses, specialisation courses, conferences for professionals, seminars and symposia organised by UVic-UCC, like the one that began last autumn on creative environments for entrepreneurs and managers.According to Santiago Jordán, the aim is to "promote training in marketing and business communication in the University's geographical region and its areas of influence with an international vision." "It also seeks to foster a marketing culture for companies and entrepreneurs, which encourages ethics in the creation, production and marketing of products and services, so that they are an important asset in contributing sustainability to the circular economy," he adds.The Lluís Bassat Chair of Marketing and Business Communication has been established with roots in the region, but also focuses on national and international collaborations. Likewise, "it maintains a commitment to society, consumers, companies, organisations, the media and the academic world, with which it maintains a proactive collaboration, and promotes good practices based on criteria of ethics and equality," says Burgaya.A seminar on creativity and marketing with Lluís BassatOne of the first actions that the Lluís Bassat Chair of Marketing and Business Communication has undertaken is to organise the theoretical and practical seminar entitled Creativity for entrepreneurs and managers with Lluís Bassat, which lasts for 60 hours in face-to-face format, which began in Barcelona in November, and which will conclude in February. Over the course of twelve Friday afternoons, the seminar trains professionals in order to "provide them with the tools they need to evaluate strategic and advertising creativity, facilitate decision-making and create strategic thinking in this area," according to the Dean of the FBC.The seminar is led by a team of leading training professionals in marketing and business communication, and places particular emphasis on creativity and marketing, and their importance in the business world. Lluís Bassat attends all the sessions, and as he points out himself, he "shares the secrets that have enabled him to help sell so many products and so many brands in the world." One or two renowned entrepreneurs will participate as guests at some point in each session, talking about their own experiences and engaging in a dialogue with the participants.New actions and new projects by the ChairApart from the seminar on creativity, the Chair is currently working on various actions and projects with a view to implementing them in the near future. "At the moment, we are working hard on the organisation of the third UVic-UCC Marketing and Business Communication Seminars, and creating a Marketing Plan for the Trueta Foundation in the circular economy, among other projects," says Jordán. He concludes that "the Chair will draw together and enhance the prestige of what marketing and business communication represents in Catalonia, as the engine for this discipline that it has always been."
Ricard Torrents, the founder and first rector of UVic-UCC, dies
29.05.2023
Ricard Torrents i Bertrana, the founder and first rector of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia and the Eumo Editorial publishing house, died last Saturday in Barcelona at the age of 86. Ricard Torrents i Bertrana was a visionary leader who was committed to higher education. He founded the Balmes University School of Teachers, the cornerstone of our University, with a clear commitment to serve the public and contribute to the country's development. His legacy will live on in this university's history.A life dedicated to knowledgeTorrents was born in Folgueroles in 1937, and was a writer, translator and scholar of the poet Jacint Verdaguer. He was educated at the Vic Seminary (1947-1959), where he came into contact with the group of poets featured in the anthology Estudiants de Vic 1951 [Students of Vic 1951]. He continued his studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University (1959-1961) and the Biblical Institute in Rome (1962-1964), at the University of Tübingen (1964-1967) and at the University of Barcelona (1978-1980). He taught Literature and Philosophy at the College of Sant Miquel dels Sants in Vic (1967-1970), and Holy Scripture at the Vic Seminary (1967-1968).He was appointed director of the College of Sant Miquel dels Sants in Vic in 1970, where he fostered a spirit of educational renewal linked to the Catalan language and pedagogical tradition which were at that time oppressed by the Francoist regime.The founder of the Balmes University School of Teachers, the source of today's UVic-UCC and the Eumo Editorial publishing houseAt the College of Sant Miquel dels Sants, in 1977 he established the team that founded the Balmes University School of Teachers, where he taught Catalan language and literature, and made it the driving force behind Vic University Studies, of which he was the director (1977-1997), until the University of Vic received legal recognition from the Parliament of Catalonia (1997), and he was elected its first rector.At the same time, in 1979 he founded the Eumo publishing house (an acronym for Osona University School of Teachers), which split into two companies, Eumogràfic and Eumo Editorial, in 1989. It was established as a university publishing house which published collections of teaching and educational material, poetry and history, some of which he edited.A scholar of VerdaguerHe was one of the founders of the poetry magazine Reduccions (1976) and of the Verdaguer Society (1988), which organised the Verdaguer Colloquiums, published the Complete Works of Verdaguer and the Anuari Verdaguer magazine. An expert in Romanticism literature, his specialist knowledge of Jacint Verdaguer's life and work led to his publication of the bibliographic monograph entitled Verdaguer: un poeta per a un poble [Verdaguer: a poet for a people] (Blume, 1980, and Eumo, 1995, with several reprints); Ruta verdagueriana de Folgueroles [The Folgueroles Verdaguer route] (Eumo, 1992); the extensive collection of literary criticism entitled Verdaguer: estudis i aproximacions [Verdaguer: studies and approaches] (Eumo, 1995); the critical edition and study of Verdaguer's poem Dos màrtirs de ma pàtria, o siga Llucià i Marcià: poema en dos cants [Two Martyrs of my Country, or Llucià and Marcià: a poem in two hymns] (Societat Verdaguer, Eumo, 1995), and the poem La Pomerola. Primavera [The pome. Spring], with M. Angels Verdaguer (Verdaguer Edicions, 2013); the Spanish edition of L'Atlàntida [Atlantis] (Planeta, 1992); the compilation and edition of the work of Josep M. de Casacuberta entitled Estudis sobre Verdaguer [Studies on Verdaguer] (Eumo/Barcino/Institute of Catalan Studies, 1986). A la claror de Verdaguer. Nous estudis i aproximacions, [In the clearing of Verdaguer. New studies and approaches] with a foreword by Joan Triadú, (Eumo, 2005); Art, poder i religió. La Sagrada Família en Verdaguer i en Gaudí [Art, power and religion. The Sagrada Família in Verdaguer and Gaudí], with a foreword by Daniel Giralt-Miracle (Enciclopèdia Catalana/Proa, 2006), the winner of the twenty-sixth Carles Rahola Essay Prize. A les envistes del Ter. Jacint Verdaguer i Miquel Martí i Pol [At the viewpoints of the Ter. Jacint Verdaguer and Miquel Martí i Pol] (Eumogràfic, 2008); Pàtries. Poemes de Jacint Verdaguer [Homelands. Poems by Jacint Verdaguer] (Verdaguer Editions, 2014), and Verdaguer llegit per Segimon Serrallonga [Verdaguer read by Segimon Serrallonga] (edition and introductory study by R. Torrents, Verdaguer Chair of Literary Studies, UVic-UCC, 2015). An example of his keen interest in contemporary poetry is the anthology by Miquel Martí i Pol entitled Amb els ulls oberts [With eyes open] (Proa, 1982, revised in 1999).Torrents the translatorAs a translator he worked on a wide range of authors, from children's literature in Italian and German to books of the Bible in Hebrew and Greek. His translations include Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Gospel of Saint John; the Bible of the Catalan Bible Foundation (Editorial Alpha, 1968); Monopoly Capital: An essay on the American economic and social order, by Paul A. Baran and Paul Sweezy (Anagram, 1966); Beneath the wheel by Hermann Hesse (Lumen, 1981); Hyperion or the hermit in Greece, by Friedrich Hölderlin (Eumo, 1982); Letter to His Father, by Franz Kafka (Lumen, 1974; Eumo, 1989); Wilhelm von Humboldt's Treatise "On the internal and external organization of the higher scientific institutions in Berlin / On the basis of the classification of the higher scientific establishments and their various types," in Què és la Universitat o de la conveniència de rellegir Humboldt [What is University, or the usefulness of re-reading Humboldt], pub. University of Vic Publications Service, 2007.In the realm of education, he was involved in various projects and periodicals, and in the anthology Els grans autors i l'escola [The great authors and the school] (Eumo, 1987). He wrote a significant amount of essays, lectures and articles on higher education, which were included in Les raons de la universitat [The reasons for university] (Eumo, 1993), Noves raons de la Universitat. [New reasons for University. An essay on the Catalan university space] (Eumo, 2002) and La meva aposta per la universitat. Una història per al futur [My belief in University. A history for the future] (Eumo, 2017).He was awarded the Serra d'Or Critics Prize in 1996 and 1997; and in 2005, he won the Carles Rahola Essay Prize for Art, poder i religió. La Sagrada Família en Verdaguer i en Gaudí [Art, power and religion. The Sagrada Família in Verdaguer and Gaudí]. He was awarded the Cross of Saint George and the National Prize for Scientific Thought and Culture by the Government of Catalonia in 2007. During the 2006-2007 academic year, the University of Vic decided to officially name its library the Ricard Torrents Library in recognition of his work. He received the Gold Medal of the City of Vic in 2009.He was a full member of the Institute of Catalan Studies, where he delivered the reception speech entitled "El segle XX en la Universitat" [The twentieth century in universities] (1999). He was appointed president of the Consultative Council of the University of Vic in December 2010, and Eumo Editorial created the Ricard Torrents Essay Prize in his honour in 2020.