People, premises and partners of the centre

Multicultural team and local and international technology partners

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East is based on three cornerstones: our engineers, our laboratory and our partners. Moreover, forming part of the Iberdrola group provides us with access at all times to the very latest technological and industrial knowledge and advances.

We work to develop smarter power grids, promote clean distributed power and provide a responsible use of energy.

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East Conference Room

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East lab

QTV Interview of Abdulrahman Alassi explaining what we have in the lab.

Energy Systems & Networks Emulator

People at Iberdrola Innovation Middle East

We are a multicultural group of people with broad experience in industrial implementation and applied R&D. Our diverse group of engineers, researchers and professionals cover the key knowledge areas needed to build the digital utility: electrical engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence and big data techniques.

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East premises

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East Digital Utility Laboratory enables research and development to be converted into innovation and market deployment. The integration of our Hardware-in-the-loop power-electronics hybrid-systems emulator, smart meters testing bank, energy efficiency prototyping and high-performing computer cluster allows for the testing of new products and services before the actual implementation in business operations and customers.

Our partners

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East teams up with local and international universities, technology institutes, start-ups and industrial companies that complement our technological knowledge and resources to tackle larger and more challenging projects.

Agreements with institutions

With Universidad Pontificia Comillas

The agreement will contribute promoting quality employment, the professional development of the company’s technicians in Qatar and the generation of new job opportunities in the country, offering Iberdrola Innovation ME employees the opportunity to do an industrial doctorate at the Pontifical University of Comillas.

Mariano Ventosa, Vice Rector for Research and Faculty at Comillas Pontifical University, and Santiago Bañales, General Manager of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East
With Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar

Iberdrola and IPA Qatar signed an agreement to strengthen their strategic alliance in innovation, May 2022.

Sheikh Ali Alwaleed Al Thani, CEO, IPA Qatar and Santiago Bañales López, Managing Director, Iberdrola Innovation Middle East signing MoU in presence of Minister of Commerce and Industry and Chairman of IPA Qatar H E Sheik Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani, José Ignacio S Galán, Chairman and CEO, Iberdrola Group and María Reyes Maroto Illera, Minister of Industry of Spain; May 2022.
With the Hamad Bin Khalifa University

A new collaborative agreement signed between Iberdrola Innovation Middle East and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University with the aim on boosting smart grid security research, April 2022.

Mounir Hamdi, dean of the School of Engineering of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Santiago Bañales, Managing Director of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East, during the signing of the collaboration agreement. April 2022.

The agreement signed between Iberdrola Innovation Middle East and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University has as its aim the development of joint research and innovation initiatives on the subject of digital communication for energy efficiency. March 2018.

Mounir Hamdi, dean of the School of Engineering of Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Ignacio Galán, chairman of the Iberdrola group, during the signing of the collaboration agreement. March 2022.
With Qatar University (QU)

Qatar University and Iberdrola Innovation Middle East signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to establish applied research and development cooperation in sustainable energy.

QU Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. Omar Al Ansari and Iberdrola Innovation Middle East Managing Director Santiago Bañales Lopez at the MoU signing ceremony. December 2021.
With the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Qatar

Within the framework of the Qatar Information Technology and Communication Conference & Exhibition 2019 (QITCOM), the centre signed a collaboration agreement with the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Santiago Bañales, Managing Director of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East, and Reem Al Mansoori, from the Qatari Ministry of Transport and Communications. October 2019.
With Qatar Foundation and Kahramaa

The centre signed a collaboration agreement with Qatar Foundation and Kahramaa to promote energy efficiency. The agreement was signed within the framework of the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference 2018. March 2018.

Sheik Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwarir, president of Kahramaa; Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, CEO of the Qatar Foundation; and Santiago Bañales, Managing Director of Iberdrola Innovation Middle East. March 2018.
Greener School project

Iberdrola Innovation Middle East is a partner in the Greener School project, which aims to increase the energy efficiency of schools in Qatar. Introducing systems to reduce the carbon footprint and promoting awareness among the pupils. The program was acknowledged as a successful initiative during several editions of the National Program for Conservation & Energy Efficiency.

Green School Inauguration (Simaisma Primary boys’ school), with Tarek Saleh Kawari (Director of school), Abdul Aziz-Ahmed-Al Hammadi (Engineer), Slah Magreebi (School teacher) and Shady Med Aref Harbi Mraka (IT engineer) from Simaisma Primary boys’ school; Tarsheed Team from Kharamaa with Mariam Yousef A A Kafood (Operation Planning Engineer) and Mohammed Khalid Al Sharshani (Project Engineer), and Iberdrola Innovation Middle East team with Mariam Fliss (Engineer) and Santiago Bañales (Managing Director); September 2018.

Award of Tarsheed prize to Iberdrola for 'Best Renewable Energy Initiative' by Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Energy Minister Mohamed bin Saleh Al-Sada and Kahramaa President Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari. 2018.