On February 25th, the Nfq ESG & TALENT Chair, a joint initiative by the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) and Nfq, celebrated its annual awards event.
The event placed university talent at the center of sustainability strategy, recognizing research projects that offer technical, scalable solutions to the major challenges of Responsible Investment (RI).
Commitment to Social and Environmental Impact
The Chair presented institutional awards to two benchmark organizations:
- 2025 Nfq ESG & Talent Chair Award for Social Impact in the Field of People: Awarded to ITER for its excellence in human development and the creation of inclusive social value. The award was accepted by the foundation’s director, Inmaculada Iglesias.
- 2025 Nfq ESG & Talent Chair Award for Commitment to a Sustainable Future: Granted to Fundación Global Nature for its essential work in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration—key pillars in the fight against climate change. The award was collected by the foundation’s director, Eduardo Miguel.
Research Excellence: The Names of a Sustainable Future
Alongside the institutional honors, awards were presented to students who stood out for their rigor and innovative vision:
- Best Doctoral Thesis: Mr. Lounis Djenaoucine, for his research on mortars and concretes reinforced with graphene oxide. The jury highlighted the exceptional scientific quality of this work, which is fundamental for improving structural durability and resource efficiency in construction.
- Best Master’s Thesis (TFM): Ms. Bárbara Billón de Blas, for her innovative method of plastic packaging recovery. Her proposal stood out for academic rigor aligned with European Circular Economy regulations and high potential for industrial scalability.
- First Master’s Runner-up: Mr. Enes Kurt, recognized for his comparative carbon footprint analysis of industrial buildings, providing technical feasibility for sustainable construction.
- Second Master’s Runner-up: Mr. Diego Chiok, awarded for his autonomous rural electrification system in the Amazon, a high-impact social project for vulnerable contexts.
A Bridge Between Science and Finance
The event featured a keynote by Diana Carolina Flores de Casal (Chief Sustainability Officer at Grupo Avintia), who served on the jury alongside Francisco Ayuga (Professor at ETSIAAB-UPM and President of the Spanish Society of Agro-engineering). Flores de Casal emphasized how industrialization serves as the necessary efficiency engine for cross-cutting sustainability.
Under the leadership of Professor Justo García Navarro (UPM) and Martín Sanz (Nfq), and supported by the oversight committee—comprising Mercedes del Río, Roberto Rodríguez Gala, and Paula Adriana García—the Chair presented its strategic pillars: Biodiversity, AI applied to ESG, Net Zero, and Urban Transition. This roadmap seeks to consolidate the training model and enhance the visibility of research talent, reaffirming the Chair’s mission to continue driving sustainability as a catalyst for change.
