University of Barcelona
The University of Barcelona is a public university that can be found in the city of Barcelona, which is in the autonomous community of Catalonia in the country of Spain. One of the largest institutions in Spain, it has a total enrollment of 63,000 students. Having been founded in 1450, it is not only one of the oldest institutions in Catalonia but also one of the oldest universities in Spain.
It is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious educational institutions in all of Spain. The UB is now positioned somewhere around the 50th place in Europe and has consistently held the number one spot in Spain for the most of the 2022-2023 rankings.
It contains more than 5,000 full-time researchers, technicians, and research assistants, the majority of whom are employed by the 243 research groups that have been recognised and sponsored by the Government of Catalonia. The institution comprises 106 departments. In 2010, the UB was presented with 175 national research funds and 17 European research grants. Additionally, the university engaged in over 500 cooperative research projects with members of the business sector, which resulted in an aggregate research revenue of 70 million euros. The research centres and institutes affiliated with the UB, which operate in collaboration with other prominent research institutions and networks in Spain and throughout the world, are in charge of supervising the work that these groups do. The Barcelona Science Park Foundation (PCB), which contains the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IRBB), the August Pi I Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), and the Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research are all located on the campus of the UB as well (IDIBELL). The UB is also affiliated with the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals as a degree-granting institution (IBEI).
On November 3, 1450, the University of Naples was established in accordance with the royal prerogative that had been given by King Alfonso V of Aragon. However, for the forty-nine years prior to this, the city had a fledgling medical school (or Estudi General, as the universities were known at that time), founded by King Martin of Aragon. Neither the Consell de Cent (Barcelona's Council of One Hundred) nor the city's other leading institutions had given it their official recognition, considering it an intrusion on their respective jurisdictions. King Martin of Aragon is credited with establishing the medical school. However, Alphonse the Magnanimous' prerogative was granted at the petition of the Consell de Cent, and as a result, the council was always to consider the Estudi General created in 1450 as the city's true university. This is because the Estudi General was very much under the council's control and patronage at the time.