News

2020-07-03 00:00:00.0

Awarded to the chairman of Iberdrola by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the prize was presented this afternoon at the Museu de les Ciències in Valencia

Ignacio Galán is presented with the National Prize for Innovation and Design 2019, in the category Track Record for Innovation, by their majesties the King and Queen of Spain

Ignacio Galán R&D

  • The jury was particularly impressed by his "leadership in the innovative transformation of businesses in various technological sectors" as well as "his ability to lead the energy transition in Spain by pioneering the implementation of renewable energies and positioning the Spanish electricity industry among the most competitive and ground-breaking in the world”
  • Iberdrola has invested over €1.2bn in Research, Development and Innovation (R+D+i) over the last five years

Their majesties the King and Queen of Spain today presented Ignacio Galán, chairman and CEO of Iberdrola, with the National Prize for Innovation and Design 2019, in the category Track Record for Innovation, awarded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. The award ceremony took place this afternoon at the Museu de les Ciències in Valencia.

This important accolade, which is awarded to businesspeople and professionals with a track record of at least 10 years featuring a strong focus on innovation, this year fell to Ignacio Galán "for his leadership ability in the innovative transformation of businesses in various technological sectors."

The jury was particularly impressed by his ability to "lead the energy transition in Spain by pioneering the implementation of renewable energies and positioning the Spanish electricity industry among the most competitive and ground-breaking in the world.”

These awards, for which there were 79 nominees this time – 46 businesses and 33 professionals – are designed to recognise those people and organisations that have made innovation a key aspect of their professional strategy and business growth.

In addition, the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities sets out to reward those professionals and companies that have contributed significantly to elevating the prestige of Spanish design, and entities which, by building it into their business strategy, have shown that design is a powerful lever for innovation and competitiveness.

This is a convincing reflection of the Iberdrola chairman's commitment to Research, Development and Innovation (R+D+i) in which the company invested €280m throughout 2019, representing an increase of 5% on 2018, and making a total of €1.2bn earmarked for this activity in just the last five years.

This decisive commitment to disruptive initiatives that contribute towards the positioning of Iberdrola as the utility of the future has an effect on all the company's business areas – renewable energy, electricity grids, and products and services for customers. Iberdrola is also the force behind the international Perseo programme, an investment plan for startups, with €70m of finance.