The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya · BarcelonaTech (UPC) is a public institution of research and higher education in the fields of engineering, architecture, sciences and technology, and one of the leading technical universities in Europe. Every year, more than 6,000 bachelor’s and master’s students and more than 500 doctoral students graduate.

Under the current Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020), to date the UPC has been granted 202 projects, coordinating 54 (10 of them are funded by the European Research Council). The UPC also has 46 projects (coordinating 7) funded by other European programmes. All of these projects have a total EU financial contribution of EUR 76,8 million. UPC-BarcelonaTech, coordinator and promoting entity of Energy Campus, is a modern university excelling in higher education and research, with a campus open to life and learning and totally committed with the sustainable development of the environment. UPC is aware of both its role in the socioeconomic development system and of the importance of being part, in a global world, of international alliances and consortiums in crosscutting areas such as energy. Therefore, UPC presents this project in collaboration with some of the most representative institutions of the Spanish scientific and technological scenario in this discipline: IREC and CIEMAT. UPC’s international vision along with its efforts focused on the energetic sector give as a result the coordination of the CC Iberia of the KIC InnoEnergy, where IREC and CIEMAT are also partners.

The strategic lines of this project are fully in tune with the frame set up by the regional, national and European policies, to be precise with the Lisbon Treaty (EU), the «Ley de Economía Sostenible» & “Estrategia Universidad 2015”  (Spanish Government) and the “Pacte Nacional per a la Recerca i la Innovació” (Government of Catalonia).

The Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC) was created on July 2008 and began its activities in January 2009. It is composed by 100 employees. Its mission is to become a Centre of excellence and an international benchmark organization in the energy sector, through research, technology development and innovation. The goal of its research activity is to contribute to the sustainable development of society and greater corporate competitiveness. Bearing in mind the principles that motivated the Institute’s creation, IREC has established a framework of reference based on scientific research, technology development and innovation.

The Institute has organized this knowledge into a research area on “Advanced Materials for Energy” and a Technology area on “Energy Efficiency: Systems, Communities and Buildings”. Each area has its own specialized research groups, responding to contemporary challenges in innovative research and technological development. The strategy of the Institute is based on the right balance between these activities, with a strong emphasis on the transfer of the research and development results towards industry. In SENSATE, the Solar Energy Materials and Systems (SEMS) Group leaded by Prof. Dr. Alejandro Pérez-Rodríguez is involved.