The joint master’s programme in Battery Technology launched by leading power company PowerCo together with the University of Valencia (UV) and the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) is emerging as a pioneering model of university–industry collaboration. As one of the core partners of COVE SEED, UPV Vice-Rector Elena de la Poza (Employability, Lifelong Learning and Languages) brings an educator’s perspective, actively advancing deep cooperation between universities and industry, and has been directly involved in the comprehensive design of the master’s curriculum and related components, ensuring the programme closely aligns with regional industrial needs and serves real-world business contexts. The collaboration among three parties integrates training, research, and knowledge transfer, providing a replicable framework for cultivating high-calibre talent for the new energy sector. This initiative will also inject fresh momentum into Europe’s sustainable energy talent ecosystem, which is also one of the ultimate targets of COVE SEED.
UPV Rector Pepe Capilla said the model aligns curricula with real industry needs, opens new research avenues, and strengthens applied teaching—producing talent that drives innovation and competitiveness across the Valencian Community.
He also underlined the university’s role in workforce upskilling and knowledge transfer, noting that the joint involvement of faculty and students shows how universities, companies and public bodies can co-build a robust, repeatable innovation ecosystem—relevant to areas such as AI, semiconductors and renewables.
Minister Diana Morant highlighted the Sagunto battery initiative as a generator of quality jobs for the region and stressed that major industrial projects now follow talent.
UV Rector Mavi Mestre said the alliance unites two leading public universities with a major company, tightening the link between education, training and employability, and creating real opportunities for students and the regional economy.
Nadine Ilgenstein, Director of Learning, Development and Culture at PowerCo, noted that students will study across both universities in a hybrid format and complete paid internships at PowerCo, to hire high-potential graduates—underscoring a strong commitment to talent, innovation and long-term employability.
The UPV–PowerCo partnership has advanced through the PowerCo–UPV Chair (launched in February 2024), tailored training for plant personnel (classrooms and an adapted hangar), and the co-design of this inter-university master’s with coordinated content from UPV, UV and PowerCo. With this degree, UPV reaffirms its commitment to training specialized talent in strategic technologies, consolidating its role as an engine of innovation and industrial growth in the Valencian Community and beyond.