CFIS-UPC

What CFIS-UPC does

CFIS-UPC (Centre de Formació Interdisciplinària Superior) is an excellence center embedded within the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona, Spain, operating since 2003 (with a 1999 pilot). It offers an interdisciplinary double degree model in which students simultaneously pursue two official undergraduate STEM degrees across 31 combinations derived from 10 base programs — spanning Data Science, Computer Science, Biomedical, Civil, Telecommunications, Aerospace, Industrial, and Physics Engineering, plus Mathematics — with completion in 4.5–5 years versus 8+ years sequentially. Students are admitted through a highly selective process combining university pre-enrollment with a CFIS-specific entrance examination in mathematics and physics, yielding ~40 new admissions per year from 200–250 applicants and a total enrollment of approximately 200 students.

The core product stack combines the dual degree track with proprietary complementary subjects (Integral/Differential Calculus Fundamentals, Physics, Mathematics Fundamentals, Probability and Statistics Fundamentals), a mandatory senior-student mentorship program (max 10 first-years per cohort with Problem Workshop 1 and 2), an international mobility program placing final degree projects at institutions including MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, Caltech, Stanford, EPFL, Oxford, and Cambridge, summer courses at prestigious institutions, and the CFIS-network private alumni platform launched in 2019. Technology infrastructure leverages UPC's existing learning management systems (Atenea, Unite) and e-secretaria, with no standalone proprietary AI/ML platform.

CFIS's business model rests on two revenue streams: (1) standard Catalan public university tuition (governed by annual government decree) with a 34% CFIS discount on first-time credits, effectively costing students the equivalent of a single degree plus additional merit-based scholarships and accommodation grants; and (2) corporate and foundation sponsorship, anchored by Fundació Privada Cellex as the primary sponsor and supplemented by G-Research, Optiver, Qualcomm, Semidynamics, Smadex, Squarepoint, Susquehanna, Wincent, Yugo, RESA, and Fundació Mir-Puig. Go-to-market is sales-led (selective admissions through preinscripcio, open days, and high-school outreach) layered with an annual Fòrum d'Empreses event that drives employer engagement. The center is operated by a small team (Director, four subdirectors, an adjunct, and administrative staff) and operates as a non-traded unit within the public UPC structure, with no disclosed revenue or commercial financial statements.

Name

CFIS-UPC

Legal name

Centre de Formació Interdisciplinària Superior — UPC. Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya

Website

https://cfis.upc.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CFIS-UPC is a Barcelona-based excellence center of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia offering interdisciplinary double degree STEM programs to approximately 200 highly-selected students. Funded by public tuition and corporate sponsorships, it produces alumni placed at top global universities and tech firms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Interdisciplinary Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIABAD

Dual/Joint Degree Programs (International)

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/University/College Exchange Programs & Partnerships

SECONDARYEDAIAJAG

Diploma-to-Degree / Articulation & Credit-Transfer Pathways

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/Overseas Pathway, Foundation & Bridging Programs

Keywords

• Dual degree programs
• Interdisciplinary higher education
• STEM university education
• Engineering mathematics programs
• University excellence programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Others, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public University Tuition: CFIS students pay standard Catalan public university tuition rates as set by the annual government decree. Students receive 34% discount on credits for first-time enrollment, effectively paying for approximately one degree only. Additional scholarships cover remaining tuition and/or accommodation costs for qualifying students.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors provide financial support for scholarships, accommodation grants, summer activities, and international mobility programs. Main sponsor is Fundació Privada Cellex. Additional sponsors include G-Research, Optiver, Qualcomm, Semidynamics, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CFIS-UPC delivers interdisciplinary dual degree programs allowing high-achieving students to earn two official UPC undergraduate degrees in mathematics, physics, and engineering within 4.5–5 years through 31 combinations based on 10 UPC undergraduate degrees. The programs are supported by proprietary complementary subjects, a senior-student mentorship system, an international mobility program for Final Degree Projects at top global universities, summer courses, and the CFIS-network alumni platform, all gated by a highly selective entrance examination in mathematics and physics.

Product overview

CFIS-UPC is an excellence center at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia that offers an interdisciplinary double degree program allowing students to earn two official undergraduate degrees in 4.5-5 years. The core product is the Double Degree Programs (31 combinations based on 10 undergraduate degrees), supported by complementary own subjects, a mentorship program, an international mobility program, the CFIS-network alumni platform, and summer courses. The center provides a unique educational model combining mathematics, physics, and engineering disciplines with intensive academic plans and close contact with research and business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CFIS-network: A private virtual social network platform that connects CFIS students and alumni, facilitating communication, thematic searches, job offers, and professional networking.

Products and services

• Double Degree Programs Interdisciplinary dual degree programs enabling students to earn two official UPC undergraduate degrees in mathematics, physics, and engineering within 4.5–5 years, delivered across 31 combinations based on 10 UPC undergraduate degrees including Data Science, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Telecommunications, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, and Mathematics.
• International Mobility Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Two official degrees in 4.5-5 years maximum (40% more workload than single degree)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• SiPearlflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026European processor company collaborating with Semidynamics (CFIS partner) to develop European AI sovereignty computing platform combining Arm CPUs with RISC-V AI accelerators.
• SemidynamicsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner hosting events at CFIS and collaborating on European AI sovereignty platform with SiPearl for RISC-V AI accelerators. Partner also in micromecenatge (micro-sponsorship) program.
• Càtedra SEAT UPCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEAT-UPC Chair organizing joint activities including Design Thinking competition in which CFIS students participate and win awards.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• École Polytechnique (Institut Polytechnique de Paris): France's elite polytechnic with highly selective admissions, interdisciplinary STEM curriculum, and a parallel-track grande école model — the closest European analog to CFIS's selective interdisciplinary STEM training inside a public university system.
• École Normale Supérieure (ENS Paris): France's most selective grande école for pure and applied sciences; recruits a small elite cohort through a national competition and produces alumni concentrated in research at top global institutions — same talent-magnet + research-pipeline model as CFIS.
• ESPCI Paris - PSL: Small, elite Parisian grande école focused on interdisciplinary science and engineering with selective concours-based admissions; structurally similar to CFIS in size, selectivity, and interdisciplinary STEM orientation.
• Harvey Mudd College: Small US STEM-focused liberal arts college with very selective admissions (~9-15% acceptance), heavy interdisciplinary STEM emphasis, and outsized alumni placement in top PhD programs and tech employers — direct functional analog despite different governance.
• Olin College of Engineering: Tiny (~350 students) US engineering college with highly selective admissions, project-based interdisciplinary curriculum, and tight industry partnerships — comparable in scale, selectivity, and industry-coupling to CFIS.

Broad incumbents

• École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL): Swiss federal polytechnic operating as a broader technical university with selective STEM admissions and strong industry ties; comparable in hosting CFIS alumni for postdoc positions and serving as a target mobility destination.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): German public research university combining a university and a national research center; selective STEM programs with strong industry linkages — broader in scope but operates a similar public-technical-university excellence model.
• Delft University of Technology (TU Delft): Dutch public technical university with selective honors/interdisciplinary tracks and top-tier European engineering brand; comparable technical-university excellence positioning and is a listed CFIS mobility destination.

Regional players

• Centre de Recerca Matemática (CRM): Catalan mathematics research center affiliated with the same academic ecosystem as UPC; serves as a research-talent feeder in mathematics overlapping with CFIS's math-heavy dual-degree model.
• ICMAT (Instituto de Ciencias Matemáticas): Spanish interdisciplinary math research institute (CSIC-UAM-UC3M-UCM) in the same national math ecosystem; comparable focus on elite math talent development and a relevant institutional neighbor for research-talent outcomes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfis-upc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CFIS-UPC