Strategic analysis helps to create a map of determining factors that will affect the design and subsequent implementation of PEUV 2023-2026. It is important, therefore, to identify our current framework, the projections for future years, our starting situation and capabilities, and the resources at our disposal.

To properly develop an organisation’s strategic planning, it is important to ensure a good fit between its external situation and its internal characteristics. Numerous strategic planning tools, and in particular SWOT analysis, have their origins in the work carried out by scholars of business policy at Harvard Business School and other U.S. business schools since the 1960s (Helms and Nixon, 2010). Probably on account of its simplicity, its ability to systematise the various elements of the analysis, and its capacity to illustrate and categorise the main factors extracted from internal and external analyses, SWOT is now one of the most popular strategic analysis tools.

On one hand, an organisation’s external factors may be classified as opportunities or threats depending on whether they have a negative (threat) or positive (opportunity) impact on the organisation. On the other hand, internal factors may be classified as resources or capabilities in which the organisation has a favourable (strengths) or unfavourable position (weaknesses) (Guerras and Navas, 2022).

The strategic analysis carried out to prepare this plan is outlined in the PEUV 2023-2026 paper document. It is also in the document approved by the Governing Council of the University of Valencia.

We used a classic strategic analysis procedure based on the analysis of our general and specific environment (external analysis) as well as an analysis of our resources and capacities (internal analysis) to identify these Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT).

For the external analysis, PESTEL analysis methodology was used to assess the general environment, including the political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal context as of 31 May 2023, changes to which were especially relevant when designing this PEUV 2023-2026. The documentary resources we predominantly used were official sources and documents generated by international, national and regional institutions.

To conclude the analysis of each group of factors, the determining characteristics were identified, coded according to their group, categorised as a threat or opportunity, and identified with their order number:

• Political environmental factors are coded as EP. If they represent a threat or an opportunity, they are followed by an A and a number (e.g. EP-A1) or by an O and a number (e.g. EP-O1).
• The remaining factors analysed by PESTEL follow the same procedure, i.e. economic environmental factors are coded as EE, sociocultural environmental factors are coded as ES, technological environmental factors as ET, natural environmental factors as EA, and legal environmental factors as EL.

Analysis of the environment was conducted via an analysis of the specific environment – in particular, the supply and demand context currently affecting the SUV. Official sources used as documentary resources include the Integrated University Information System (Sistema Integrado de Información Universitaria, or SIIU) and the National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, or INE). Documents issued by the Valencian regional government (Generalitat Valenciana) were also used.

For PEUV 2023-2026, therefore, analysis of the specific environment primarily focused on the current situation of Spanish and regional university systems in terms of student numbers per field, the positions of Spanish universities in international rankings, and the main objectives outlined in universities’ strategic plans (in this case, only of SUV universities that have published them).

The opportunities and threats that derive from our analysis of the specific environment are coded as ESP and catalogued as threats or opportunities as, for example, ESP-A1 or ESP-O1.

Our internal analysis, on the other hand, systematised information on the UV’s situation at the start of PEUV 2023-2026. This made it easier to identify and evaluate the resources and capacities the UV has available to fulfil its functions and advance in the direction established by its Mission, Vision and Values.

These resources are mainly people, infrastructure and budget. Also analysed were our current situation and our main results in the fields of teaching, research and knowledge transfer. This analysis was made by comparing the UV’s situation with that of the SUE and the SUV in order to better outline the strengths and weaknesses of the various aspects analysed. Official sources such as the Integrated University Information System (SIIU), the IUNE Observatory, and the UV’s own information system were used as documentary resources.

The UV’s main resource is its people. With regard to teaching and research staff (PDI), the comparison was made with SPUV and SUPE averages since professional categories are not the same in public and private universities. Similarly, technical, management and administrative and service staff (PTGAS) and research staff (PI) were also compared with the averages for public universities in Spain as a whole and in the Valencian autonomous community.

Data on the UV’s infrastructure and budget were also evaluated. Infrastructures are a difficult resource to compare, first because no information is available from the official information systems and second because the characteristics of each university, including their dispersion and the age of the buildings, make such comparisons difficult. For this reason, the data analysed in relation to infrastructures correspond to the UV only.

Finally, budgets are also a strategic resource, especially where the chapters that refer to staff costs and income from public prices and current transfers are concerned. This section also presents the comparisons made with public universities in both the SUPE and the SPUV.

Our analysis of intangible resources focuses on the impact the governance system and stakeholders have on management capacity. Since no further information is available on other relevant intangible aspects, such as the perception of the UV in comparison with other universities in the SUE and SUV, public image can be deduced only indirectly from some of the results presented.

With regard to our results for the concepts mentioned above, the general criterion regarding the time scope of the data used was that they should provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date data possible according to their availability in each case.

In the section on teaching results, the data came from numerous sources, including the Integrated University Information System (SIIU), the Information System of Valencian Public Universities (SIUVP), and the UV’s own information system.

All analyses conducted identify key situations and code them according to the group of factors to which they belong, i.e. human resources (HR), infrastructures (INF), budgetary resources (PR), governance (GOB), results in teaching (RD), results in research (RI), and results in innovation and transfer (RIT). In addition, each key situation considered important for inclusion in SWOT analysis is categorised as a strength (F1) or weakness (D1).

The summary of all the key factors included in the Strategic Analysis is included in: