•Notícia

The UPC Energy Campus – Energy for Excellence project has been recognized as a Campus of International Excellence in the 2010 call for the program issued by the Ministry of Education. Last year the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC), a joint initiative of the University of Barcelona (UB) and the UPC, was the top-ranked proposal in the call.

The aim of the UPC Energy Campus, with proposed funding of €3 million, is to contribute to shifting the energy sector towards a more sustainable model through a process of transformation supported by innovation. The project to create a pioneering campus in the energy field builds on a long tradition of leadership by the University in this area of education and research.

The UPC’s strategic partners in the initiative are the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), the Energy, Environment and Technology Research Center (CIEMAT), and 45 other participants, including the Government of Catalonia, the Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN), a number of city councils (Terrassa, Castelldefels, Sant Cugat, Barcelona, and Berga), and companies such as Alstom, Abengoa Solar, Seat, Gas Natural Fenosa, Abertis, and Vestas.

The project is also supported by research centers and universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Aachen University, the University of Sydney, and Aalborg University; and social partners, including the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the Spanish Trade Union Confederation of Workers’ Commissions, and many others.

Antoni Giró, the president of the UPC, sees this mark of excellence as “a recognition of the University’s long track record in energy-related research and innovation, which has enabled us to become leaders in this area of knowledge and now drives us to tackle new technological challenges in collaboration with other institutions and private companies. This is a unique opportunity to bring to fruition a process of developing strategic alliances that began 30 years ago, and to create a pioneering campus that will be an international point of reference.” The creation of the UPC Energy Campus “allows the University to strengthen its commitment to mapping out a route to a new, sustainable economy through research, educational programs, and knowledge transfer in this field.” Giró added that “the fact that the UPC has been recognized as a Campus of International Excellence and the University’s involvement in KIC InnoEnergy, launched by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), will give us a significant boost in the energy field.”

The project—which involves some 30 research groups based on campuses in Barcelona, Baix Llobregat, Sant Cugat del Vallès, and Terrassa—focuses on four strategic areas: energy efficiency, nuclear fission and fusion, smart grids, and renewable energy sources. Each group concentrates on a key field of energy-related research: energy efficiency; nuclear power; chemistry, mechanics, and materials; transportation and mobility; architecture and building construction; and energy systems and markets.

In line with the sustainability goals set by the UPC for 2015, a number of specific actions will be carried out within the framework of the new campus. In terms of research and innovation, projects will focus on energy generation and efficiency, experimental mini wind farms and fuel cell plants, bioclimatic housing, smart grids, and real-time monitoring of energy consumption by buildings.

UPC research groups bring a wealth of experience to the project, and opportunities will be generated as a result of the creation of a new knowledge hub at the future Diagonal Besòs Campus (currently under construction at the eastern point of entry to Barcelona), which will focus on teaching, research, innovation, and the setting-up of companies in the fields of energy and water. The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) and the Barcelona headquarters of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project will be based at the new campus.

In addition, a pioneering project will provide the campus with energy from solar thermal, wind power, biomass, and fuel cell systems. One goal is to achieve an energy-efficiency rating of “A” for campus buildings within five years and monitor energy consumed in classrooms.

There are also plans to set up an Energy Observatory and new technology-based enterprises, and international patents will be sought in this area.

The UPC Energy Campus will offer a range of educational programs, including new Erasmus Mundus master’s degrees and joint doctorates in the energy field, and existing infrastructure will be adapted to meet needs related to the European Higher Education Area.

The campus will also play a key role in attracting talent thanks to a grant program designed to encourage students to pursue doctoral degrees in the energy field. The doctoral program is a significant element of the project, which seeks to strengthen this stage of education in order to enhance the innovative potential of enterprises and drive the development of new knowledge in this area.

To ensure that occupational profiles are aligned with social demands, the UPC Energy Campus will launch educational programs in energy and entrepreneurship at 10 secondary schools and integrate vocational training in higher education. Also, four reports focusing on market and employment trends will be produced.

As an institution with an international outlook, it is anticipated that the UPC Energy Campus will join the IDEA Network of Excellence consortium and lead working groups on energy. Three new groups will be established to collaborate on energy research within the framework of networks of technical universities, and there are plans to set up five new spin-off companies.

The UPC Energy Campus has also been selected by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to participate in the InnoCampus program.

The UPC has a solid reputation for research and innovation directly related to energy. Since the installation of the first dynamo at one of the University’s schools in 1874 (the first to reach Spain), the UPC has developed a strong track record in the energy field thanks to contributions made by its investigators in various areas of research.

One of the most recent milestones was the designation of KIC InnoEnergy as a Knowledge and Innovation Community by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). KIC InnoEnergy is a sustainable energy project in which the UPC is a partner. The UPC coordinates Co-location Center Iberia, a regional hub that concentrates the KIC-related activities of companies and research centers in southern Europe. CC Iberia, to be based at the Diagonal Besòs Campus in Barcelona, will be one of six operating centers for this large-scale European project, which will involve an investment of €450 million over the next seven years.

The main participants in KIC InnoEnergy are energy-sector firms and leading research centers. The goal is to generate approximately 50 spin-offs, register around 65 patents with direct market applications, and launch about 100 new products that are related to sustainable energy and take into account the European market.

The UPC and the University of Barcelona join forces again. Another project the UPC is involved in which was also selected in the final stage of the 2010 call for the Campus of International Excellence program is the Health University of Barcelona Campus (HUBC), presented jointly with the UB.

BKC: consolidating excellence. In 2009, the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC), an initiative of the UPC and the University of Barcelona, was recognized as the first Spanish Campus of International Excellence. The project leveraged the combined capacities of the two universities in the Avinguda Diagonal area of Barcelona. In the 2010 Campus of International Excellence call, the UPC and UB were awarded additional funding (€2.2 million*) to strengthen the project and extend on planned activities.
Proposed funding, to be defined in an agreement with the Government of Catalonia.