Barcelona Science and Universities participates in the Higher Education Leadership and Management HUB Summer School 2024
The Summer School on Higher Education Policy and Management, an initiative organised by the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi), will be held in Barcelona from 18 to 21 June, aimed at the governing bodies of institutions and other higher education agents from all over the world. The meeting aims to provide knowledge, values, skills and experiences for a more sustainable and socially responsible university system. On 19 June, Diana Escobar, project coordinator of the Department of Science and Universities of the Barcelona City Council, took part in one of the round tables to talk about the innovative initiatives promoted by the Department in recent years.
In this case, Diana Escobar shared the conference table Analysis of research and innovation management moderated by Pere Condom-Vilà with the voices of Eduard AIbar, Andreu Mas-Colell and Ismael Ràfols. During his speech, he explained the commitment of the city and its institutions to the scientific, technological and innovation fabric. With a tour of the most relevant policy lines since 1990, such as the creation and evolution of Barcelona Science and the Office of Citizen Science, among others.
On the other hand, he also highlighted the importance of citizen science for the city and the willingness of the City Council to bring it closer to citizens through advice and the promotion of scientific projects. An impact that, on the research side, increases visibility and facilitates collaboration, and on the citizens’ side, reinforces social awareness of collective environmental challenges.
During the round table, the scope of Barcelona and its metropolitan area in terms of the global scientific environment was highlighted. Among others, during the intervention, data were shown that place Barcelona as the headquarters of 22 universities and business schools, as the third most attractive European city to start a startup, as well as the fifth city in the world to host conferences during the last 21 years or to be the second city in the European Union with the highest volume of scientific production.
About GUNi
The Global University Network for Innovation (GUNi) is a network of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) aimed at advancing university and higher education policies worldwide. The project is driven by UNESCO itself and the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP), which has held the presidency and secretariat since 2014.
GUNi’s mission is to promote the role of higher education in society by supporting the renewal of its visions and policies worldwide in terms of public service, relevance, social responsibility and innovation. It fosters the exchange of resources, innovative ideas and experiences, enabling collective reflection and the co-production of knowledge on emerging issues in higher education.
The Barcelona Summer School aims to bring together members of university management teams to foster knowledge, values, skills and experiences to become agents of innovation and institutional transformation and to lead a more resilient and socially responsible university system. One of the core activities of GUNi’s Higher Education Leadership and Management Hub.
