Five Spanish projects aimed at reducing fuel poverty were included in the final stage of the “Social innovation to tackle fuel poverty” European programme

• The projects presented by the Ecology and Development Foundation (ECODES), Environmental Science Association (ACA), and Tomillo Foundation, Aeioluz and Trama TecnoAmbiental are alongside top Greek, German, Italian, and Portuguese initiatives in the European finals; winners will be announced at the COP23
• The “Social Innovation to Tackle Fuel Poverty” project initiated last year by Ashoka and the Schneider Electric Foundation, and this year in collaboration with Enel, as well as Endesa in Spain and Portugal, assesses the potential social impact of programmes and their medium- and long-term projects.

The Endesa Foundation and the Pontificia Comillas University ICAI-ICADE held the I Endesa Foundation’s Scholarship and Prize ceremony, which celebrated the official awarding of Academic Excellence Scholarships to 32 students from this university who met the economic and academic requisites set forth in the programme regulations. During the scholarship recipient Selection Committee meeting held at the beginning of October, 32 excellent students were designated recipients, 15 of which corresponding to renewals for students from the Economics, Business and Law schools (ICADE) and the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ICAI), with another 17 new grants. 

During the meeting, Academic Excellence awards were also given to the five 2017 graduates with the most outstanding academic records. Each of these awards includes 10,000 euros to be used for post-graduate training at a recognised prestigious university. 

During the meeting, the University Chancellor Julio L. Martínez, SJ, and the CEO of Endesa and the Endesa Foundation, Borja Prado, officially bestowed the prizes and scholarships. In the words of Julio L. Martínez, SJ, “it is likely that there is no better way to prepare the future of society than this type of support”, to describe the agreement. Borja Prado stressed the Foundation’s commitment to fostering academic excellence at universities through scholarships and awards. “This agreement fosters the Endesa Foundation’s commitment to higher education hand in hand with a baseline university such as Pontificia Comillas University ICAI-ICADE. We are delighted to move forward along this path which encourages the development of talent of young university students”.

The Endesa Foundation

The Endesa Foundation, presided by Borja Prado, has a clear commitment to social development which is reflected in its educational projects, workplace training, and commitment to the environment and cultural activities. 

It boosts educational projects through initiatives which transform and innovate education at all levels, while also fostering academic excellence at universities through grants, scholarships, and lecture series. 

It carries out employment training programmes focused on talent promotion, and aimed at individuals at the risk of social exclusion, young entrepreneurs with few resources, and professionals over the age of 50. 

It fosters environmental initiatives linked to education on ecology and the promotion of energy efficiency. It also contemplates projects designed to reduce the environmental effects of industrial areas within the scope of the Endesa Foundation’s commitments. 

Lastly, the Foundation’s other key focus is to grant visibility to national treasures of artistic and historic value, as well as the promotion, recovery and conservation of art and culture.