The Higher Technical School of Engineering at the University of Seville received the 2026 City of Seville Medal on Saturday, May 30th, in the category of "Entrepreneurial Work and Sevillian Talent." The award, granted by the Seville City Council, recognizes the school's ongoing contribution to the educational, scientific, technological, and industrial development of the city, the province, and the region of Andalusia as a whole. The distinction also extends to the nine student associations of the ETSi, which are considered benchmarks of young Sevillian talent and university innovation.

The announcement of the awarding of this prize was made by the mayor of Seville José Luis Sanz, and approved by the plenary session within the Honors and Distinctions that the institution grants on the occasion of the feast of Saint Ferdinand. Sanz highlighted as motivation for this recognition “the the trajectory of the ETSi and the strategic role it plays as an engine of knowledge, innovation and connection with the Andalusian business and industrial fabric.”.

The awarding of this medal coincides with the 60th anniversary of the School's academic activity, which formally began in the 1966/67 academic year with the implementation of Industrial Engineering studies, within the framework of a program promoted by the OECD to boost the industrial development of Andalusia. Since then, the ETSI has trained more than 20,000 engineers and has established itself as one of the leading engineering training centers in Spain. 

Currently, the School boasts one of the broadest and most specialized engineering academic offerings in the Andalusian university system, comprising 8 undergraduate degrees, 5 Academic Programs with Successive Tracks (PARS), 12 university master's degrees—both professional and specialized—, 2 double master's degrees, and 4 doctoral programs in strategic engineering fields. Its degree programs are particularly noteworthy in industrial, aeronautical, telecommunications, chemical, energy, electronic, robotics, industrial organization, civil, canal and port, and space systems engineering, all of which are accredited and tailored to the needs of emerging productive and technological sectors.

Internationalization is also one of the ETSi's main strategic priorities. The School maintains mobility agreements with leading universities in Europe and other countries, as well as numerous international dual degree programs that allow students to simultaneously obtain a degree from the University of Seville and from prestigious foreign institutions such as the Politecnico di Milano, Cranfield University, or the French Écoles Centrales. These programs strengthen students' international profile and foster the development of highly qualified professionals in a globalized environment. 

Throughout these six decades, the ETSI has played a decisive role in knowledge generation, technology transfer, and strengthening the relationship between university, business, and industry. Its connection with Sevilla TechPark, the largest technology park in Spain by volume of activity, has contributed to promoting a benchmark innovative ecosystem, to which the School contributes talent, research and technological development capacity. 

The ETSI's close connection with industry is also reflected in the nearly twenty company-sponsored chairs coordinated by the School, developed in partnership with leading companies and institutions in sectors such as energy, aerospace, automotive, telecommunications, digitalization, cybersecurity, and infrastructure, among others. These alliances allow students to receive training connected to the realities of industry, promote innovation projects, and foster internships, scholarships, employability, and knowledge transfer in virtually all areas of engineering.

The candidacy of the ETSi and its student associations was promoted by Sevilla TechPark and supported by more than 90 institutions and companies in the area, who wanted to recognize the sustained contribution of the School to the scientific, industrial and economic progress of Seville and Andalusia.

The municipal recognition also highlights the work carried out by the ETSI student associations: ARUS Andalucía Racing, ESIBot, ESTIEM, EUROAVIA Sevilla, eUSRacing, Coheteros, VANTUS, RETSI, and FyCUS. These organizations promote projects related to automotive engineering, robotics, aeronautics, space exploration, and entrepreneurship, in addition to representing the University of Seville and the city in national and international competitions and forums.

Student associations are also an essential element in the university life of the ETSi, contributing to the acquisition of transversal skills, the promotion of STEM vocations among pre-university students and the external projection of the University of Seville as a benchmark in innovation and technological training.

With this City Medal, Seville recognizes the Higher Technical School of Engineering of the University of Seville and its student associations as a strategic institution for the economic, scientific and social development of Andalusia, as well as one of the main exponents of the talent, innovation and transformative capacity of Sevillian engineering.