The UPF-BSM, recognized as a "transforming school" for the third consecutive year

For the third year in a row, the UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has been named as a “transforming school", by the Positive Impact Rating (PIR), an international classification based on the students’ opinion of the commitment to sustainability of the world's leading business schools.

The results were officially announced yesterday afternoon at the UN PRME Global Forum (New York). Within the framework of the event, entitled "Accelerating the societal impact of business schools", Professor Thomas Dyllick, of the Positive Impact Rating Association, and Lauriane Dietrichs, the Vice-President of Oikos International, analyzed the levels of social impact of 69 business schools in 25 different countries.

The results of this fourth edition of the classification ranks UPF-BSM among the top higher education institutions with a positive impact culture, embedded in governance and systems, with visible results and progress in many impact dimensions

With this in mind, José Manuel Martínez-Sierra, the Director General of the UPF-BSM, emphasized that “the UPF-BSM has proven that it is progressing along the right track, spearheading internal and external initiatives that have sustainability as a fundamental pillar”. The School’s portfolio includes programs such as the Master of Science in Sustainability Management and the new Master Supply Chain Management, Technology and Sustainability, which equips students with the key knowledge and skills to make sustainability the main focus of any business institutional strategy.

This prestigious accolade is also the result of innovative institutional and academic initiatives, such as the international centers of research excellence. Key examples include the Agbar Chair of International Studies in Institutional Communication for Sustainable Development and Growth, the International Chair of Sustainable Finance with Triodos Bank, the Chair of Decent and Sustainable Housing with the Metropolitan House Foundation, the Mercadona Chair of Circular Economy and the Vallformosa Foundation Chair of Strategic Regional Transformation for Community Wellbeing. Another great example is the Sustainability Observatory, which focuses on research, reflection and knowledge transfer in the field of sustainability in the business sector.

The Professor in Computing and Vice Dean for Social Impact and Academic Innovation at UPF-BSM, Ana Freire, is committed to "continuing to develop this type of initiative to ensure that our programs not only educate, but also inspire and empower students to be agents of positive change in a world that needs sustainable solutions.”

All these initiatives are aligned the Universitat Pompeu Fabra’s (UPF) Planetary Wellbeing project, the main objective is which is to contribute to knowledge and understanding of the set of interrelated and systemic complex problems that must be overcome to ensure the wellbeing of humankind, wildlife and the planet, as a global ecosystem, and to identify integrated, innovative and interdisciplinary solutions.

The Positive Impact Rating, a lever of change

The Positive Impact Rating (PIR) has experienced a significant rise in student participation this edition, with a 58% increase in the number of responses, from 8,141 a 12,836. For the fourth consecutive year, students from all over the world have evaluated their perception of the positive impact of their schools, beyond their economic and business contribution. This rating aims to be a lever of change, promoting the transformation of the higher education market and of business schools themselves, by giving a voice to the people at the heart of our activity: the students.

As in previous editions, the participating schools have been classified and grouped into fives levels, the top three of which are included in the final report:

• Level 5 (pioneering schools), a total of 7 schools with an average score of 9.2, 6 of which are in Asia and 1 in South America.
• Level 4 (transforming schools), which includes 39 schools with an average score of 7.8. The majority of these schools are European, with a total of 21 schools (including the UPF-BSM), followed by 10 schools in North America, 3 in Africa, 2 in Central America, 2 in Asia and 1 in Australia.
• Level 3 (progressing schools), a total of 23 schools with an average score of 6.8, 18 of which are in Europe, 3 in North America and 2 in Asia.

With respect to the results of the latest edition, Urs Jäger, a member of the PIR Advisory Board, highlighted that "One of the most promising insights from the PIR is that schools from the developing economies are performing significantly better than the schools from developed economies. This result might strengthen the discussion on business schools in the global South and their contribution to sustainable development”.