The social value of UVic-UCC

A university's impact on its region involves creating wealth, and above all, nurturing it, and providing its people and businesses with the benefits and the results of its research and the knowledge that it generates. As a result, one of the aims of the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia (UVic-UCC) since its inception has been initially to transfer its expertise and the results of its research to the surrounding area, and subsequently to Catalonia as a whole. Its direct impact on the territory is both economic and social, and is often difficult to quantify.

That is why researchers at the University have highlighted and expressed these impacts in two studies: the first, on the institution's socio-economic value, has been written by the economist and lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies Enric Casulleras, and focuses on the Vic campus; the second is an analysis of the social value of UVic-UCC, and its authors are Elisenda Tarrats and Núria Arimany, researchers in the same Faculty, working with Marc Bernadich, a lecturer in Entrepreneurship and Marketing at UManresa.

Contributing social value to the region - an obligation for the University

The first analysis of UVic-UCC's social value covers the 2017-2018 academic year, and analyses and monetises the institution's social value during that period. "It is a way of clearly seeing and justifying the public funds used by the institution, improving internal management and placing a value on the relationship with the various stakeholders," say the researchers in the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies Elisenda Tarrats and Núria Arimany, the main authors of the study.

One of the conclusions reached in this first report is that the institution's consolidated social value is 9.5 times greater than the grants it receives. In specific terms, this social value amounted to 64,268,260 Euros, compared to 6,755,910 million Euros received in grants during the academic year studied. The consolidated social value includes the social value generated by its economic activity and its specific social value, after deducting duplicate values. The consolidated social value is also greater than both the equity (19,641,033 Euros) and income (50,330,646 Euros). Furthermore, the University's contribution or return to the Government amounted to more than double the grants it received.

Analysis of various social value indicators

As well as these indicators, the project calculates three other types of values apart from the consolidated social value. The first is the social value generated by economic activity, which includes two types of impact: the direct impact due to economic activity of € 37,343,340, and the indirect impact due to trading suppliers of € 6,466,369 and due to investment suppliers of € 860,347. The socio-economic return and return to the Administration amounts to € 17,146.74, which is a direct return of € 13,835,134 for society's economic value, and an indirect return for trading suppliers and investment of € 2,859.23 and € 452,381 respectively.

The third is the specific social value of 51,700,259 Euros, which represents what the institution distributes to the various stakeholders based on value variables. The three most significant of these are the University's contribution to training qualified professionals, research and its impact on the region's urban development and regeneration. According to the researchers, "the results of the study show that in the academic year 2017-2018 the social value of the UVic-UCC endorses its sound economic and social management."

Sound financial and social management of the institution

The report Analysis of the social value of UVic-UCC was produced using the integrated social value methodology developed by Dr José Luis Retolaza, which includes a qualitative analysis based on interviews with the University's stakeholders to identify value variables, and a quantitative analysis, involving value variables, indicators, proxies (value approximations) and algorithms.

The institution's various stakeholders which were identified are society, the government, students and families, alumni, teaching and research staff and administrative and services staff, institutions and businesses, and the social environment. The social value analysis includes the two campuses, and its scope therefore covers the Osona and Bages regions, as well as their areas of influence.

Economic impact - the other key factor

Like social value, economic value is also an important indicator for measuring the extent of the impact that is generated. The second report, on the economic impact of the Vic campus, written by the researcher and lecturer the Faculty of Business and Communication Studies Enric Casulleras, concludes that the university's work in the city of Vic contributed 110 million Euros to the Catalan economy during the 2017-2018 academic year, and as well as creating 1,942 direct and indirect jobs. The study focused on the campus in Vic and includes the figures for 5,539 students registered on bachelor's degree courses, including the first year of the Medicine degree, official master's degrees and doctorates, current expenditure by the Balmes University Foundation and the Foundation for Advanced Health Sciences Studies (FESS) amounting to 7.96 million Euros, and investments of 3.3 million Euros.

According to these figures, the wealth generated directly or indirectly by the university's activities in Vic accounts for 2.365% of the GDP of the Osona region. This percentage may vary taking into account that 22% of this wealth leaves Osona for elsewhere in Catalonia through suppliers from outside Osona and salaries of workers living outside the region. According to this calculation, UVic accounts for 1.82% of the region's GDP. In terms of Catalonia as a whole, it contributes to 0.045% of the country's GDP. As for job creation, 998 people are directly employed by UVic and the Faculty of Medicine, and another 944 have jobs due to the indirect effect of the university's work in Vic.

84.8 million Euros and 1,331 jobs

According to the rector of the UVic-UCC, Josep-Eladi Baños, the study highlights "the importance of universities for their regions," and he argues that "they change the social, cultural and economic characteristics of cities." The patron of the Balmes University Foundation and the Deputy Mayor of Vic, Josep Arimany, emphasised "the importance of UVic for generating knowledge and economic growth in Vic and in central Catalonia."

According to Casulleras, his work shows that "the 110 million euros contributed to the Catalan economy would not exist without UVic." The effect on Osona is a total impact of 84,875,600 Euros, as well as the creation of 730 indirect jobs, in addition to the 601 people employed at UVic. If this impact is broken down by sector, the most important is trade, transport and hospitality, which accounts for expenditure of almost 23 million Euros and the creation of 223 indirect jobs. This is followed in second place by the food and agriculture sector, with an impact of 9.3 million Euros and 127 jobs, and in third place is construction work and real estate services, which have an impact amounting to 9.3 million Euros and 56 jobs.

The University's total impact on the rest of Catalonia is 25,206,437 Euros and 214 indirect jobs. 6.7 million Euros of this impact takes place in the construction sector with the creation of 40 jobs, 4.4 million Euros in the trade, transport and hospitality sector with the creation of 43 jobs, and 3.1 million Euros in professional, scientific and auxiliary services, with the creation of 42 jobs.

The impact has tripled

The most recent studies on the economic impact of the University of Vic were carried out in 2002 and 2003, when the direct impact of the University was valued at 21.2 million Euros. The comparison between the two results shows that this impact has tripled over the last sixteen years, increasing to a direct expenditure (University, payroll and investments) and indirect expenditure (students) that amount to 71.4 million Euros. This generation of income and employment affects other sectors of suppliers, and provides the overall figure of 110 million Euros.

As for employment, the University created 336 direct jobs and 228 indirect jobs in 2002. The figures for 2018 are 998 direct jobs and 944 indirect jobs. Employment levels have therefore also tripled in sixteen years, and there are now 662 teaching and research staff members and 336 administrative and services staff members. Almost 1,000 people are directly employed at UVic, whose total payroll is 23 million Euros (30 million Euros if social security contributions are taken into account). Of this total, 15,400,238 Euros remain in Osona, and 7,759,556 Euros go to salaries of workers living in the Vallès, Ripollès and Barcelonès regions.

A total payroll of 23 million Euros

If the employment figures are broken down in territorial terms, 1,331 of the 1,942 jobs directly or indirectly linked to UVic are in Osona. Bearing in mind that the number of Social Security employee registrations was 70,768 people in June 2018, UVic is responsible for 1.88% of the region's total employment-related social security contributions.

The report is based on three figures. First, it examined the University's expenditure on material and equipment, which amounts to 7.9 million Euros. Second, it estimated that expenditure per student per day is 24.36 Euros, not including housing, according to the calculations based on the data from the Catalan Institute of Statistics; if spending on housing is added, the total is about 36 million Euros for the 2017-2018 academic year. The study therefore concludes that students spend 35,870,193 Euros on goods and services in Osona. Third, it took into account expenditure by professionals working at the University, and made a distinction between residents of Osona and those living in other regions.

Demand for a new programme agreement

The trustee of the FUB, Josep Arimany, said that the impact of this report "is another argument in favour of a programme agreement with the Government of Catalonia." According to the rector, this study compiles "the figures for the University's consolidation, and in 5 years' time, when we present them again, we will be able to discuss the figures concerning its expansion, to which the Faculty of Medicine, the results of the research that is being carried out and the University's expansion into other regions are all contributory factors."

This study updates the data used in previous studies (Morral 2002 and Parellada 2003) and uses the input-output tables for Catalonia published by the Catalan Institute of Statistics in 2011. The inputs of the UVic are easy to identify in the University's annual accounts (the contribution of teaching and research staff and administrative and services staff, and the materials and equipment necessary for academic activities). The outputs are less quantifiable: the production of knowledge, training for students, and increasing the region's appeal as a result of its enhanced cultural aspects.

Analysis of the economic impact of the FUBages in Manresa

The Bages University Foundation has also examined the economic impact of its activities during the 2017-2018 academic year. In this case, the direct impact on people, companies and institutions is estimated at 10 million Euros, primarily in the Bages region (51%) and the province of Barcelona (41%). The institution has an indirect impact on the economy of Manresa and the surrounding area amounting to between 5 million and 6 million Euros. The budget implemented by the institution was used to quantify the direct impact, while data were obtained from the spending habits survey of 162 bachelor's degree and lifelong learning students for the indirect impact.

The first in a series of reports

Producing reports that examine and monetise an institution's productive quality is a useful tool for the future. As the studies show, UVic-UCC is continuing to grow, as is the city of Vic and the surrounding areas. A university's responsibility is to train its students and to facilitate and promote research, but it must also show the benefits of the institutions' commitment to the region, and provide a broad and in-depth perspective of the results of that commitment.