- The research will be carried out at centers such as the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Polytechnic University of Madrid), Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Imperial College of London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (National Autonomous University of Mexico)
- Postdoctoral research on technologies associated with energy transition, such as photovoltaic and wind energy, electric vehicles, energy storage and smart grids, will be funded through this program.
Iberdrola strengthens its commitment to research as a tool to promote knowledge and innovation with the purpose of contributing to the consolidation of a more sustainable development model. Through Fundación Iberdrola España, and in concert with the European Commission’s Research Executive Agency (REA), it will promote the Energy for Future (E4F) international postdoctoral research program, which will launch its first call on July 1st, 2021 (www.europeanenergyforfuture.com).
The project will have joint funding of more than 4 million euros for the next five years and will advance research projects focused on the main technologies associated to energy transition and the economy’s green transformation: photovoltaic and wind energy, the evolution of electric vehicle, energy storage solutions and the development of smart grids.
The program will run for 5 years, divided into two calls of 24 months each, and will have the participation of 28 researchers – 14 per stage. To enhance geographic mobility and the transfer of knowledge between academia and industry, the program will involve admission periods of 18 to 21 months at universities and research centers, as well as professional stays of 3 to 6 months at Iberdrola’s headquarters in the USA, Mexico, the UK, and Spain.
The research will be carried out at 15 European and American universities: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rochester Institute of Technology, in the USA; the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM); University of Strathclyde and Imperial College of London, in the UK; Université de Bordeaux, tin France, and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, in Germany.
In Spain, eight centers will participate: Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad Carlos III, Universidad de Cantabria, Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, Universidad del País Vasco, Universidad de Salamanca, IMDEA Energía and Polymat – Basque Center for Macromolecular Design and Engineering.
Presentation of the program
Energy For Future (E4F) was carried out at a virtual meeting with the participation of postdoctoral researchers, research centers and universities with interest in the clean and sustainable energy sector.
The participants at the meeting were Agustín Delgado, Director of Innovation and Sustainability at Iberdrola; Manuel Gómez Herrero, Director General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture of the European Commission; Ramón Castresana, Director of Fundación Iberdrola España; Teresa Rodríguez de Tembleque, Head of Training and Research Programs at Fundación Iberdrola España; Dharik Mallapragada, Research Scientist at MIT Energy Initiative; and Sheila Duncan, Director of Human Resources at ScottishPower.
Iberdrola, with excellence in training
This initiative replaces the previous scholarship program for young researchers promoted by Fundación Iberdrola España since 2011, to which it has allocated more than 3 million euros to foster the development of 180 specialists.
Also, it is part of Iberdrola’s commitment to excellence in training. Fundación Iberdrola collaborates with scholarship programs of various institutions such as the Fulbright Commission, which each year calls for Iberdrola-Fullbright scholarships; Fundación Carolina, which has a program for Mexican and Brazilian students; and the restoration workshops of the Museo Nacional del Prado and the Museo de Bellas Artes de Bilbao, which allow future specialists to complete their training in the conservation and restoration programs of these institutions.
