Body Donation

Donating one’s body to science is a personal, voluntary, and completely selfless act in which the person bequeaths their body to further knowledge and research in the areas of human anatomy and surgical procedures.

Body donors are fundamental for the evolution of science, both in terms of teaching and research. Thanks to these donations, each year over one hundred students from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Faculty of Dentistry at UIC Barcelona, as well as active health professionals, have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience and specialized training.

The donors are always treated with the utmost respect and dignity.

Currently, the process for donating a body to science at UIC Barcelona can only be completed in person.

Those interested must follow these steps:

1. Schedule an appointment
Call 93 504 20 00 (extension 5215) to schedule an appointment.

2. Visit the campus in person.
On the day of the appointment, please go to:

UIC Barcelona – Sant Cugat Campus
Calle de Josep Trueta
08195 Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona)

3. Required documentation
You must bring:

• A photocopy of your ID card.
• An adult witness (with ID).

4. Information session and registration
The attending physician will provide detailed information about the donation program.
Once all information has been received and any questions answered, if the person still wishes to be a donor, the relevant documents will be signed.

5. Donor card
Subsequently, you will receive the physical donor card by mail at the address provided.

How to cancel the request

Donors who would like to cancel their request must call (+34) 93 504 20 00 and indicate their name and ID number. They will then receive a letter confirming the cancellation of their request, at which time they must return the donor card.

• Accidental death or any circumstances requiring a post-mortem examination.
• Severe or morbid obesity (BMI ≥ 35).
• Infectious or contagious disease.
• The death occurs outside the areas of Barcelona, the Barcelonés region, the Vallés Occidental region, the Baix Llobregat region, or the town and region where your School of Medicine and Health Sciences may be located in the future.
• Express opposition of the person’s most immediate family members.
• if the body does not arrive at UIC Barcelona within 48 hours of death.
• Failure to present a copy of the deceased’s ID document (DNI), a photocopy of their death certificate, or the original copy of the burial license.
• The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences reserves the right to decline a donation for logistical reasons.

When the donor dies, the family or person responsible should contact the funeral services of the relevant town or city and indicate that the deceased wishes to donate their body to the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universitat Internacional de Catalunya. The funeral services will inform them of the documents that must be submitted. 

Once the administrative procedures have been completed, the funeral services will transport the body to our facilities. The Universitat Internacional de Catalunya will bear the transportation costs, provided that the death occurs in the areas of Barcelona, the Barcelonés region, the Vallés Occidental region, the Baix Llobregat region, or the town and region where your School of Medicine and Health Sciences may be located in the future.

Gratitude

On behalf of everyone at UIC Barcelona, we would like to offer our most sincere gratitude to everyone who shows their interest in the future of medical training and research by making such a generous donation. 

In recognition of their selflessness, each year the Body Donation Service organizes an event to thank donors and provide updates in anatomy.