News

The presentation of the Chair took place during the conference "Renewable Fuels: Key toDecarbonisation and Energy Sustainability" at the university’s Puerta de Toledo Campus. The event was presided over by Antonio Brufau, CEO of Repsol, and Ángel Arias, the UC3M Rector.

At the event, the Rector argued that public universities must foster "a multicultural community focused on the major challenges of today's world, establishing alliances with key stakeholders at the local, national, and global levels." He also stated that they must be "committed to the environment and the Sustainable Development Goals." Regarding the University Carlos III of Madrid, he noted that "it is committed to promoting environmental sustainability, embracing interdisciplinary global agendas for knowledge." Finally, he thanked Repsol for joining "this important research project for its strategic potential in promoting knowledge for the benefit of society" and emphasised "the necessary collaboration between institutions and companies to establish knowledge alliances with universities, with the aim of fostering a positive transformation in Europe."

In his opening remarks, Antonio Brufau, CEO of Repsol, said that "the creation of this Chair has special significance, not only because of the need to support and strengthen rigorous, scientific debate on energy and the energy transition, but also because of the importance of collaboration between industry and academia in addressing the challenges of that transition."

The session continued with a discussion on "The role of the university in research and dissemination regarding renewable fuels" between the Chair's two co-directors, Antonio Soria and Andrés Anca, professors in the Department of Thermal and Fluid Engineering at UC3M, in which they discussed the Chair's main lines of research.

The event also featured a speech by Magda Kopczynska, Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, who addressed the key to a sustainable future and the importance of researching carbon-neutral fuels to achieve it.

During the day, a round table was held on "The future of carbon-neutral fuels: innovation and sustainability", with the participation of Adriana Orejas, Director of Industrial Transformation at Repsol Technology Lab, Eric van den Heuvel, Executive Committee Technical Coordinator for Bioenergy at the International Energy Agency, and Patrik Klintbom, President of the European Technology and Innovation Platform, ETIP Bioenergy, and senior researcher at the Swedish Research Institute, RIS.

The event concluded with a speech by Valero Marín, General Manager of the Customer Division at Repsol.

UC3M Chair of Renewable Fuels 

The "Renewable Fuels" Chair aims to foster greater knowledge about renewable fuels, encouraging the implementation of renewable fuels to contribute to a net-zero emissions future.

This Chair seeks to provide a forum for dissemination, research, and debate to address recent advances in carbon-neutral fuel production technologies; their development potential, current technological and economic barriers, research opportunities, and the policies and regulations needed to foster the development of renewable fuels.

The Chair is directed by Antonio Soria and Andrés Anca, professor and associate lecturer at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, respectively.

The main research areas are renewable fuels and their evolution, advanced biofuels, and synthetic fuels or e-fuels. In addition, a Renewable Fuels Observatory will be established to conduct a scientific and technological analysis of the Chair's areas of knowledge.