Alstom renews the Chair for Innovation in Railway Technology and Clean Energy with the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Alstom renews the Chair for Innovation in Railway Technology and Clean Energy with the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC)
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Alstom Spain and the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya (UPC) have renewed a collaboration agreement held between the two entities in the area of Railway Technology and Clean Energy. The agreement was signed by Antoni Giró, vice chancellor of the UPC and Pedro Solé, President of Alstom Spain. The agreements objective is to create a technological platform in order to carry out educational activities, investigation and know-how transfer and thus enable the swift and reliable incorporation of innovation in the technological and product management areas into Alstom. This educational initiative, designed for engineering students and which began in 2008, will receive a sum of 100,000 euros from Alstom.
The Chair for Railway Technology and Clean Energy, whose headquarter is located in the Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Industrial in Barcelona (ETSEIB), will reinforce the extension of the areas of collaboration, currently active in two fields, to include new initiatives and lines of investigation of interest to both parties. Furthermore, this new agreement foresees promoting investigation in sustainable design, recycling and re-use of materials, innovation in knowledge management and energy efficiency for railways and clean energy.
More precisely, Alstom will finance a wide range of educational activities, amongst others joint projects with companies and the university as well as the launch of an innovation prize for final year students writing their thesis about railway technology or clean energy. Furthermore, the Chair will include training from Alstom professionals who will give classes about various different subjects.
The President of Alstom Spain, Pedro Solé, assured that in Alstom, we are convinced that these types of agreements and collaboration are essential for industry. The ideas and initiative coming from the new generations, the Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya´s resources and means together with the experience held by the companies and professionals make a perfect combination to improve each and every one of our products and production processes and bring about guaranteed success for our future and that of our students.
Antoni Giró, vice chancellor of the UPC, highlighted during the ceremony the importance of renewing initiatives for permanent investigation and training with Alstom Spain, as well as the opportunity which has been created by extending the Chairs lines of investigation to cover the strategic sector of clean energy and for acknowledging the value of know-how generated by the University.
About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 93,500 people in more than 100 countries, and had sales of over 20.9 billion in 2010/11.
About UPC
The UPC is a public institute for higher eduaction and investigation, specialised in the fields of engineering, arquitecture and science. The activities carried out on its campus and centres have converted the UPC into a reference point for industrial companies. It is also seen as a driver and key player in economic and social change by getting value out of basic research, its appliance and the transfer of technology and know-how to society.
For more information
Communications Department Alstom Spain
Andrés López-Morancho
+34 91 334 58 18 / +34 609 06 92 30
andres.lopez-morancho@crm.alstom.com
UPC Media Relations Office
Annarosa Cánovas-Pérez
+34 93 401 61 43
ana.rosa.canovas@upc.edu