University of Barcelona

The University of Barcelona, called Universitat de Barcelona in Catalan and abbreviated UB, is a public research university in the city of Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It was established in 1450 under a royal prerogative granted by King Alfons the Magnanimous at the petition of the city council, the Consell de Cent. The city had already had a small medical school, founded in 1401 by King Martí of Aragon, and the council later treated the 1450 foundation as the true university. The institution was closed by the Bourbon dynasty from 1714 until 1837, with its faculties moved to Cervera, and it returned to Barcelona during the reign of Isabella II. Today it has about 76,000 students, 106 departments and more than 5,000 researchers, technicians and research assistants working in 243 research groups recognised by the Government of Catalonia. It is also home to three large research foundations, including the Barcelona Science Park Foundation, and it is among the biggest universities in Spain.