Iberdrola continues to develop its commitment to talent, excellence and employability by participating in a new edition of the ‘Energy 4 Future’ scholarships, an action that is part of the company’s social dividend.
`Energy 4 Future´ (E4F) is an initiative that forms part of the Horizon 2020 MSCA-COFUND Program and offers young researchers the opportunity to develop their projects within the field of clean energy in a network of universities and research centers of recognized prestige International located in Europe and USA.
Thus, once again, the Fundación Iberdrola España and in collaboration with the Research Executive Agency (REA) of the European Commission, promotes this international postdoctoral research program with joint funding of 4 million euros for 28 researchers. The meeting of the first call of the program was held last November.
The scholarships cover five areas of study: photovoltaics, wind power, storage, smart grids, and electric vehicles. To facilitate geographical mobility and the transfer of knowledge between the academic field and the industrial sector, the program contemplates reception periods of 18 to 21 months in universities and research centers, as well as professional stays of 3 to 6 months in the headquarters of Iberdrola in the US, Mexico, the UK and Spain.
The registration period for these scholarships in their second call is from February 1 to March 30, 2023. The evaluation period runs from April to August, giving way to the interview phase in September.
In October, the beneficiaries of these 2-year scholarships will be notified, starting in January 2024.
The research will be carried out at 15 European and American research centers and universities: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rochester Institute of Technology, in the USA; University of Strathclyde and Imperial College of London, in the United Kingdom; University of Bordeaux, in France; and Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, in Germany.
In Spain, eight centers will participate: Polytechnic University of Madrid, Carlos III University, University of Cantabria, Comillas Pontifical University, University of the Basque Country, University of Salamanca, IMDEA Energy and Polymat – Basque center for Macromolecular Design and Engineering.
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 promote the development of 180 researchers.
It is also part of Iberdrola’s commitment to excellence in training. Fundación Iberdrola collaborates with scholarship programs from various institutions such as the Fulbright Commission, which organizes the Iberdrola-Fullbright scholarships each year; the Carolina Foundation, which has a program for Mexican and Brazilian students; and the restoration workshops at 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.
In addition, Iberdrola currently has open a new call for its Master’s scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year, with the aim of promoting excellence in the training of new generations and promoting young talent.
Iberdrola’s social dividend also translates into its responsibility towards the environment; in its 12,000 volunteers; in the more than 350 million euros per year devoted to innovation; or that, just in the past year, nearly 4,500 new professionals have joined the group.