UIC Barcelona participated in the fourth working visit of the EduCare 5.0 European Alliance, held from 20–22 April 2026 at the Egas Moniz School of Health and Science in Lisbon, Portugal. Attendees included Eduardo Mirpuri, vice-rector for International Relations; Noor Alchikh, director of the International Relations Office; and Mónica Luque, European Alliances and Projects manager.
The main objective of the visit was to strengthen networking with alliance partners, gain first-hand insight into the member universities and make progress on the development of the DigiCare Innovation project, which is currently in its second phase and is scheduled for completion in April 2027. During the working sessions, participants also shared and discussed a range of strategic lines of action and joint activities to be promoted within the framework of the alliance.
One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the definition of the joint strategy for the next two years, set out in the EduCare 5.0 Capacity Building through to 2028 action plan. This plan establishes a four-level model aimed at increasing departmental engagement, generating a continuous flow of proposals and strengthening the alliance from within.
In line with this strategy, alliance members agreed to promote a number of initiatives. These include the establishment of the alliance’s governance structure, which includes organising the second rectors’ meeting and creating a student committee to encourage active student participation. Plans are also in place to launch a pre-award support service to assist teams in areas such as research and teaching.
In addition, the creation of new BIPs (Blended Intensive Programmes) was proposed, with a particular focus on training for academic and professional services staff. Among the proposals currently under consideration are the organisation of an interdisciplinary simulation programme scheduled for July, as well as another initiative led by Hochschule Bielefeld (HSBI) to support staff working in research departments.
The meeting also confirmed the date of the next EduCare 5.0 Alliance meeting, which will take place in the second week of October in Iași, Romania, at the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iaşi. In addition, the alliance plans to roll out mentoring programmes for experts in different fields, with the aim of fostering knowledge exchange across the network.
This latest meeting reaffirms UIC Barcelona’s commitment to European cooperation and to the advancement of innovative, sustainable and person-centred health education, consistent with the objectives of the EduCare 5.0 Alliance.
