Institutional Relations
The ACUP represents the Catalan public universities and promotes the active participation of universities in social, cultural, economic and technological progress.
The Statute of the Association states that, “the purpose of the ACUP is to be the essential voice of the universities of Catalonia and to promote and support their work. The ACUP works to fulfil its mission calling for a thriving and diverse higher education sector that provides benefits for everyone. It provides crucial information and combines efforts to ensure that the partner universities share knowledge and best practices.”
In recent years, the ACUP has worked actively and continually in public debates on the present and the future of the university and its role in society’s social, cultural, economic and technological progress. This has resulted in active participation in the media and in national and international debates on the subject.
Especially noteworthy is the considerable effort that has been made in recent years to promote the Catalan universities internationally, through a coordinated strategy within the ACUP and under the joint brand of the University of Catalonia. Lately, participation and collaboration has been intensified with organisations like the European Commission, UNESCO, OECD, the European University Association (EUA) and the International Association of Universities (IAU), as well as with governments, associations and universities of various countries.
In Catalonia and throughout Spain, the Association collaborates closely with the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Spanish Government, particularly with the Ministry of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministry of Education (with whom collaboration agreements have been signed in recent years). The ACUP also works with other departments, ministries and organisations that promote education, research, innovation, as well as with public policy partners. Moreover, agreements have been reached for collaboration with various public and private organisations to promote specific activities and projects.
