UIC Barcelona attended the latest edition of the NAFSA: Association of International Educators Annual Conference, a key event in the field of higher education internationalisation. Held from 25–29 May in Orlando, Florida (United States), the conference brought together professionals, institutions and organisations from over 100 countries to exchange experiences, identify emerging trends and explore new avenues for global academic collaboration.

The University was represented by Eduardo Mirpuri, vice-rector for International Relations, and Vanessa Willenberg, Global Partnerships manager. Over the course of the conference, they held a series of meetings with partner universities and other strategically relevant institutions, aimed at generating new opportunities for international cooperation and further expanding UIC Barcelona’s global network.

The event also provided a platform to identify potential joint programmes, promote academic mobility initiatives and explore new collaborative projects in both teaching and research. The University formed part of the Catalan universities’ delegation present at the conference, thereby contributing to the international visibility of the Catalan university system.

Under the theme “Global by Design”, NAFSA 2026 focused on how internationalisation in higher education is evolving in response to current global challenges and opportunities. The programme addressed issues such as the impact of artificial intelligence on higher education, the evolution of transnational cooperation models, new ways to access international experiences and the challenges arising from global geopolitical change.

UIC Barcelona’s participation reflects its sustained commitment to an active and high-quality approach to internationalisation, aimed at enhancing the global dimension of the student experience while reinforcing the institution’s teaching and research excellence.

The next edition of the NAFSA conference will be held in 2027 in Los Angeles, California, where the international higher education community is expected to reconvene to further strengthen collaboration between institutions worldwide.