On Wednesday 22 October, the Sant Cugat Campus hosted the opening of the Student Academic Conference (SAC 2026), which was broadcast live on the Barcelona Campus. Under the title “Caring for society through human relationships”, this year’s edition of the congress urges attendees to consider how human relationships can become instruments of care and social transformation through cross-cutting and interdisciplinary dialogue.
The inaugural event began with the lecture “Caring for society through human relationships”, by Xavier Tarré, senior management coach, expert in servant leadership and founder of TAGA School. Tarré is also the author of the book El camí de la matrioixca. Liderar per servir, servir per liderar [The Path of the Matryoshka: Lead to Serve, Serve to Lead], a work that takes readers on an inner journey to discover the servant leader we all have inside.
Tarré began his lecture with a rhetorical question: “What's more important in the world than human relationships?” Building on this idea, he introduced the metaphor of the Russian matryoshka doll, featured in his book, symbolising the many layers of human nature. “Today’s challenge is to put ourselves inside a matryoshka,” he argued, adding that this inner journey leads us to the common good and to a way of understanding leadership based on serving others.
According to the author, “caring for society through human relationships means pursuing the common good from the most authentic part of ourselves, guiding our reason and personal virtues towards serving others.” In this regard, he noted that congresses such as the SAC provide students an opportunity for both personal and intellectual growth: “The SAC gives us what we need most: the chance to grow as individuals committed to the common good. It is a real practice that helps us offer the best version of ourselves and place it at the service of society.”
After the lecture, the students who co-organised the congress presented the programme for this year's edition, followed by refreshments in the campus lobby, giving participants the chance to exchange ideas and experiences.
UIC Barcelona has organised this student congress every year since 2010; an initiative managed by students with a view to promoting intellectual habits and the pursuit of truth, foundational pillars of the University’s identity.
