“Siemens Energy AI Chair. Energy Sustainability for a Decarbonized Society 5.0” a chair at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) aims to enhance research, development, and innovation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) from a multidisciplinary perspective focused on energy sustainability for a decarbonized 5.0 society. This initiative seeks to address the complex and multifaceted system of sustainable and healthy environments. It is committed to fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and the creation of an ecosystem that attracts, retains, and nurtures talent within this unique multidisciplinary space.
The objective defined in this application is to establish a newly created university-business chair in Artificial Intelligence, with a focus on international collaboration, at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. The chair's activities will be directed towards research, dissemination, and training in AI, as well as its application and interaction with other areas of knowledge. Specifically, the “Siemens Energy AI Chair - Energy Sustainability for a Decarbonized Society 5.0” is associated with the thematic area of AI and Sustainable Development, as outlined in the call, and is also relevant to the area of AI and Agriculture through one of the two defined use cases.
The chair proposes the following objectives:
OBJECTIVE 1: Develop a research plan featuring lines of inquiry that are scientifically and technically viable and aligned with the Coordinated Plan for Artificial Intelligence proposed by the European Union:
- Smart and microgrids and energy islands.
- Green hydrogen.
- Strategic management of energy production and distribution.
- Application in precision agriculture environments and sustainable smart cities.
OOBJECTIVE 2: Address the shortage of graduates and ICT professionals, with a focus on promoting female talent, through:
- Adapting academic programs to include training in AI.
- Enhancing coordination between higher education institutions and the workforce through upskilling and reskilling programs.
OBJECTIVE 3: Generate a comprehensive range of studies focusing on the intersection of AI, energy, and sustainability in response to the current lack of technological diversity. This will:
- Support the development of AI across various fields of application.
- Encourage interdisciplinary studies that contribute to a richer technological ecosystem with diverse perspectives.
OBJECTIVE 4: Promote a structure of interdisciplinary and inter-university academic cooperation that consolidates a national community and facilitates international exchanges, with an emphasis on innovative and entrepreneurial training.
TRANSVERSAL OBJECTIVE: Introduce and explore social challenges related to AI through its most technological studies (technological humanism in the context of digitalization), serving as a transversal objective.
