Strategic Plan
2nd Strategic Plan of the University of Cadiz 2015-2020
Executive Summary
“Educating to change. Changing to create”
Validity of the Plan
The Strategic Plan Committee agreed to establish the year 2020 as the time limit for the Plan for operating capacity and opportunity reasons.
A five year duration was considered appropriate for the Plan, including annual assessments and a more thorough review halfway through the period established which will allow any necessary adjustments to be made according to the evaluation carried out.
The end of the deployment of the 2nd Strategic Plan will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the creation of the University of Cadiz (31st October 2019) and with the culmination of the European Union Horizon 2020 programme which coordinates the funding of innovation and research projects on diverse subject areas in the European context.
Mission, Values and Vision
Mission:
The University of Cadiz is a public institution committed to its environment, dedicated to the generation, dissemination and transfer of knowledge and culture, as well as the integral training of people and professionals, throughout their lives. The geographical, historical and social characteristics of the province of Cadiz define our structure,
singularity and capacity to adapt to changes in society.
Values:
The University of Cadiz is an institution imbued with the principles of democracy and public ethics, and considers that it embodies the following values, divided into four areas or spheres:
Behavioural sphere: Effort, Responsibility, Honesty and Professionalism.
Legal sphere: Equality, Justice and Equity.
Relationship sphere: Participation, Plurality, Integration, Respect towards people and ideas and Solidarity.
Organization and operations Sphere: Transparency, Continuous Improvement, Effectiveness and Efficiency.
Vision:
The University of Cadiz, in accordance with its Mission, plays an essential role in our regional socioeconomic development by driving entrepreneurial culture, innovation and internationalization. It would like to be known for its human capacity, efficient organization and its results, as well as for its will to work, together with its interest groups, towards the creation of economic, cultural and social value.
Institutional Diagnosis. DAFO Analysis and Critical Success Factors
Weaknesses |
|
| D01 | Areas of knowledge with little internationalization and research tradition. |
| D02 | Difficulty in generating own resources. |
| D03 | Little assumption and projection of entrepreneurial culture in the university community. |
| D04 | Low rate of research staff in training. |
| D05 | There are no systematic procedures showing the needs and expectations of the interest groups. |
| D06 | Imbalance between the offer of qualifications, services and staff. |
| D07 | Aging workforce with no new generations taking over. |
| D08 | Quality is not seen as an instrument for improvement but as a bureaucratic task. |
Threats |
|
| A01 | Little recognition of the research and researchers on a business and social level. |
| A02 | Inexistence of sufficient resources and an appropriate legal framework to attract and retain talent. |
| A03 | Provincial and regional business sectors with a low level of execution and funding for R+D+i activities. |
| A04 | The UCA is highly dependent on the resources of the Junta de Andalucía for its normal functioning. |
| A05 | Drop in funding for research and low effort in R+D+i in relation to the GDP on a national and regional level. |
| A06 | Inexistence of a professional horizon in the mid to long term for researchers in training. |
| A07 | Negative economic scenario with a drop in the Andalusian GDP, destruction of businesses and high rate of unemployment. |
| A08 | Legal difficulties for the hiring and promotion of staff. |
| A09 | Reduction in funding for student grants from the Ministry, the European Union and other public bodies. |
| A10 | Inequality in conditions of access to and permanence in university studies. |
| A11 | No well-defined stable guideline model for university teaching and training. |
Strengths |
|
| F01 | Active participation of the UCA in the Campus of International Excellence of the Sea (coordination) and the Agrifood Campus of International Excellence |
| F02 | Existence of research groups of excellence and at competitive levels. |
| F03 | Specialization in singular areas not existing in the Andalusian or Spanish university systems, both in teaching and research. |
| F04 | Creation of Research Institutes |
| F05 | High number of agreements established with businesses for curricular internships that strengthen the relationships between the university and businesses. |
| F06 | Creation of Doctoral Schools and new doctorate programmes. |
| F07 | Existence of the Central Services for Scientific Research and Technology (SC-ICYT), Central Services for Biomedical Research and Health Sciences (SC-IBM), and the Central Services for Aquaculture Research (SC-ICM) |
| F08 | Structure of four campuses that bring our University closer to the general public, forming the backbone of the social and productive fabric characteristic of our province. |
| F09 | Staff members dedicated to the institution, who maintain and improve the level of services in spite of adverse conditions. |
| F10 | Good technological means of teaching support and access to bibliographical resources. |
| F11 | Appropriate balance between the supply and demand for places on the courses. |
| F12 | Commitment to transparency, sustainability and social responsibility. |
Opportunities |
|
| O01 | Optimum moment to drive aggregations with universities, public research entities and businesses. |
| O02 | Existence of specialized strategic sectors that could be recipients of our technological and personnel capacities and allies in obtaining resources. |
| O03 | Definition of the intelligent specialization strategies of Andalucía based, to a large extent, on the opportunities arising from the Blue Economy and the Green Economy. |
| O04 | New European framework of Horizon 2020 with new opportunities and an increase in the resources destined to R+D+i. |
| O05 | Emerging economies from the Latin American area are investing heavily in higher education. |
| O06 | Relevant geo-economic positioning of our university in Latin America and North Africa. |
| O07 | Accreditation and training needs for professionals. |
| O08 | Andalusian province with the third highest number of students enrolled in stages prior to the university system. |
| O09 | Increase in the academic participation of the UCA within the Andalusian University System. |
| O10 | Favourable legal scenario in terms of university social responsibility as a generator of competitive advantage. |
Critical Success Factors for the University of Cádiz |
| Quality specialized inter-university networks and alliances |
| Competitive areas of knowledge in research and internationalization |
| Campus of Excellence |
| Portfolio of products and services aimed at Society |
| Teaching aimed towards professional competencies |
| Competitive graduates |
| Organizational focus on obtaining external resources |
| Flexible adaptation to the legal framework |
| Identification and orientation of R+D+i to specialized strategic sectors |
| Socioeconomic impact |
| Positioning in specialized strategic sectors |
| Highly qualified, valued and committed professionals |
| Internal recognition of research |
| Redistribution of R+D+i resources to less competitive areas |
| Retention of talent |
| Courses adapted to the needs of Society |
| Transfer of knowledge from research in line with Society |
| Ordered structuring of the campuses |
| Visibility of the results of the RSU in Society |
Scope
TEACHING AND LEARNING FIELD:
“Training people, building bridges”
The University of Cadiz will draw up a map of the training offer which responds to the unique opportunities that haracterize our university and our region, with close participation from Society and the production sector, monitoring the real quality of the teaching and integrating activities that favour the acquiring of competencies and employability of the graduates.
The challenge is to offer studies that are attractive to the students and establish academic structures suitable for the organization. In this process, the search for synergies between studies will be fundamental, as well as collaboration with
other universities, businesses and institutions in order to favour and drive the development of the University of Cadiz in the immediate future.
RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER FIELD:
“Leadership, innovation and excellence that create a future”
The University of Cadiz is investing its efforts in generating competitive research that increases our productivity and quality, boosting collaboration via research networks and aggregations with the final aim of contributing, with their
knowledge transfer, to the socio-economic and humanistic development of our region.
Attracting and retaining talent, promoting interdisciplinarity and improving the working environment and opportunities of our researchers are inescapable aspects of achieving these aims.
ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCES FIELD:
“Efficient. Powerful. Unique. UCA 2.0”
The people who make up the University of Cadiz are the backbone of our institution: building a university where job stability, training and professional development are combined with adaptation to the needs of our interest groups is the main aim of our institution.
Furthermore, the University of Cadiz wishes to be more efficient and rational in the use of its resources and in the development of its activities, whilst also being sensitive to and responsible with the social environment.
PERSONAL FIELD:
“With you, always excellent”.
The University of Cadiz, as well as being a public higher education institution, is a community of people who need their work to be valued and recognised. The aim is to build an organizational model sensitive to the needs of the community that boosts
its capacities and professional development and which provides a favourable environment for the conciliation of working life with the family.
ENVIRONMENT FIELD:
“Sailing together towards the future”
The University of Cadiz is a public institution that is committed to its environment and constantly adapting to social change, improving its presence and impact on Society with the fundamental participation of the Social Council.
The challenge is to generate an institutional image that situates the University as a benchmark centre for our interest groups.
As well as these strategic fields, transversal dimensions have also been considered in this Plan, which unite and consolidate them. Internationalization, continuous improvement and university social responsibility determine the principles and working methods in the activities for each one of the five fields defined.
Strategic Objectives
RESEARCH AND KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER FIELD
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 1
Guarantee suitable correspondence between the training offer and the interests and opportunities of our academic community and that of the socioeconomic environment.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 2 Increase students’ and graduates’ acquisition of capacities and abilities in order to improve their employability
TEACHING AND LEARNING FIELD
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 3 Increase the productivity and quality of our research.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 4 Stimulate scientific aggregations and their development in research networks.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 5 Contribute to the socioeconomic development of our region through knowledge transfer and innovation.
ORGANIZATION AND RESOURCES FIELD
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 6 Adapt structures and processes to the needs of our interest groups.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 7 Manage resources efficiently and sustainably, endeavouring to achieve a balanced development on each campus.
PERSONAL FIELD
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 8 Transmit to the university community the importance and usefulness of their work.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 9 Strengthen people’s training, capacities and professional development.
ENVIRONMENT FIELD
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 10 Identify and analyse the impact of the interest groups in collaboration with the Social Council.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE 11 Improve the image and dissemination of the institution.