Equality That Transforms
As a leading institution in educating future generations of ICT professionals, the FIB is firmly committed to building a diverse, inclusive and bias-free academic and professional community.
As a public university, our commitment extends beyond the classroom. We strongly advocate for equal opportunities as a fundamental right and align our efforts with the United Nations 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). Our institutional commitment is guided by the UPC's 4th Equality Plan (2022–2026), which provides a framework for embedding a culture of equality across all areas of our institution, from decision-making to teaching, research and management.
We recognise the existing gender gap in access to technology-related degree programmes. Despite steady progress, women still account for approximately 19.6% of newly enrolled students in Computer Engineering. To address this imbalance, we actively work on:
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Attracting female talent: We promote initiatives such as the +NoiesTIC programme and the Aquí STEAM project (aimed at girls aged 9 to 14) to challenge gender stereotypes associated with technology and encourage more girls to pursue STEAM disciplines.
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Integrating a gender perspective into teaching: We have incorporated gender awareness as a transversal competency into our degree programmes. Our aim is to educate professionals who can identify and mitigate algorithmic biases and ensure that artificial intelligence is developed in a transparent, fair and human-centred way.
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Inclusive research: We encourage research that considers the different impacts of technology on women and men, while promoting women's participation in competitive research projects and senior scientific leadership positions.
We have a zero-tolerance policy towards all forms of discrimination based on gender, gender identity or sexual orientation. We provide the FIB community with protocols for preventing and addressing gender-based violence and LGBTI-phobia, both in physical and digital environments, where cyberviolence and online harassment pose new challenges that we are firmly committed to tackling.
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M2m Programme: Mentoring to support the professional development and career prospects of our female students and recent graduates.
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UPC Equality Committee and Equality Office: Coordinating bodies responsible for implementing effective gender equality policies at the UPC.
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Algorithmic Transparency: We work in line with European principles to promote ethical AI free from gender bias.
At the FIB, we believe that technology can only be truly innovative if it reflects the diversity of society as a whole. Join us in building a fairer digital future for everyone.
