Iberdrola : announces new scholarships for postgraduate studies in United States

Via its foundations in Spain and the United States, IBERDROLA has announced a new call for applications for scholarships to pursue postgraduate degrees in the fields of energy and environment in the United States.

These scholarships are intended for university graduates with Spanish or U.S. nationality. The studies can be pursued at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the University of Binghamton, Cornell University, Oregon State University, the University of Connecticut, the University of Rochester or the University of Maine during the 2017/2018 academic year.

To be more specific, the recipients of these scholarships should focus their training in areas linked to renewable energies, sustainable energy systems, environment, clean carbon technologies and emissions management, energy efficiency, energy storage, electric vehicles, smart grids, information and communication technologies (ICT), big data or cybersecurity.

The goal of this initiative by the group is to foster specialised training for professionals that will be able to advance towards a sustainable model to meet the energy needs of the population while helping to protect the environment.

In the case of students with Spanish nationality, IBERDROLA will cover the full cost of tuition and provide a €24,000 grant for transport and accommodation expenses. It will also pay for health and accident insurance, as well as a travel allowance worth €1,500 for recipients that need a return transatlantic flight.

Various aspects will be considered by the group during the selection stage, such as academic grades, students' level of English, the syllabus and the relevance of the proposed course of study. Candidates should first submit an application to be admitted into one of the universities. The deadline will be 17 February 2017. Those wishing to take part can read all the conditions associated to the call and fill out the on-line form on the website www.fundacioniberdrolaespana.org.

These scholarships are part of the IBERDROLA Scholarship Programme, which aims to promote the creation and sharing of knowledge so as to train a generation that is able to rise to the challenges that lie ahead, including the transformation of the energy system.

The group also collaborates with other institutions, such as the Fulbright Commission, with which it grants Iberdrola-Fulbright scholarships for Spanish university students.

Since it was first set up five years ago, the Scholarship Programme has broadened its scope from Spain to include the United Kingdom, United States, Mexico and Brazil. It has trebled the number of scholarships and grants awarded, reaching a total of 142 in the 2016 call for applications. In the last year alone, over €2 million were allocated to this initiative.

Iberdrola, committed to society

The Iberdrola International Scholarships Programme, which the company runs on a yearly basis, is one of the flagship projects carried out by the group in the area of training and research. Over 600 young people of various nationalities have already benefited from this scheme. Via its foundation in Spain, the company is also active in three other main areas of action: social grants, biodiversity and art & culture.

In the first of these, the highlight is the annual call for social grants, which has benefited some 300 projects to date with a total investment of €6.4 million. In the field of biodiversity, the leading project is the Bird Migration Programme (www.migraciondeaves.org). Finally, in the area of historic-artistic heritage conservation, it runs important projects such as the Atlantic Romanesque Plan (www.romanicoatlantico.org) and the programme to light up unique buildings, such as the Lighting the Prado project carried out at the Prado Museum in Madrid.