Institut de Formació Contínua IL3 - Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

Name

Institut de Formació Contínua IL3 - Universitat de Barcelona (UB)

Legal name

Institut de Formació Contínua - Universitat de Barcelona

Website

https://il3.ub.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Continuing Education

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online Nonprofit Universities (EDAHALAK)

Keywords

• Continuing education programs
• University postgraduate degrees
• Corporate training services
• Professional specialization courses
• Microcredentials and lifelong learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Program Fees: Revenue is generated through tuition and registration fees for master's programs, postgraduate training, specialized courses, and microcredentials offered to professionals seeking continuing education.
2. Corporate and Institutional Training: Customized in-company training programs and consulting services for organizations, governments, and institutions domestically and internationally.
3. International Development Cooperation Projects: Technical consultancy and methodological advisory services provided to international governments and institutions, particularly in Latin America.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IL3-UB is the continuing education institute of the Universitat de Barcelona, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. It sells and delivers master's degrees, postgraduate programs, specialization courses, and microcredentials to working professionals and recent graduates across five knowledge areas (Health and Social Sciences, Pharmacy, Business and Sustainability, Education and Culture, and Sports). Programs are delivered in face-to-face, online, and blended modalities through its virtual campus and a network of more than 3,000 expert faculty members.

Product overview

IL3-UB (Institut de Formació Contínua de la Universitat de Barcelona) is a lifelong learning institute offering a comprehensive portfolio of continuing education programs. The core offering consists of four main product lines: (1) Màsters (Master's Degrees) providing in-depth graduate-level specialization; (2) Formació de Postgraus (Postgraduate Training) including specialization diplomas and advanced professional programs; (3) Cursos d'Especialització (Specialization Courses) with Expert-level technical and professional programs; and (4) Microcredencials (Microcredentials) for short, focused skill认证. Programs span five knowledge areas: Health and Social, Pharmacy, Business Transformation and Sustainability, Education and Culture, and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences. Delivery formats include face-to-face, online, and blended learning. The institute also operates supporting platforms including a Virtual Campus (comunidad.il3.ub.edu) for online program delivery, a MOOC platform (in partnership with UB), and Talent HUB for career services. With over 30 years of experience and more than 63,000 alumni, IL3-UB serves as the University of Barcelona's primary vehicle for continuing professional education and corporate training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master's degrees (Màsters) University-issued master's programs for working professionals and recent graduates, delivered face-to-face, online, or blended, across the five knowledge areas.
• Postgraduate programs (Postgraus) Short-form postgraduate qualifications for professionals seeking specialization in a defined subject area, issued by the Universitat de Barcelona.
• Specialization courses (Curs d'Especialització) Targeted specialization courses for professionals who need to deepen expertise in a narrow professional domain, available in face-to-face and online modalities.
• Microcredentials Short, stackable, university-issued credential units designed for lifelong learners and working professionals who want modular upskilling.
• Corporate and institutional training programs Customized cohort training programs and continuing-education contracts designed for corporate HR/L&D departments and public institutions that need accredited, university-backed reskilling for their workforce.
• International development cooperation projects Cross-border education and capacity-building projects delivered in Spanish-speaking Latin America, typically funded by international agencies and public institutions.

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CETT (Centre d'Ensenyament Superior de Turisme, Hoteleria i Gastronomia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCETT, a leading center in gastronomy, tourism, and hospitality education, collaborates with UB and Escribà to deliver university microcredentials in specialized pastry arts. CETT connects the training with professional reality and market needs.
• EscribàcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEscribà, an international icon of creative pastry, contributes experience, method, artistic vision, and innovative spirit to the microcredential programs in pastry arts developed in partnership with UB and CETT.
• Barcelona GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Barcelona Global for the Expert in Healthcare Data Science program, hosting masterclasses and networking events to showcase the program and connect with professionals in the health data sector.
• Col·legi de Professionals de la Ciència Política i de la Sociologia de Catalunya (Colpis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-impulse of the Postgraduate in Citizen Participation, Democratic Deliberation and Digital Technologies, developed with UB and the Diputació de Barcelona. This is the first specialized training in Catalonia in democratic innovation and quality institutional participation.
• Diputació de BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Colpis and UB in the Postgraduate in Citizen Participation, Democratic Deliberation and Digital Technologies, providing institutional support for democratic innovation in public management.
• Ministeri d'Educació Superior, Ciència i Tecnologia (MESCyT) - República DominicanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining program for curriculum developers and subject program authors at universities, focusing on competency-based curricular design from reflective and innovative perspectives with practical applicability.
• Agència Espanyola de Cooperació i Desenvolupament (AECID) i Universitat Pedagògica de Sucre, BolíviacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical consultancy for creation and implementation of a virtual platform and design of several master's programs with joint degrees.
• Colegio Fontán de ColòmbiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign and implementation of research processes from educational innovation for the Fontán Relational Education pedagogical project, focusing on skills related to quality of life.
• Col·legi de Notaris de l'Estat de MèxicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram for developing necessary competencies in family and civil-commercial mediation processes specifically for notaries.
• Ministeri d'Educació i Universitat Nacional d'Educació (UNAE) - EquadorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementation of professionalizing master's programs in education with various specializations, aligned with Ecuador's Higher Education Council requirements.
• Ministeri d'Educació de l'EquadorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign of online continuing education programs for Ecuadorian early childhood education teachers to boost their educational innovation skills.
• Universitat de Cuenca, EquadorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign, delivery, and certification of tutorial action program for teaching staff of Universidad de Cuenca for development of teaching activity in digital environments.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OBS Business School: Barcelona-based online business school offering master's and postgraduate programs to working professionals in Spanish. Direct competitor in the Spanish-language continuing education market with similar online delivery model and corporate training focus.
• UPF Barcelona School of Management: Continuing education and executive arm of Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. Competes directly for the same professional learner pool across master's, postgraduate, and corporate training programs in Spain and internationally.
• EADA Business School: Barcelona-based business school offering executive education, master's, and corporate training programs. Directly competes in the same Barcelona continuing education market with similar executive and corporate client base.
• La Salle Continuing Education (URL): Continuing education division of Ramon Llull University in Barcelona. Overlaps with IL3-UB in online master's, postgraduate, and corporate training offerings targeting Spanish-speaking professionals.
• IE School of Continuing & Professional Education: Madrid-based continuing education and executive education arm of IE University. Competes across master's, executive programs, and corporate training with similar international positioning and digital delivery investments.
• ESADE Executive Education: Top-tier Spanish business school's continuing education division offering executive programs, master's, and corporate training. Direct competitor in the Spanish professional education market with strong corporate brand.

Emerging players

• Coursera for Business: Global MOOC platform partnering with universities to deliver professional certificates and corporate upskilling at scale. Represents the digital-native model competing with university continuing education for corporate L&D budgets.

Broad incumbents

• Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC): Catalan public online university offering full degree programs, master's, and continuing education with strong digital infrastructure. A broader incumbent with overlapping online learning delivery and lifelong learning positioning.
• UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia): Spain's national public distance university offering continuing education and postgraduate programs nationwide. Broader incumbent with overlapping online/distance continuing education offerings, especially for working professionals.
• Stanford Center for Professional Development: Continuing and professional education arm of Stanford University offering online certificates, master's, and corporate programs. A global benchmark in university-affiliated continuing education that competes for international and executive learners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/UBIL3
• Facebookfacebook.com/il3ub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/il3ub
• Instagraminstagram.com/il3_ub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Institut de Formació Contínua IL3 - Universitat de Barcelona (UB)