Over its twenty years of history, the Universidade de Vigo has established itself as a first-rate public university with a solid educational project focusing on the main technological, humanistic, scientific and legal and social areas of learning and a firm commitment to knowledge transfer and social development. The scale of development is reflected in the three campuses that the University places great importance on the quality of its teaching, research and services, and is firmly committed to the ongoing internationalization of its activities and to the mobility of students and staff. In April 2008 the Universidade de Vigo introduced a Strategic Plan setting out twelve objectives that will help to consolidate its status as a participative university with a concern for the environment, a commitment to integrated education and knowledge transfer, and an economically sustainable model. The Vice-Rector’s Offices and other administrative bodies on its Ourense and Pontevedra campuses are a step towards the growing independence of the University’s different sites, intended to give them greater freedom to assert their strengths and increase their presence in the life of the region. However, this process has not undermined the University’s guiding principle of providing all members of its community with access to the same services and advantages, regardless of the campus to which they are attached.

The Universidade de Vigo has its roots in the Escuela Superior de Industria, a predecessor of the current University School of Engineering that began teaching in 1901, although the diplomas awarded by this school were not recognized as official university qualifications until 1970. In 1972 the Social Welfare Office of the Caja de Ahorros de Vigo, now Caixanova, set up the Colegio Universitario de Vigo, which initially taught the first three years of the courses in chemistry and biology, economics, and philology. In 1980, the academic management of these courses was taken over by the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela (USC), and was eventually passed back to the Universidade de Vigo when it separated from the USC in 1990. In addition to the main campus in Vigo, the University also ran its sites in Ourense and Pontevedra.

The process of adaptation to the European Higher Education Area has involved extensive modification of the degree programs offered by the Universidade de Vigo, which for 2009-10 include 25 undergraduate and 60 master’s degrees and close to 40 doctoral programs. Following the adaptation of existing first-cycle and diploma courses, the Ourense, Pontevedra and Vigo campuses will offer 25 undergraduate degree programs in arts and humanities, sciences, health sciences, engineering, architecture and in legal and social sciences. For the 2010-11 academic year, the University will introduce the new undergraduate degree programs courses stemming from the conversion of the former 3- and 4-year engineering degrees, completing the new map of Universidade de Vigo undergraduate degrees. Over 60 master’s degrees with research and professional pathways are currently offered, and are intended to provide future professionals with the skills and competences to meet the changing needs of society. Twenty-two of the degree programs cover technological disciplines, nine are scientific, ten belong to the area of humanities, and 24 to the legal and social sciences. These programs are supported by agreements with a large number of companies and institutions, whose involvement enhances student employability upon completion of their studies. A total of 40 doctoral programs will also be available in 2010-11, taught either by Universidade de Vigo schools and faculties or through agreements with other universities.

The Universidade de Vigo has 240 research groups that carry out advanced work in a range of scientific, technological, legal, social and humanistic fields. Total research funding from agreements with companies reached €10 million in 2008, with a further €12 million secured through competitive national and European financing program and through the successful research proposals tendered by the University’s consolidated research groups. For 2009 the Universidade de Vigo announced a budget of €13.5 million for research infrastructure and equipment, which includes the construction of a Biosanitary and Industrial Technology Module, the planning of a Biomedical Research Centre and the new Science and Technology Support Centre (CACTI). These facilities will bolster the University’s existing network of scientific infrastructures, including the Toralla Marine Science Station (ECIMAT) and the Ourense Research Transfer and Innovation Centre (CITI). In addition, the Universidade de Vigo has its own program for recruiting junior doctoral graduates to reinforce its research groups and open up new areas of work.

The University aims to enrich the cultural life of its students and the wider community, and a wide range of cultural activities are carried out during the year on the three campuses, including concerts, plays, film screenings, lectures and exhibitions. The International University Theatre Festival (MITEU), the Universium and the Submarine Cinema Week, along with performances by alternative music groups and modern art exhibitions, reflect the diversity of cultural programming at the University. Extension courses and workshops, and programs such as Ensaiamos, which provides rehearsal space to University music groups, thrive at the Universidade de Vigo alongside a wealth of sports activities. Ten thousand people use the University’s sports facilities each year and take part in special-purpose courses, sports schools, recreational activities and a varied program of intra- and inter-university competitions. The three campuses provide excellent facilities including a swimming pool, sports halls, outdoor tennis courts and football pitches, and gymnasia. Over twenty student organizations also operate at the University, with the common aim of fostering a culture of solidarity, participation and charitable work.

More and more students opt to spend part of their degree course studying at a foreign university. During the 2008-09 academic year, 585 students from the Universidade de Vigo travelled to institutions across the world, making the UV the leading university in Galicia for international student mobility. Popular destinations include Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom. In addition to the Erasmus program, ISEP enables undergraduate or postgraduate students to spend six months or a full academic year at an American university, and the Universidade de Vigo is assigned 15 year-long and 30 half-year places each year. The UV is also the leading destination in Galicia for visiting students – during the 2008-09 academic year, the three campuses welcomed 492 international students, mainly from Poland, Germany, Italy, the United States, France and the United Kingdom. To facilitate the labour integration of its students, the Universidade de Vigo introduced the Erasmus-Internship program in 2008-09, which offers periods of practical training in a number of major European companies. Students wishing to take part in the program may apply for specific financial assistance provided by the UV and by relevant regional, national and European bodies.

The Universidad de Vigo consists of three campuses in the three largest towns in south Galicia, each with its own distinct look and fell. The Ourense Campus is fully integrated into the city centre, with the original and modern facilities connected by a walkway that places the six faculties, affiliated centre and the residential and sports area in easy reach of one another. The Pontevedra Campus is situated in a modern architectural space divided bisected by the River Lérez and surrounded by the Illa das Esculturas. Its six schools and faculties, responsible for teaching ten degree programs, form the central hub of university life. The Vigo Campus is close to the city centre, and its impressive contemporary architecture is complemented by a rich artistic heritage including works by Enric Miralles, Alberto Noguerol, Pilar Díez, César Portela and Gabriel Santos Zas. The Vice-Chancellor’s Office, Central Services, Central Library, shopping centre and some sports facilities are located close to the academic buildings. The UV also has teaching facilities in the very heart of the city, including the Business Studies and the School of Industrial Engineering. The three campuses provide all of the services students need to make the most of their time at the University. All buildings have WiFi coverage, and the three sites have a Language Centre, a Linguistic Normalization Unit, a Publications Service, canteens and cafeterias, and extensive sports facilities, including sports halls, various courts and pitches, swimming pools and gyms. Students also have access to an Educational Psychology service, a Student Information, Guidance and Promotion Section, an Employment Guidance Office and a Business Initiative Office.

The careful architectural planning of its three campuses makes the Universidade de Vigo an attractive and efficient centre of learning. The UV is also sensitive to the changing needs and expectations of the business sector, and works closely with companies to promote the transfer of research results. The scientific output of the University continues to grow, as does its capacity to secure external funding through business services or and public calls for research tenders. Major companies from the region and further afield finance the work of research chairs, which focus on projects related to the sectors in which the benefactors operate. An extensive network of UV centres involved in scientific activity (the Science, Technology and Research Support Centre, the Toralla Marine Science Station, the Telecommunications Technology Centre of Galicia, the Vigo Technological City and the Technological Research and Innovation Centre) consolidates the University’s strength in the field of research, development and innovation. In addition, with over 500 students sent abroad and a further 500 arriving at the three campuses from over thirty countries, in 2008-09 the University continued to facilitate the international mobility not only of its own students and those of partner institutions but also of its researchers and administration and services staff.

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