CAMU prepares its annual plenary session

03/02/2022 - 12:55

Universities. The Municipal Universities Advisory Council will meet on 4 March to assess the deployment of the latest proposals made by its working groups.

Affordable housing and sustainable mobility for the university community, equity in access to higher education, proactive action in research, and lifelong learning are some of the main lines of work of the Municipal Universities Advisory Council (CAMU), the consultative body through which Barcelona City Council, together with the public and private universities operating in the city, guides its policy on university matters. Next Friday, 4 March, CAMU will hold a new plenary session, the framework in which the council's main decisions are taken, including the approval of opinions and the plan for their deployment.

The constitution of CAMU on 25 July 2017 meant the creation, for the first time, of a space for meeting, exchange and formulation of joint proposals with the different agents of the university community. The council, through its three working groups, periodically issues opinions, which include a diagnosis and a series of proposals in each of the respective thematic areas. Although they are not binding, as the City Council has no competence in university matters, the proposals have allowed the council to orientate its political strategy in this area and strengthen transversal collaboration with the universities, favouring a better integration of the university community into the fabric of the city, as well as the social and economic impact of academic and research activity in the city.

The first working group, on Infrastructures and Facilities, has so far focused on everyday challenges facing the university community, such as affordable accommodation, sustainable mobility, study spaces and sports facilities. The second group, focused on Education, Research and Employment, has worked intensively on lifelong learning, with special emphasis on training for the elderly, as well as on employment, particularly the connection between higher education and the real needs of the labour market. The third group, on Social Transformation, has worked on equality, both in access to and development of higher education, as well as on the promotion of university volunteering and Service Learning. The work of the three working groups is regularly monitored and supervised by a Standing Committee.

 

Proposals

In the framework of various CAMU meetings, the City Council has promoted various measures in the different thematic areas of the council. Thus, in Infrastructure and Facilities, work is being done to improve affordable accommodation, in particular the promotion of a pool of places at public prices in newly built student halls of residence. Likewise, in terms of travel related to academic life, work has been done to reinforce the use of more sustainable vehicles, such as bicycles and public transport. In the same area, a Plan for the promotion of academic stays and international mobility for learning purposes has been drawn up, which aims to attract the international university and research community in order to recover and improve on the levels prior to the pandemic.

Within the Education, Research and Employment axis, work has been done to promote lifelong higher education, for example, by reinforcing university programmes for the elderly, improving the offer of online training and informative content, or recovering the pre-COVID participation figures in face-to-face proposals. It is also working on measures to improve employment, such as the development of bridges between the professional and training spheres, or the incorporation of new learning and assessment methodologies. In this sense, the council is considering the promotion of a Line of industrial doctorates in urban policies to promote the intersection of research and municipal action.

In terms of Social Transformation, Barcelona Science and Universities promoted CAMU’s proposal to organise the conference on Service Learning (SL) Organisations and universities: a collaboration for the future. During the conference, successful experiences in Service Learning were shared in which science became a key tool for tackling today’s urban and social challenges, while at the same time contributing to strengthening the network of collaboration between universities and organisations in the region. On the other hand, work has been done to guarantee equal opportunities in access to higher education, a paradigmatic example of which is the Prometeus programme, currently led by the City Council with the close and intense collaboration of the four public universities of Barcelona.

 

Composition

CAMU is made up of representatives of the universities (rectors’ offices, management, students and teaching, research and service staff) with total or partial activity in the municipality of Barcelona. In the public sector, the universities represented are the UB, the UAB, the UPC and the UPF, and in the private sector, the UOC, the URL, the UIC, the UAO CEU and the UVic. The Council also includes representatives of all the municipal groups, trade unions, social, neighbourhood and productive sector organisations, Barcelona Activa, the Inter-University Council of Catalonia and the Department of Research and Universities, as well as representatives of different municipal areas. It also has a presidency, held by the Mayoress, and two vice-presidencies, the first of which is held by the public universities on a rotating basis.