Initiatives with University of Salamanca

Iberdrola and the University of Salamanca are looking for future entrepreneurs in the energy sector

Startup Olé

Since 2017, Iberdrola has participated in several editions of Startup Olé  , one of the largest technological entrepreneurship events in Europe, becoming one of the main drivers of the event and thus reaffirming its commitment to innovation, digital transformation and sustainability. The company is present at various round tables, workshops and acceleration programmes for small and medium-sized enterprises at Startup Olé, where it gives visibility to the PERSEO start-up programme and the Jóvenes Emprendedores (Young Entrepreneurs) initiative.

Of particular note are the spaces it has set up for visitors to the fair in the various editions: with a virtual reality wind turbine; electric vehicles and charging points, which reflect the group's commitment to clean energy and electric mobility; as well as models of green hydrogen production plants and smart homes, to show how to manage our home efficiently.

European Union Contest for Young Scientists

The European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) is a European Commission initiative aimed at promoting interest in science among young people. In the 32nd edition, held in 2021 at the University of Salamanca thanks to the support of Iberdrola, almost 200 students of 34 nationalities presented their R&D&I projects.

The Chairman of the electricity company, Ignacio Galán, underlined the company's ongoing commitment to talent, entrepreneurship and young people at EUCYS: "You will be needed to create and implement innovative projects that will make this world a better place to live in".

Emprende Salamanca

Emprende Salamanca  is a joint initiative from Iberdrola and University of Salamanca to train students and encourage them to participate in entrepreneurial activities aimed at the development of future energy production.

This program aims to promote specialized training for students and arouse their interest in entrepreneurship in initiatives that rise to the challenges presented by the utility of the future.

Emprende Salamanca day was split into eight training sessions. These were held prior to Energy Hackathon 2017 and imparted by leading figures from the energy sector to ecosystem entrepreneurs of the USAL.

Energy Challenge Hackathon

Iberdrola took part in the Energy Challenge Hackathon within the framework of the Start-up Olé 2017 initiative. For  24 hours, the 20 plus young people who participated in this initiative were split up into six teams to develop their innovative solutions for meeting challenges of the utility of the future.

This is just one of the ways Iberdrola is looking to boost young talent and encourage the transfer of technology between University and Company, thereby reaffirming Iberdrola's commitment with University of Salamanca within the framework of that institution's Eight Hundredth Anniversary.

The projects, focused on the electricity sector, were developed and implemented under the guidance of experts with the participants attending a workshop on business development areas.

Econtrol, an application that advises us how to best manage our energy consumption, was declared as the winner of the challenge. Furthermore, Smart Energy received a special mention from the jury for their micro-grid production prediction and optimisation project.