Consolidating and expanding the international community of Catalan studies, expanding its geographical presence and promoting academic research are some of the future objectives of the Language and Universities Area of the Ramon Llull Institute, which this year celebrates the 40th International Conference for Catalan Teachers.
From July 14 to 17, 80 teachers of Catalan from 25 countries will meet at the University of Barcelona to reflect and debate around teaching activities and strategies for learning Catalan as a foreign language. According to the director of the Ramon Llull Institute, Anna Guitart, “this anniversary recognizes the very important work, started in the 80s, for the teaching of Catalan in universities outside the linguistic domain. Since assuming responsibility for it, in 2002, it has been one of the raison d’être and a priority of the Ramon Llull Institute“. Guitart added that “lTeaching Catalan in universities around the world makes our language and culture present, promotes them and makes them grow. This would not be possible without the work of the teachers and their commitment, their love and their dedication, which we see renewed every year with satisfaction and gratitude from the Institute”.
The Llull Network, integrated by this faculty, is a key instrument for the promotion of the Catalan language and culture and includes 130 universities in 30 countries, of which 93 receive funding from the IRL.
From 2025, the Conferences will incorporate a central theme that allows for an in-depth look at key issues. In this edition they focus on “Teaching and learning in diversity”. During the Conferences, renowned specialists from the universities of the Xarxa Vives Network will provide reflections and strategies to understand and work in classrooms on situations of functional, sexual and gender diversity, the impact of socio-economic inequalities and the importance of linguistic diversity. According to Josep-Anton Fernàndez, director of the Language and Universities Department of the Ramon Llull Institute, the issue of diversity in Catalan classrooms abroad is consubstantial with the same task of the teachers: “We understand diversity as the natural context for teaching Catalan in the world and as a responsibility in the preservation of linguistic diversity“. Attention to diversity implies the objective of guaranteeing inclusive and equitable access to Catalan. According to Fernàndez, “we want everyone to have access to Catalan, regardless of their socioeconomic background, and for the Catalan classroom to be a safe space for everyone, both in terms of functional diversity and sexual and gender identities“.
40 years building an international presence
Various bodies of the Generalitat de Catalunya, such as the Readership Commission (1980s) and the Department of Universities, Research and Information Society (1990s), supported universities outside the linguistic domain where Catalan was taught and articulated the University Network of Catalan Studies Abroad, currently known as the Llull Network. This task was undertaken by the Ramon Llull Institute, when it was created in 2002.
The International Conferences for Catalan Teachers have made it possible for 40 years to connect talent, universities and cultures through the Catalan language, and to weave a network between teachers to share knowledge and experiences, and establish personal and professional ties.
During these decades, the Conferences have traveled throughout the Catalan-speaking territory: they have been held in Palma, Andorra, Morella, Perpignan, Girona, Gandia, Vic, Lleida, Castelló, Tarragona and Valenciaamong other cities. Since 2009, the Conferences have taken place at universities in the Live Networkwith whom the IRL maintains a fruitful collaborative relationship.
The Llull Network in figures
Data for the 2024-2025 academic year
- 130 universities in 30 countries, of which 93 receive IRL funding (2025-26).
- 4,000 students
- 160 teachers of Catalan studies
- Catalan is taught at 4 of the top 10 universities in the world according to the Times Higher Education ranking (Oxford; Cambridge; Stanford; Berkeley) and at 14 universities of the top 50.
- 3 summer language stays with 90 students from 20 countries
- 3 professionalization seminars with 50 students from 6 countries
- 61 cultural activities in 16 countries
- 6 congresses of international associations of Catalan studies
- Call for doctoral scholarships in Catalan studies (1st edition 2025: 19 applications from 10 countries)
- Degrees in Catalan studies at universities such as Brno (Czech Republic) and Toulouse (France)
Other highlights:
- 2025-26: 100 years of Catalan studies in Liverpool, 50 years in Venice and Rome, 20 years in Belgrade and Zadar, 10 years of the Catalan Language and Literature degree in Brno (Czech Republic), 20 years of the Joan Coromines Chair in Chicago.
- 2027: 50 years of the Center for Catalan Studies at the Sorbonne; 20 years of Catalan studies in Leeds, Zadar, Massachusetts and Milan, and 10 years of the Marià Villangómez Chair at the Universität Leipzig.
- 2028: 20 years of the Josep Pla Chair at Stanford University, 50 years of the North American Catalan Society and the Associazione Italiana di Studi Catalani.
In addition, as the official body for the assessment and certification of knowledge of Catalan, the Ramon Llull Institute has awarded 790 certificates in 74 exam locations in 28 countries with 1,185 candidates.
Catalan, the language of the future
The most prominent recent initiatives and those planned for the 2026-2027 academic year are:
- Opening, in September 2026, of the Pôle d’études Catalanes at the Université de Montréal. It will be the fifth Catalan studies center in the world, joining those in London (United Kingdom), Paris (France), Siena (Italy) and Poznan (Poland), and the first outside Europe
- Beginning of teaching in Beijing
- Extension of teaching in Edinburgh
- Resumption of teaching in Grenoble
- Next start of teaching at Yale University (United States), Universtità degli Studi di Udine (Italy) and Universidad Nacional Abierta ya Distancia UNAD (Colombia)
- Consolidation of projects in Toulouse and Salamanca
- New chair projects with the North American Catalan Society (NACS), the University of California-Berkeley and the Université de Mons
- 2nd call for doctoral training grants
- New certification office: Bogota (Colombia)
- Virtuality: Asynchronous level A1 course with 30 students enrolled
- Faberllull: Meeting of Catalan studies associations (2025), Meeting of doctoral students (2026)
objectives
The main objective for the coming years is the consolidation of the network and the different audiences that make it up.
This happens because:
- Build a network of researchers to ensure the continuity of the academic community through doctoral training grants and other aspects of research programs.
- Extend the network to three strategic areas: Latin America (Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Brazil), the Arab countries (Morocco, Egypt) and Asia (China, India, Korea).
- Expand the programs for students: increase places for summer language stays, new formats of specialization courses.
- Create a network through cultural activities like From Xarxa Llull to the world the online activity that is organized annually in collaboration with students and professors of Catalan studies in order to spread Catalan culture throughout the Llull Network, and beyond.
You can consult the schedule of the 40th International Conference for Catalan Teachers, which will take place at the University of Barcelona and other venues in the city here.
