News 
April 16, 2026
IRIS researchers contribute to the development of UPC’s new Medicine degree
A multidisciplinary team designing the new UPC’s Medicine degree curriculum includes key contributions from researchers at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (IRIS), reinforcing the program’s strong technological and innovative focus.
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The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC) is advancing the creation of its new Medicine Degree, conceived with a clear technological and multidisciplinary orientation. Several researchers from IRIS-UPC are part of the team developing the program, reaffirming the institute’s commitment to integrating research and technology into medical education.
Roger Paredes, principal investigator of the Microbial Genomics Group at IrsiCaixa in Badalona, will join UPC as a distinguished professor and medical coordinator of the new degree program. The multidisciplinary team shaping the curriculum includes: Mar Carrió, Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (ICE-UPC); Cristina Canal, Director of the Doctoral School and researcher in the Biomaterials, Biomechanics and Tissue Engineering research group; Daniel García Almiñana, Deputy Director and Head of Master’s Studies and Internationalization at the Terrassa School of Industrial, Aerospace and Audiovisual Engineering (ESEIAAT); Daniel López-Codina, researcher in the Computational Biology and Complex Systems Research Group (BIOCOM-UPC); Àlex Perera, Director of IRIS; Clara Prats, Coordinator of BIOCOM-UPC; and Xavier Roca, the Rector’s Delegate for the Medicine degree.
The Medicine degree was approved in April 2024 with the endorsement of the UPC Governing Council.
The project for the new Faculty of Health Sciences in Terrassa is being developed in collaboration with the Terrassa City Council and the Terrassa Health Consortium, which manages the Terrassa University Hospital — the main reference center for the program.
UPC Rector Daniel Crespo stated:
“With the incorporation of a figure of Dr. Paredes’ prestige as medical coordinator of the curriculum, the project takes a decisive step forward and reinforces our commitment to offering a high-quality medical education with innovative teaching methodologies and a strong technological foundation — aiming to become a benchmark within the national university system.”
The new Medicine degree at UPC aims to train professionals capable of addressing contemporary healthcare challenges through a multidisciplinary and innovation-driven approach. With the support of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (IRIS) and collaboration from experts across various fields, this program aspires to become a national reference in medical education, promoting research, technology, and academic excellence in healthcare.
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The UPC Medicine degree will offer 50 seats per year and will initially be hosted at the Faculty of Optics and Optometry of Terrassa (FOOT), which will be renamed the Faculty of Health Sciences of Terrassa once the curriculum is officially approved.
The six-year program (360 ECTS) combines theoretical instruction, hospital internships, and clinical placements in healthcare centers to ensure comprehensive training. The curriculum emphasizes humanistic, technological, and ethical education — preparing doctors with a multidisciplinary perspective and strong technological expertise. It will also integrate digital tools and emerging technologies into patient care and preventive health.
The program will further promote research as a driving force for continuous improvement, equipping students to interpret and generate scientific knowledge while participating in interdisciplinary teams that foster biomedical and healthcare innovation.
Internationalization will also be a core component, encouraging student mobility, global institutional collaboration, and a deep understanding of global health challenges — all within a framework of strong social and ethical commitment to medical practice.
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The program will further promote research as a driving force for continuous improvement, equipping students to interpret and generate scientific knowledge while participating in interdisciplinary teams that foster biomedical and healthcare innovation.
Internationalization will also be a core component, encouraging student mobility, global institutional collaboration, and a deep understanding of global health challenges — all within a framework of strong social and ethical commitment to medical practice.
Xavier Roca, the Rector’s Delegate for the creation of the Medicine degree, explained:
“This new program aims to train medical professionals with rigorous clinical and humanistic preparation, but also with a strong technological foundation. This will be the defining feature of UPC’s Medicine studies. We aim to develop professionals capable of integrating research and innovation into their clinical practice, with a solid scientific and technical background that enables them to apply evidence-based medicine and data science in clinical decision-making.”
He added:
“The use of advanced digital and technological tools is already a priority in medicine, with technology serving as a means to humanize care and strengthen the doctor–patient relationship.”
UPC plans to submit the curriculum to the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya) in the near future — the body responsible for accrediting university degrees.
