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This morning in the city of Salamanca the Chairman of the Governing Board of Salamanca University and the Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, reaffirmed their permanent commitment to knowledge, education, entrepreneurship and young people during the opening ceremony of the 32nd European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), which this year is being held in Salamanca thanks to the backing of Iberdrola.

This is a European Commission initiative aimed at promoting interest in science at which almost 200 students of 34 nationalities will present their R&D&i pojects that will run until Sunday at Salamanca University.

Accompanied by the President of the Regional Government of Castilla-León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco; the Rector of Salamanca University, Ricardo Rivero; the city's Mayor, Carlos García Carbayo, and European Commission Policy Officer Karen Slavin, the chairman of Iberdrola highlighted that the talent of the young scientists participating in this event will play a fundamental role in achieving Europe's climatic goals. Furthermore, he went on to stress that as the future leaders of research-, “you will be needed to create and implement the innovative projects that will make this a better world to live in”.

During the opening ceremony, Ignacio Galán made a special point of encouraging his young audience to make the most of “this once in a lifetime experience to share knowledge, demonstrate all of your talent, create connections and, of course, make the most of the marvellous city that is Salamanca. It is a city with historical links to thought and knowledge, to meetings of minds and to fellowship, and whose university, in which we find ourselves today, is the model for many other seats of learning the world over, especially in Latin America”. The University of Salamanca has been creating, promoting and spreading knowledge and humanism for 800 years, “a noble calling that it honours today as host of this highly prestigious contest”, he added.

It was in this way that the Chairman of Iberdrola also reaffirmed that the institutions responsible for designing the future of our societies are represented in the University. “And it goes without saying that education is the cornerstone of that design. In an ever changing environment such as the current one, we must work together extremely closely to identify, attract and support talent in all of the economic and social sectors. And it is here that the coming together of university and company has a special place, because together, companies and educational centres can better contribute to the transfer of knowledge, to attracting talent, to the incorporation of young people into the job market and to boosting entrepreneurship”.

Galán stressed that “now, more than ever, companies and universities must work together to equip our societies with the human, technical and financial resources they need to develop in a way that is both sustainable and inclusive. In this regard, at Iberdrola we have spent many years developing our Universities Programme, which connects tens of thousands of students in different fields related with the energy transition”

Furthermore, Ignacio Galán wished to showcase his company's commitment to the promotion of knowledge via the Iberdrola Campus for Innovation and Training, “through which over 13,000 people pass each year, from employees to suppliers, members of the State Law Enforcement Forces and Agencies or students of all ages, to receive professional training in health and safety, technology, engineering and management”.

During his speech to the young scientists the chairman of Iberdrola highlighted that sectors such as energy are facing a massive transformation and that “we must move on from a world in which fossil fuels still represent 75% of energy consumption to zero net emissions in less than 30 years. And we know that clean electricity generated using renewable energies is the answer, but we need new technological solutions in order to achieve this goal”. “Many people say we have to do this to save our planet. However, as Frans Timmermans, European Commission Vice-President, said last week here in Salamanca when being awarded the title of doctor honoris causa- what is at risk is the future of the human species."

Ignacio Galán went on to highlight the enthusiasm of this generation, which has been the driving force behind convincing the world of the urgency of combating climate change. “It has been incredible to see how, after 20 years of advocating decarbonisation to competitors, governments and regulators, the influence of the younger generations was the driving force behind the historic Paris Agreement. My thanks also go out for the efforts made by the European Union, which continues to head up this transformation with initiatives such as the European Climate Law or the Green Deal”.

He ended by asking these young people to continue learning and innovating: “your role is now fundamental as regards the pushing through of sustainable development. In Iberdrola and in many other companies, we are waiting for you to finish your studies so that you can join us and become our future leaders”.

This edition of the European Union Contest for Young Scientists, which is being hosted this year by Salamanca University, with the backing of Iberdrola, and is seen as the annual showcase of the highest achievements in science of young Europeans, will conclude on Sunday with the presentation of awards in which Agustín Delgado, Iberdrola's Director of Innovation and Sustainability, will participate.

Iberdrola, training and the jobs of the future

Iberdrola is driving the promotion of training and informational programmes aimed not only at Dual Professional Training, but also at the schools and universities of Castilla-León in order to improve the job prospects of the young people in this autonomous community. Through a number of different schemes - agreements with local institutions, the ‘Iberdrola U’ youth enterprise programme, and training activities at the Iberdrola Campus in smart solutions concerned with electric mobility, self-generation and climate control - the company is promoting employability for young people and local professionals with the aim of turning them into active contributors to the energy transition.

Since 2011, the company has assigned three million euros to its grants programme, which has contributed to the development of 180 young researchers, more than twenty of whom are from Castilla-León. Furthermore, in collaboration with prestigious universities the world over, such as Salamanca and Pontificia de Comilllas in Madrid, MIT and Yale in the USA, Strathclyde University in Glasgow and the University of Monterrey in Mexico, Iberdrola is promoting the creation of professorships, the setting up of R&D projects and a variety of entrepreneurship programmes in fields such as renewable energies, sustainable development, electrical mobility, biodiversity and smart networks.