Gamesa signed an agreement in the University of Zaragoza's Auditorium to endow the university’s 35th Academic Chair. Vice Rector of Institutional Relations and Communication Pilar Zaragoza and Gamesa Chief Technology Officer José Antonio Malumbres signed a long-term cooperation agreement geared towards strengthening R&D efforts into the development of new technologies for sustainability, primarily in wind.

The chair will pave the way for the design of a research coordination programme in technological development and for joint participation in calls for submission, both Spanish and international, associated with this field. To this end, cooperation relationships will be established with research groups and other international university centres engaged in teaching or research in technological development.

Programmes for teaching and implementing new research and announcement of scholarships

The plan will also bolster cooperation on programmes for teaching and engaging in new research into the design of wind turbines and wind farms, composite materials, metals-based materials, electricity generation, electric models, wind turbine grid connection, simplified models, simulation, aerodynamics, CFD, automated control and robotics, electronics, stochastic models and other areas of interest.

This category includes the launch of a new scholarship programme for engineering students to carry out final projects in the field of new sustainable technologies, and will provide aid for the completion of doctoral theses on subjects within the scope of activities covered by the chair.

Gamesa works in the fields of renewable energies and energy efficiency for the purpose of generating the greatest amount of clean energy possible in the most efficient manner, and is engaged in the creation of a global network of applied innovation and the launch of programmes to foster the creation of tech-based start-ups. This is another of the key cornerstones upon which the work of the "University of Zaragoza Gamesa Chair" will focus.

Among global leaders

Gamesa’s business has always been linked to the development of new technologies, and this approach will also be the No. 1 driver of cooperation efforts conducted through the new academic chair.

The company in recent years has successfully concentrated its business in the market for sustainable technologies, primarily wind. This process has made Gamesa one of the world’s leading corporations in the design, manufacture, installation and maintenance of wind turbines, following its installation of 20,000 MW of wind assets in 30 countries on four continents.

With an international workforce totalling more than 7,000 people, Gamesa is also a global benchmark in the wind farm development business, thanks to its project pipeline of more than 22,000 MW of wind capacity at varying stages of development in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

A manufacturer and wind farm developer in Aragon, Gamesa installs the prototype of its G10X wind turbine in Jaulín

Gamesa has had a stable presence in Aragon from 1995, both as a turbine manufacturer and as a wind farm developer. The company currently manages operation and maintenance services for several wind farms in Aragon's three provinces.

Moreover, it operates two wind farm R&D centres in the towns of La Muela and Jaulín. In the latter community, Gamesa has installed and commissioned the world's first prototype of its new Gamesa G10X turbine, which features unit capacity of 4.5 MW, making it the most powerful onshore turbine ever produced.

Gamesa also owns a manufacturing plant (a nacelle factory) and offices in Tauste. This presence will permit on-the-ground direct relationships between University of Zaragoza students and professors and company staff.

The University of Zaragoza currently has 35 academic chairs, including the Gamesa chair, which are underwritten by a range of institutions and companies. These chairs are strategic and lasting unions through which both sides benefit from the results of research, development and innovation. Said activities are conducted jointly across many disciplines, both from a scientific and a business standpoint. The advancements achieved within the framework of the chair will likewise translate into progress and benefits for society as a whole.