UDC Saudable is the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Unit of the University of A Coruña, under the Vice-Rectorate for the Ferrol Campus and Social Responsibility, whose function is to coordinate and develop health and wellbeing promotion actions for the university community and the surrounding public.
UDC Saudable is the University of A Coruña’s initiative aimed at promoting a university culture based on wellbeing, health, and sustainability. It was established on 28 November 2014 with the University’s accession to the Spanish Network of Healthy Universities.
The UDC Saudable Unit works to consolidate the University of A Coruña as a safe, healthy, and active environment through coordinated actions involving faculties, schools, and different university services. These initiatives encourage healthy lifestyles, promote programmes aimed at improving wellbeing, and foster participation in leisure, social interaction, and community-building activities.
The university is conceived as a living ecosystem in which studying, working, and conducting research should go hand in hand with physical, emotional, and social care. Within this framework, initiatives are promoted that contribute to a balanced lifestyle and to the development of a sustainable, inclusive, and socially committed university.
UDC Saudable also maintains active collaboration with the Spanish Network of Health-Promoting Universities (REUPS), together with universities across the country, ministries, and public administrations, with the aim of advancing jointly in health promotion and in the creation of healthier university environments.
The Organic Law of the University System (LOSU, 2023) provides legal support for initiatives related to the promotion of health and wellbeing in the university setting. This law recognises, among students’ rights, access to mental and emotional health care, as set out in Article 33, which states:
e) [...] to the care of mental and emotional health, under the terms established by university regulations. [...]
Likewise, Article 43 of the LOSU establishes the obligation for universities to have specific structures in place:
Article 43. Basic units
1. Universities shall have [...] health services and psychological support services [...] provided with sufficient human and financial resources. [...]
Within the specific context of the University of A Coruña, the UDC Statutes (2025) explicitly recognise health and wellbeing as rights of the university community through the creation of the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Unit (Article 159). This unit constitutes the new structural foundation of the UDC Saudable brand, providing it with the necessary legal backing to ensure the institutionalisation and long-term sustainability of health and wellbeing promotion strategies at the university.
Over the course of a decade, UDC Saudable has become a transformative project of the University of A Coruña (UDC) under the leadership of its director, Professor Sergio Santos del Riego. Three historical stages can be identified:
The beginnings and community building (2014–2019), UDC incorporated health as an essential dimension of its mission. UDC Saudable grew from the ground up, with a strong community-based approach, active communication, and integration into national and international networks. During this stage, the foundations were laid for the research, education, and collaboration that shaped the project’s identity.
Care and mental health in times of crisis (2020–2023), This stage coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, when attention focused on emotional wellbeing. Afrontemos was created, the UDC Saudable School of Nutrition at the CUR was consolidated, and the One Health perspective was incorporated, strengthening programmes on healthy eating, physical activity, and the promotion of health spaces in collaboration with external organisations.
Institutionalisation and health-promoting campuses (2024–2030), UDC Saudable reached institutional maturity with the creation of the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Unit in the UDC Statutes and the launch of the Healthy Living and Wellbeing Plan 2025–2030. The Smoke-Free Campus initiative was consolidated, and approaches related to technological humanism, digital wellbeing, and health-promoting environments were progressively integrated, strengthening collaboration between the university and society.