• Main lines of action include fostering and sharing knowledge
  • These two-year scholarships are being awarded under its Scholarship Scheme, for which over €2 million in funding has been earmarked this year alone
  • With this support from the foundation, young Spaniards will be able to complete studies in areas linked to energy, environment and technology 

As part of its Scholarship Scheme, the Fundación IBERDROLA is backing two scholarships for postgraduate studies in the United States under the prestigious international academic programme managed by the Fulbright Commission.

These scholarships are being awarded under the agreement signed by the institution and the Commission on Cultural, Educational and Scientific Exchange between Spain and the United States of America to set up the IBERDROLA-FULBRIGHT scholarships, which aim to promote advanced training for Spanish students in fields linked to energy, the environment and technology.

Under the terms of this agreement, two young engineers will be able to complete Master's degrees in Robotics and Big Data, respectively, at Stanford University and the Georgia Institute of Technology over a two-year period, commencing in the 2014-2015 academic year. 

The Fulbright Programme fosters educational, scientific and cultural exchange between citizens of the United States and over 150 countries. Its global focus and commitment to academic excellence and quality have made it an international benchmark. Its alumni include 44 Nobel, 86 Pulitzer and 5 Prince of Asturias prizewinners. This gives an indication of the international acknowledgement and prestige of this programme, which is backed by the Fundación IBEDROLA.

In providing this support, the Fundación IBERDROLA aims to boost the training of a new generation of professionals that will be ideally positioned to meet the challenges that lie ahead, including achieving the level of technological development required to tackle the issue of transforming our energy model.  It also aims to strengthen the ties between private enterprise and the university sector and to foster the international exchange of knowledge.

Fundación IBERDROLA Scholarship Scheme

The Scholarship Scheme is one of the flagship initiatives run by the Fundación IBERDROLA. Since it was first set up, its scope has been extended from Spain to include the U.K., the U.S., Mexico and - this year - Brazil. Thanks to its international dimension, young people of these five nationalities will be able to complete Master's degree studies in the field of energy and the environment at Spanish, British and U.S. universities, in areas linked to renewable energies, energy efficiency, biodiversity, clean technologies, waste disposal, energy storage, electric vehicles and smart grids.

The Scholarship Scheme run by the Fundación IBERDROLA also provides grants for research in the field of energy and the environment in Spain and training and research grants in restoration at the Prado Museum in Madrid and the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao. It has also entered into agreements with other institutions, such as the Fundación Carolina, the University of New Mexico, and, in this case, the Fulbright Commission.

In its 2014 Call for Applications, the Fundación IBERDROLA plans to allocate a total of over €2 million to the programme as a whole and grant one hundred scholarships. This means that it will have trebled the number of scholarships granted since this initiative was first set up in 2010.

Applications are currently being accepted for three scholarships for PhD studies in the area of smart grids at the University of New Mexico (U.S.), backed by the Fundación IBERDROLA. These grants are being awarded under the Prince of Asturias Chair in Information Sciences and Related Technologies, which was set up and endowed by the company in the year 2000.

For comprehensive information on the Scholarship Scheme, please visit the foundation's website: www.fundacioniberdrola.org.

About the Fundación IBERDROLA

The Fundación IBERDROLA, with Ignacio Galán as its Founding Trustee and Manuel Marín in the role of Chairman, focuses its activity in four main spheres of action: training and research, energy sustainability and biodiversity, cooperation and solidarity, and cultural development in the countries where the IBERDROLA Group operates.

As well as its Scholarship Scheme, the Foundation also runs various other initiatives: As regards support for biodiversity, the flagship project is the Bird Migration Programme (www.migraciondeaves.org). In the area of historical and artistic heritage conservation, the foundation has various important programmes such as the Atlantic Romanesque Plan (www.romanicoatlantico.org) and the Lighting Programme for unique buildings. Finally, in the field of support for solidarity, it runs the Social Grants Scheme.  

For more information about Fundación IBERDROLA, visit the web pagewww.fundacioniberdrola.org

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