Students from the University of Porto in Portugal and University College Cork in Ireland have come to UCAM to take part in an international Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), hosted by UCAM's Faculty of Pharmacy. The initiative grew out of the experience of lecturers in Pharmaceutical Care and Supervised Placements who, after completing Erasmus stays at faculties in Ireland and Porto, developed this Erasmus project to strengthen practical skills in highly complex pharmaceutical formulations. 

During the programme, students will take part in workshops involving a wide range of devices and laboratory tests. Cristina López-Anguas, principal investigator and project coordinator alongside Purificación Ballester, explained: ‘To ensure an enriching and truly international learning experience, the activities are organised in mixed groups, with one student from each participating university.’

The programme includes mock assessments aimed at trialling and developing new approaches to evaluating practical skills. The initiative draws on Ireland's experience, where this type of assessment is already well established. Ruth McCarthy, a lecturer at University College Cork in Ireland, explained this approach, while Fernando Fernández-Llimos, a lecturer at the University of Porto, agreed that ‘international programmes like these are extremely enriching and provide students with a great opportunity’.