UIC Barcelona hosted a new edition of the Student Academic Conference (SAC) on 7 March, an academic congress organised by students and held this year under the theme “Caring for society through human relationships”. Over 150 students registered for this edition, with 85 advancing to the final stage of the conference in 28 groups. Coming from universities across Spain, they explored, through different disciplines, how human relationships can become tools for care and social transformation.

In a context marked by accelerated digital, economic, environmental and cultural change, the congress invited participants to examine the essential role of human relationships in building more cohesive communities. It also encouraged reflection on how relationships of care – found in personal life as well as in politics, economics, education and health – are fundamental to strengthening social wellbeing.

Throughout the morning, students presented their research projects in different classrooms across the campus, in front of the jury, tutors, family members and fellow students. According to the organisers, this year’s edition once again demonstrated the growing interest in research among university students, with increasing participation from both UIC Barcelona and other universities in Catalonia and the rest of Spain.

Keynote lecture by Miquel Lladó

The day continued with the keynote lecture “Falling in love with the future.  Thinking big. Living with purpose”, delivered by Miquel Lladó, lecturer in strategic management and leadership and author of Falling in Love with the Future. During his talk, he shared insights on leadership, strategic thinking and decision‑making in a rapidly changing environment.

Lladó encouraged students to prepare themselves to take advantage of opportunities and to develop a mindset oriented towards continuous learning: “The future is the result of everything we do”, he said, highlighting the importance of thinking strategically and building a professional path grounded in talent, adaptability and purpose.

He also urged students to seek out projects that allow them to grow, to surround themselves with environments that challenge them and to adopt a global perspective when facing future challenges.

Awards for the best projects

The congress concluded with the presentation of awards for the best projects. The first prize went to the team formed by Alba Ainhoa Céspedes Cáceres, Ariadna Duplà Malagón and Judith Alonso Castañeda, first‑year biomedicine students.

Their project, titled “Why is it so hard for us to connect? A neurobiological and social analysis of empathy”, examines the mechanisms that shape human capacity for connection and explores how, even in a context influenced by advances in artificial intelligence, empathy remains essential for fostering more human relationships.

The finalist projects also included research on the impact of social media on university relationships, emotional support for paediatric oncology patients and intergenerational living in Barcelona.

With this new edition of the SAC, UIC Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to research, interdisciplinary dialogue and the education of students equipped to contribute to the care and improvement of society through knowledge and human relationships.