The development of an innovative project aimed at applying advanced technologies to improve teaching and research has placed UCAM among the most outstanding initiatives on the international university scene. This proposal has attracted the attention of more than 1,300 experts in the field of higher education and technology, and has been recognised with the third prize of the jury - Bronze - in the QS Reimagine Education Awards 2025 held as part of the QS Reimagine Education Conference, which brought together more than 700 leaders and professionals from the university and edtech sectors in London.

UCAM's institutional participation in this international forum included Marco Bruno, Director of International Development; VanDyck Silveira, Director of Strategy and Global Expansion; and Pau Guardiola, Director of Emerging Technologies, who reinforced the University's global projection through the exchange of knowledge and collaboration with leading universities and research centres.

The award honours a project selected from among the best proposals from a total of 1,600 international applications, after four rounds of evaluation by a jury of 1,300 experts in higher education and educational technologies. This result consolidates UCAM as a university institution whose initiatives stand out for their innovation, impact and capacity to scale globally.

Commenting on this achievement, Pau Guardiola said: ‘I am extremely thrilled and grateful for the Bronze award given to us by QS Quacquarelli Symonds. Thanks to the amazing and visionary team working with me on the future of smart, space-based education.

The QS Reimagine Education Conference 2025 addressed key issues for the future of the sector, such as the mismatch between education and the labour market, lifelong learning and the strategic value of global educational experiences. The meeting also highlighted the importance of equitable institutional partnerships and the need to reduce digital divides in a context marked by the advance of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

UCAM's QS considerations: strategic differentiators and value proposition

The presence of the UCAM in forums promoted by QS responds to an international positioning based on a consolidated academic and scientific identity, with differential elements that are contributing to its global impact and its projection in editorial spaces and reference rankings.

1. European leadership in Sports Science: internationally recognised for its excellence in high performance training, with a track record linked to more than 80 student or graduate Olympians and a combined track record of more than 100 Olympic medals, supported by structures such as CIARD and the UCAM Dual Career model.
2. Research growth and applied innovation (UCAM HiTech): institutional commitment to strengthening research, scientific talent and infrastructure, with an ecosystem of transfer and entrepreneurship that promotes high-impact projects in biomedicine, health technologies, sports innovation, digital transformation and sustainability.
3. Recognition and international visibility in rankings: consolidation as one of the fastest growing Spanish universities in terms of internationalisation indicators, collaboration with industry and knowledge transfer, being in the  QS World University Rankings, QS Sustainability and THE Impact Rankings.
4. Personalised educational model and practical orientation: student-centred teaching, small groups, tutoring and academic support, together with a direct link to employability and the professional environment through partnerships with organisations in more than 50 countries.
5. Commitment to the community, ethics and social impact: institutional identity inspired by values, with a mission oriented towards the common good, and status as the only Spanish university with consultative status with UN ECOSOC, reinforcing its profile in inclusion, cooperation and sustainability.
6. Global network and internationalisation: sustained expansion with more than 500 international agreements, joint programmes and partnerships in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and a community of international students from more than 130 countries.