The Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) has opened the doors of its new research building located in the 22@ district, on Rambla del Poblenou. The center has moved all its teaching and research activity to the Can Jaumandreu complex, transformed into a campus without students, given that both the education and the support it offers are virtual. The space is located on the grounds of the former textile factory, in a complex made up of three buildings, one of which the UOC had already occupied since 2004. In the new headquarters, it has also concentrated a good part of the campus management, keeping the rest at its central headquarters on Avenida del Tibidabo, where the rectorate is located.
"The concentration of faculty and researchers in a university and digital industry environment must facilitate the generation of synergies in many areas," said the rector of the UOC, Josep A. Planell, at the inauguration of the space, accompanied by the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal.
The UOC has a total of 51 research groups and almost 600 researchers, a figure that has registered a growth of 41.77% compared to 2014, accompanied by an increase in the capture of competitive funds and the publication of scientific articles. Its research focuses on online learning, in line with its commitment to this model, with a campus made up of 87,000 virtual students; digital health; and the interaction between technology and society.
The space inaugurated this Friday in Poblenou houses the two UOC research centers, the Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3) and the eHealth Center (eHC), as well as the online learning research program, the eLearning Research Programme (eLR), the Doctoral School and the knowledge transfer and entrepreneurship platform Hubbik. Adding management staff, almost 800 employees will work in the new facilities. Until now, the different research groups and support staff of the UOC were located in the Mediterranean Technology Park, in Castelldefels.
The UOC's move to Poblenou has been possible thanks to the agreement it reached with the Barcelona City Council at the end of 2020, which granted it, for a minimum period of 15 years, spaces that were empty at the time and had previously been occupied by the Universitat de Barcelona (UB). The council maintains two floors in one of the three buildings on the premises ---acquired by the UOC in 2018---. The protocol establishes that it may use the space for a period of four years from the date of signing, with the intention that the university will eventually occupy the entire building in the medium term.
The building, with four floors and a total area of 2,700 square meters, has been remodeled for 2.5 million euros and has had co-financing from the Generalitat. Specifically, the Catalan administration has contributed half of the budget with the help of European funds. The other half has been assumed by the university.