Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) took part in the 36th Annual Conference and Exhibition of the European Association for International Education (EAIE), held in Glasgow from 8 to 11 September. The event, which this year set a new attendance record with more than 7,300 international education professionals from over 100 countries, enabled the University to strengthen its network of international partnerships and pursue new opportunities for academic cooperation.

The UIC delegation comprised Eduardo Mirpuri, vice-rector for International Relations, Noor Alchikh, director of International Relations and Vanessa Willenberg, global partnerships manager. Under the theme The Rhythm of Revolution, the conference explored the transformations shaping international higher education and the role of universities in responding to uncertainty, innovation and emerging global challenges.

During the event, the UIC team held meetings with partner universities and prospective international partners with the aim of strengthening existing collaborations and identifying new opportunities for mobility, academic cooperation and the development of joint programmes.

UIC shares its experience in internationalisation

One of the highlights of the University’s participation was the presentation of the poster Empowering Internationalization at Home: Insights from a Collaborative Staff Week by Eduardo Mirpuri and Vanessa Willenberg. The presentation generated significant interest among attendees and led to discussions and exchanges with professionals from other international institutions.

The programme also included an in-person meeting of the EduCare 5.0 Alliance, which brought together 14 representatives from the participating institutions. The meeting provided an opportunity to advance collaboration among alliance members and share workstreams focused on the transformation of higher education.

Vanessa Willenberg also took part in the session A Moment of Reflection: The Philosophical Foundations of Our Work in Internationalisation, which explored the values and philosophical foundations of university internationalisation. Drawing on Chinese philosophy and the teachings of Mencius, the session examined the role of international education in fostering global citizenship, empathy and solidarity across cultures.

The conference concluded with a presentation by Lewis Iwu, a specialist in debate, strategic communication and argument development, who encouraged participants to reflect on how to communicate ideas persuasively, mobilise others and translate shared values into actions capable of driving change.

Progress towards new academic partnerships

Following the EAIE conference, Vanessa Willenberg and Isadora García, a member of the Teaching Staff in the UIC Faculty of Communication Sciences, visited Goldsmiths, University of London as part of an institutional visit. The meeting enabled further progress in the development of a new double-degree programme for Communication students. UIC’s participation in EAIE Glasgow 2026, together with the meetings held during the event, has helped to enhance the University’s international visibility, strengthen its institutional network and create new opportunities for academic collaboration with universities around the world.