The Official College of Telecommunications Engineers (COIT) and the Spanish Association of Telecommunications Engineers (AEIT) held the awards ceremony for Excellence in Telecommunications Engineering on June 6th, in its 45th edition.

These awards annually recognize the best Master's Final Projects (TFM), Doctoral Theses (TD) and Academic Trajectories in the field of telecommunications engineering, and are already a consolidated reference for promoting young talent in the technology sector.

This year, the call for applications has had a high level of participation: 22 doctoral theses, 42 master's theses and 11 academic trajectories, from 20 universities throughout Spain.

189 evaluations have been carried out with the collaboration of more than one hundred academic and professional experts.

The 45th edition of the Awards for Excellence in Telecommunications Engineering, granted by the Official College and the Spanish Association of Telecommunications Engineers (COIT-AEIT), has recognized the talent of three representatives from the Higher Technical School of Engineering (ETSi) of the University of Seville in its main categories.

The CBNK Award for Best Master's Thesis in Cybersecurity Applied to Businesses has been awarded to Roberto Lama Rodríguez, a student in the Master's Program in Telecommunications Engineering at the ETSi (School of Telecommunications Engineering), for his work "Industrial Cybersecurity Master Plan: Application to an Electrical Substation," supervised by Alejandro Carballar Rincón, Professor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Seville. This project addresses cybersecurity in industrial environments, with a particular focus on electrical substations. Based on the analysis of a real-world installation, a Cybersecurity Master Plan is developed through a study of the current state, risk analysis, and the proposal of mitigation measures. Solutions such as IDS (Intelligent Dispatch Systems) and SIEM (Search Engine Information Systems) are also evaluated, and a simulated environment is implemented where attacks based on the MITRE ATT&CK matrix are launched to validate the designed security architecture. The work lays the foundation for a robust framework for protecting critical infrastructure.

Similarly, Manuel Jerez González, a student in the same master's program as his award-winning colleague and also under the supervision of Professor Carballar, has been awarded the COIT-AEIT Prize for Best Master's Thesis in Fundamentals and Basic Technologies of Information and Communications, and their Applications for his project “Fiber Optic Sensors for Radiometry Measurements in Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Applications.” This work presents the development of a radiometer based on fiber optics and a photodetector capable of measuring solar irradiance and concentrated flux in solar installations. The device stands out for its high sensitivity, fast response, low cost, and modular design, and has been validated under various conditions, including solar simulators, demonstrating its potential as an efficient alternative to commercial equipment.

In the category of Best Academic Record in Telecommunications Engineering, the Huawei Award has been given to Enrique Sánchez Cardoso, also from the University of Seville, in recognition of his academic excellence throughout his studies. A native of Mairena del Alcor (Seville), he completed his primary education at CEIP San Bartolomé, IES María Inmaculada, and IES Los Alcores, where he graduated with highest honors. He then earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Telecommunications Engineering from the Higher Technical School of Engineering at the University of Seville, receiving the Extraordinary End-of-Studies Award in both programs. His unwavering commitment to technology and learning has been recognized nationally through his impeccable academic record.

In this 45th edition of the Awards for Excellence in Telecommunications Engineering, the COIT-AEIT (Official Association of Telecommunications Engineers of Spain) has granted a total of twelve awards across its three main categories, recognizing high-impact work in areas such as cybersecurity, sustainability, satellite communications, artificial intelligence, and human-centered engineering. The winning universities come from all over Spain, highlighting the high level of education and research at the national level. The University of Seville was one of the most recognized institutions in this edition, with awards in each of the main categories, reaffirming its commitment to academic excellence, technological innovation, and the training of highly qualified professionals in the field of telecommunications engineering.