Alumni Impact Awards  2026

These awards were created to recognize and give visibility to the footprint our alumni leave on society. We celebrate not only professional success but also the ability to transform the environment, generate shared value, and lead positive change in a constantly evolving world.

If your career or project has made a real impact, or if you know an alumni who deserves this recognition, we encourage you to submit a nomination.

Award categories

1. Professional/personal career 

This award recognizes excellence in the career of a UOC graduate in the professional or personal sphere. The candidate's progress, effort and perseverance will be considered, as well as outstanding contributions to their community or sector. Particular consideration will be given to the impact of the candidate's activity and its connection with their place of origin or area of activity. In this category candidates may not nominate themselves.

This category does not accept self-nominations; it allows the entire UOC community to nominate the candidates who have inspired them the most.

2. Project or initiative with social impact

Recognition of a project, initiative or activity promoted by a graduate that has generated positive change and improvement at a social, community and/or environmental level. The criteria to be assessed are innovation, sustainability and capacity for social transformation, and the extent to which the project is rooted and has impact in the region. The aim is to highlight the work of graduates who use their knowledge and experience to improve their social, cultural, educational or economic environment.

3. Technological initiative

This award recognizes a technological development, product or service created or led by a UOC graduate that offers innovative solutions in any field (education, health, business, culture, etc.). Priority will be given to initiatives with a tangible impact that contribute to progress in the region.

Call for Nominations Calendar

• Opening date for nominations: May 18, 2026

• Deadline for registration: July 16, 2026

• The Nit Alumni will be the moment to honor the winners, stay tuned for more information!

Participate and check the terms and conditions

• Submit your nomination

• Regulations governing the call for entries for the Alumni Impact Awards  2026

Any questions?

You can contact the Alumni team at: alumni@uoc.edu

How do researchers study the future of education—without trying to predict it?
 

Dr. Nicole Johnson, a leading digital learning researcher, will explore how expectations related to technological change are shaping the current higher education landscape, and how these expectations can be studied systematically.

Drawing primarily on research conducted by the Canadian Digital Learning Research Association, Dr. Johnson will begin by providing an overview of the changes that those working in higher education are anticipating in the near future, with particular attention to areas of tension and uncertainty across the sector. The seminar will then shift from what is being anticipated to how these perspectives are researched.

Dr. Johnson will unpack the methodological approaches used to gather and analyze futures‑focused research, situating them within broader methodological traditions concerned with long‑term change, technological adoption, and educational transformation. Rather than treating the future as something to forecast, the session highlights how expectations, assumptions, and narratives about change can themselves become valuable objects of research—and indicators of present challenges.

In the final portion of the seminar, Dr. Johnson will focus on application. Participants will be invited to explore how futures‑focused approaches can be incorporated into existing projects, inform new research questions, and support more reflective conversations about change within institutions. Time for discussion and questions will be built in throughout, creating space for collective reflection on how researchers might engage more deliberately with the future in their work.

SpinUOC 2026: An Innovation Big Bang

After six months of boost and mentoring, the eleven finalist projects of SpinUOC 2026 will gather at the UOC's flagship entrepreneurship and innovation event.

On June 18, starting at 17:45, we will kick off the new SpinUOC Rural. And at 19:00, the final competition begins!

We will celebrate it in the heart of our campus, at Rambla del Poblenou. Come and experience it live or watch the live stream on our YouTube channel. Are you in?

The UOC’s Faculty of Law and Political Science is organizing the 21st IDP Congress: Digital Responsibility and Accountability, which will take place on 2 July 2026 at the UOC Campus in Barcelona.The aim of this Congress is to reflect on responsibility and accountability in the digital environment from legal, political science, criminological, and international relations perspectives, in order to address its ethical, legal, and social challenges and to promote a more democratic, fair, and secure digital culture. 

In an increasingly interconnected world, digital responsibility and accountability have become a priority area of reflection for the social and legal sciences. Power, communication, control, and participation dynamics have been profoundly transformed by digitalization, giving rise to new ethical, legal, and criminological challenges. Reflecting on how individuals, institutions, and technology platforms assume their responsibility in the digital environment is essential to ensure transparency, the protection of rights, and public trust. 

From the perspective of Political Science, the issue is linked to threats to democracy and social justice arising from the development and exploitation of data-processing technologies, as well as the role of AI and big data in public governance to regulate digital risks. In the field of Law, challenges emerge regarding the responsibility and accountability of public administrations and companies for the use (or non-use) of AI within the scope of their activities. From the standpoint of Criminology and Criminal Law, it is essential to analyze aspects such as dark patterns, algorithmic responsibility and content moderation on digital platforms, their legal limits, and proposals to balance innovation with risk prevention. 

Debating digital responsibility and accountability from these academic perspectives allows for the advancement of an interdisciplinary understanding of the ethical, legal, and social dilemmas of the digital age, supporting the development of public policies and regulatory frameworks that promote a fairer, safer, and more democratic digital culture.

Venue: Open University of Catalonia, Rambla del Poblenou 156, 08018 Barcelona. Building: C (Hub). Room C0.6

In collaboration with

The  International Forum on Skills Intelligence in Postsecondary and Higher Education (IFSI)  held its inaugural edition on July 2 – 3, 2025  ( you can access the multimedia proceedings of the first edition here ) , organized by the  Universitat Oberta de Catalunya . The forum was launched as a pioneering space designed to rethink the future of higher and postsecondary education through the lens of skills intelligence.

In 2026, IFSI becomes a year round virtual forum which showcases  Skills Intelligence Innovators and Ecosystem Builders , by curating a cycle of five (5) online webinars throughout the year. IFSI is organized in collaboration with the OCED's  Skills and the Future of Work Webinar Series.

IFSI webinar #3: Skills and the Future of Work: How can skills intelligence help us understand what skills to teach in the age of AI?

As AI reshapes jobs, tasks, and occupational profiles across sectors, institutions face growing pressure to determine not only how to respond quickly, but also what skills are most worth teaching. Skills intelligence offers an important basis for understanding these shifts by helping institutions detect emerging patterns in labor market demand, interpret changing skill requirements, and anticipate how AI is transforming both technical and transversal competencies.

Yet the challenge is not simply analytical. Institutions also need robust ways to convert signals from labor market data, learner demand, and expert judgment into educational decisions that are relevant, agile, and academically sound. This is especially critical in micro-credentials and continuous education, where provision must evolve rapidly in step with changing workforce needs.

This session explores how skills intelligence can help institutions make better-informed choices about the skills to teach in the Age of AI, with particular attention to the methodological and organizational processes that connect data, interpretation, and curriculum design for the future of work.

Detail from Connected People. Jamillah Knowles & Reset.Tech Australia / https://betterimagesofai.org / © https://au.reset.tech/ / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

The techno-deterministic paradigm of AI has exacerbated social challenges. Society is mobilising towards shaping AI for social good. This workshop brings together civil society actors, policymakers, and community stakeholders to discuss how society is shaping AI towards inclusive, equitable, and socially beneficial outcomes and particularly regarding ageing challenges. 

Confirmed speakers include:

Joan Kinyua (Data Labelers), Eva Belmonte (Civio), Felipe Diez Prats (Riders x Derechos), Arnau Monterde (Barcelona City Council), Marina Fernández Andujar (Adolescència lliure de mòbils), Núria Alonso (Colectic), Aurora Gómez Delgado (TunubeSecaMiRio), Inga Sabanova (Future of Work FES) and Thais Ruiz de Alda (DigitalFems).

The main questions addressed are: How are social movements, civic organisations, and governments contributing to shaping AI for the common good? What social, data, legal, political or technological mechanisms are being used to reshape AI? What are the main challenges? How is AI impacting or will impact older adults and how are older adults involved in shaping AI?

Funding
The workshop is organised within the framework of AnyAgeAI research project. It examines the different forms of ageism manifesting in Artificial Intelligence and aims to create opportunities for designing more inclusive AI systems. The project is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation in Germany and carried out in four research institutes: WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Leiden University, University of Brighton and the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. The workshop is also funded by Comunication Networks and Social Change Research Group at UOC-TRÀNSIC.

Registration

The seminar is free of charge (limited capacity), although registration is mandatory. If you have any dietary requirements, include them in the registration form. The event is part of the Summer School on Shaping AI for Inclusion. Participants who have been accepted to the Summer School do not need to register separately for this seminar.

Place: Hall C08 (Ground Floor). The C Building – Interdisciplinary R&I Hub. Rambla del Poblenou, 154. 08018 Barcelona

Organisation Committee: Juan Linares-Lanzman (UOC), Andrea Rosales (UOC), Joel Peiruza Parga (UOC), Ronald Andrés Sáenz Leandro (UOC).

Connected Generations: Media, Communication, and Intergenerational Exchange in Contemporary Lives

ECREA 2026 postconference

Today's sociotechnological transformations—marked by conflict, crisis, and rapid change—have profoundly reshaped how generations interact, learn, and build relationships through media. As younger and older generations navigate increasingly dense media landscapes, critical questions emerge about digital divides, knowledge transfer, shared media practices, and the evolution of family and community communication patterns.
This post-conference proposes to examine intergenerationality as a vital dimension of contemporary mediated lives. Building on ECREA 2026's conference theme "Shifting Grounds: Paths, Connections, and Futures," this event explores how mediated environments create new pathways for intergenerational exchange while addressing persistent barriers and challenges.

By bringing together scholars, practitioners, and stakeholders researching or working across generational contexts, this post-conference creates space for peer sharing, networking, and critical reflection on current research, practices, and policies.

We welcome contributions on topics including: intergenerational approaches in research and intervention; educational approaches in formal and non-formal settings; social media use across age groups; digital literacy initiatives; grandparent-grandchild communication technologies; multigenerational households' media practices; age-diverse online communities; and research methodologies in intergenerational contexts. We particularly encourage critical perspectives on ageism in digital platforms, generational stereotypes in media representations, and policies supporting intergenerational digital inclusion.

By fostering dialogue between researchers and practitioners whose work focuses on children, youth, and aging populations, this event challenges siloed approaches to age and media studies, recognizing that digital futures are inherently intergenerational—shaped by those who grew up digital and those adapting to digital life, innovators and users, educators and learners across age boundaries.
 

Call for papers 

Details avialable here (copy & paste the link): https://forms.gle/EYDRHzMTrBoRCokx6
Deadline for abstract submission: May 30th 2026
Notification to authors (accepted / waiting list / not accepted): July 15th 2026

Registration (free but mandatory)

Deadline: 12 September 2025

Organizing and scientific committee

Organising Committee: Ana Filipa Oliveira, Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol, Ana Lamy Silva, Cora Van Leeuwen Denise Mensonides, Felix Ortega, Mael Bombaci, Margarida Maneta Maria José Brites Marisa Mourão, Simone Mulargia, Viivi Korpela

Scientific Committee: Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol, Ana Filipa Oliveira, Cora Van Leeuwen, Denise Mensonides, Felix Ortega, Mael Bombaci, Margarida Maneta, Maria José Brites, Marisa Mourão, Simone Mulargia, Viivi Korpela

Support

This post-conference is jointly organized by the Children, Youth and Media Section and the Temporary Working Group on Aging and Communication and the logistic support of the CNSC research group. The event counts with the support of the STORYline project - Shaping Youth Citizenship Through Intergenerational Approaches and Digital Narratives (10.54499/2023.11571.PEX). The event also counts with the support of the Open University of Catalonia / Universitat Oberta de Catalunya.