25/06/2026

UIC Barcelona strengthens its commitment to research in cooperation through the UniAct! project

The University’s Office for Cooperation and Sustainability has taken part in this initiative within the Catalan university system, which held its closing event in Girona on 3 June, aimed at reinforcing the role of universities in development cooperation and the promotion of global justice

Over the past two academic years, UIC Barcelona has taken part in the interuniversity project UniAct! – Universities in Action for Transformative Cooperation, an initiative led by the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) and the Catalan university system aimed at reinforcing the role of universities in development cooperation and the promotion of global justice. Within the framework of this project, the University’s Office for Cooperation and Sustainability has focused its contribution on a workstream dedicated to enhancing research in development cooperation. This workstream, R2, has sought to identify opportunities, develop tools and foster synergies between universities with the aim of strengthening research linked to global challenges and social justice.

Furthermore, on 3 June, the project’s closing event was held at the University of Girona, where representatives from Catalan universities and the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) gathered to share the results achieved since the project’s launch in 2024 and to define future lines of action for this interuniversity cooperation initiative. Representing UIC Barcelona were Silvia Albareda, director of the Office for Cooperation and Sustainability, and Mariona Vila, a member of the Office team, both of whom have played an active role in the project’s development.

UniAct! has been led by the University of Girona within the Technical Network for Cooperation, Volunteering and Refuge of the Interuniversity Council of Catalonia, with the support of the ACCD and the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia. The project has promoted lines of work in areas such as education in global justice, research in cooperation, human rights, service-learning, and awareness-raising across the university sector.

Participation in UniAct! further consolidates UIC Barcelona’s commitment to international cooperation and to the generation of knowledge aimed at social transformation, sustainable development and the defence of human rights.