The Master Battery Chair - Polytechnic University of Madrid celebrates one year of activity in training, research and knowledge transfer
Madrid, 19 December 2025 - The Master Battery Chair - Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) has completed its first year of operation with training, research and knowledge transfer activities in energy storage, with a special focus on battery technologies and collaboration between universities and industry.
Created through an agreement signed on 13 September 2024, the Chair is the result of collaboration between the UPM and the Spanish company Master Battery, with the aim of promoting technical and scientific knowledge in energy storage and fostering links between the university and industry.
The Chair is based at the Higher Technical School of Engineering and Industrial Design (ETSIDI) in Madrid. It is headed by Professor E.U. Julio Amador. The Monitoring Committee includes Professor Alberto Abanades on behalf of the UPM and Miguel Manjón and Alfredo Gutiérrez on behalf of Master Battery.
A year marked by academic activity and social outreach
In the field of training with social impact, the Master Battery - UPM Chair has collaborated with the NGO CESAL on a technical training day linked to the Course on Basic Operations in the Assembly and Maintenance of Renewable Energy Installations. The initiative, aimed at young people in vulnerable situations, combined theoretical and practical training with equipment provided by Master Battery, and is part of projects focused on employability and social inclusion, with the support of Iberdrola, UNICEF and the Community of Madrid.
At the same time, the Chair held its first technical conference, entitled ‘Contribution of BESS battery storage to the flexibility and resilience of the electricity grid’, at ETSIDI-UPM. The meeting brought together experts from academia and the energy sector, with the participation of Jesús Palma (IMDEA Energía) and Marcos Lafoz (CIEMAT), and provided an opportunity to analyse the role of battery storage systems in the stability and operation of electricity grids.
Promoting research into emerging technologies
One of the strategic priorities during the first year of the Master Battery – UPM Chair has been the launch of a line of basic research focused on analysing the state of the art in sodium-ion batteries, an emerging technology with high potential for energy storage. This work, carried out by Marcos Lafoz and Jorge Nájera (CIEMAT), together with Alberto Abanades and Julio Amador (UPM), analyses the degree of industrial maturity and the main technical, economic and environmental characteristics of this technology.
According to the authors, sodium-ion batteries offer significant advantages in terms of sustainability, safety and availability of raw materials, making them a complementary alternative to lithium-ion-based technologies for stationary and grid storage applications. The results of this study lay the foundations for future research and industrial applications, and will be presented publicly during the first quarter of next year.
Supporting talent and academic excellence
The Master Battery - UPM Chair has reinforced its commitment to advanced training by creating two awards for the best Master's Theses, aimed at students of the Master's Degree in Energy Engineering and the Master's Degree in Continuing Education in Renewable Energy and the Environment (ERMA Master's Degree). This initiative recognises academic excellence and encourages research into energy storage technologies.
The Chair has also sponsored technical visits by students from both master's programmes to the Master Battery and Ciudadenergía facilities, facilitating direct contact with the industrial environment and strengthening the connection between academic training and business reality.
Technological resources and university-business collaborationa
As part of its commitment to practical training and knowledge transfer, Master Battery has donated specialised technological equipment to the UPM for teaching, research and dissemination activities, thereby strengthening the applied dimension of the Chair and university-business collaboration.
Future plans
The results of the first year confirm the Master Battery - UPM Chair as a solid and growing initiative with the capacity to generate academic, industrial and social impact. Looking ahead to the coming years, the Chair will continue to expand its research activities and equipment transfers, strengthening collaboration between the energy sector and academia, and promoting new training and outreach activities that contribute to advancing energy storage in the transition to renewable energies and sustainable development.
About Master Battery
Master Battery is a Spanish company with international reach, specialising in smart energy storage systems and battery manufacturing, based in Móstoles (Madrid). The company promotes solutions focused on energy efficiency, sustainability and decarbonisation, and develops ESG actions through initiatives such as Ciudadenergía, promoting energy culture and social awareness. It also maintains close collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Madrid through the Master Battery - UPM Chair, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and knowledge transfer.
