ESCI-UPF Hosts the Graduation of the Second Ecotopia Cohort

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ECOTOPIA is a 3-year programme for undergraduates created by some of the EUTOPIA alliance universities, which currently include: Babeș-Bolyai University, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, CY Cergy Paris University, ESCI-UPF, ESSEC Business School, University of Ljubljana, Stellenbosch University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

These 8 institutions have designed an educational pathway focused on sustainable development that offers the students the opportunity to work in international teams while gaining strong skills in economics, management, finance and business in a global context.

The graduation ceremony for the programme’s second cohort took place in Barcelona at the ESCI-UPF campus. Seventeen out of 27 students participated in the event, hosted by Professor Raquel Herrera, Academic Coordinator of ECOTOPIA at ESCI-UPF, and opened by Professor Josep Ibáñez, UPF Commissioner for EUTOPIA.

The keynote speech, “The Blue Economy”, was delivered by Santiago Garcia-Milà, Deputy Director of the Port of Barcelona, who reflected on the opportunities and challenges facing the maritime sector’s economic development while ensuring the sustainability of marine and coastal resources.

The ceremony continued with the presentation of diplomas, with the participation of faculty members from CY Cergy Paris University, Babeș-Bolyai University and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, alongside Albert Carreras, Director of ESCI-UPF.

Students representatives from Babeș-Bolyai University, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and ESCI-UPF took the floor to look back on what the ECOTOPIA journey – both academic and personal – has meant to them. One of the key aspects they pointed out was the growth that came from stepping out of their comfort zone and working as a team, sharing ideas with people from different countries, backgrounds, and environments.

Albert Carreras, director of ESCI-UPF, delivered the closing remarks of the event, which ended with refreshments on the 5th floor and a toast to the ECOTOPIA students, celebrating this milestone and wishing them all the best for what lies ahead.