UIC Barcelona has held a new edition of ThankUDay, an event that aims to recognise and thank those who collaborate with the University. Around 200 people attended the event, which took place on 12 June in the Aula Magna on our Barcelona campus and brought together representatives from the business, institutional and academic spheres.
The event was hosted by TV3 journalist and member of the University Advisory Board (CAU), Ramon Pellicer, who guided attendees through the day’s proceedings. The welcome speech was delivered by Francesc Homs, President of the University Advisory Council (CAU), who emphasised that “UIC Barcelona’s purpose is to educate people through academic excellence, placing the person at the centre and guided by the pursuit of truth”. According to Homs, this university project is built in close connection with society: “You – the companies – are at the heart of this project.”
During the event, the University gave special recognition to the ongoing collaboration of three foundations: Fundación Puig, in the “Talent” category; Fundación Joaquim Molins Figueras, in “Research”; and Fundación “la Caixa”, in “Caring for People”. The awards were received by Xavier Puig, president of Fundación Puig; José Antonio Pujante, trustee of Fundación Joaquim Molins Figueras; and Montserrat Buisán, corporate director of Social Programmes at Fundación “la Caixa”.
The awards were presented by UIC Barcelona’s rector, Dr Alfonso Méndiz; secretary general, Belén Castro; and Francesc Homs.
A space for dialogue on the future
As part of the event, a roundtable discussion was held under the title “To recognise, to value, to give thanks: a dialogue on the future”, moderated by Jordi Nadal, founder of Plataforma Editorial. The panel featured Juan Carlos Martel, theatre and cultural institutions director; Gabriel Masfurroll, chairman of the board of Clínicas Mi; and Montserrat Trapé, independent adviser at CriteriaCaixa. All three are members of the University Advisory Board at UIC Barcelona.
The discussion highlighted the University’s transformative role in society, the value of collaboration between institutions, the commitment to training professionals with integrity, and the importance of lifelong learning.
Rector Alfonso Méndiz closed the event by underlining the value of these partnerships: “The collaboration between the University and businesses is having a real impact on our students and on society. Today is a day to thank these long-standing partnerships, because together we can go so much further.”
Now in its sixth edition, ThankUDay is led by the department of Corporate Development at UIC Barcelona, which manages and promotes the University’s various forms of collaboration.
