IK4-IKERLAN has signed a collaboration agreement with the prestigious ETH Zürich University (Switzerland) to co-operate on R&D relating to power electronics, one of the most important fields in the Centre’s activity. Specifically, the field in which the two organisations will be working together is the wireless transmission of energy. Through this agreement IK4-IKERLAN aims to consolidate its support for the training of and recognition of the talent of the people who make up the Centre, while intensifying its commitment to open innovation based on collaboration with other organisations.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Swiss centre by Prof. Dr Johann Walter Kolar, the head of the organisation’s Department of Power Electronic Systems. He is an international authority in this field and has a whole host of distinctions: for his research he has received distinctions from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and from Power Conversion Intelligent Motion (PCIM), and also from the ETH of Zürich and the University of Canterbury for his contributions in the academic field as well as his activities to promote spin-offs.
The collaboration with this prestigious school will help to strengthen the commitment that IK4-IKERLAN has made towards the field of power electronics to develop cutting-edge technology and applications in various sectors in which the Basque economy has a leading position.
The first step the two organisations have agreed on provides for a stay at the Swiss university of the IK4-IKERLAN researcher Ugaitz Iruretagoyena, who will be exploring the possibilities of the wireless transmission of energy.
During his stay at the Centre Iruretagoyena will be conducting research into methods to transmit energy without contact, in other words, ones that do not require leads. This technology could have applications in a whole range of areas, in particular in those relating to transport. Specifically, this IK4-IKERLAN researcher will be attached to the power electronics systems laboratory as a PhD student and will be studying power transmission systems for electric vehicles by means of high-power induction.
About IK4-IKERLAN
IK4-IKERLAN is a leading centre in technology transfer and in the contribution of competitive value to companies, thanks to its capacity to offer comprehensive solutions by combining various technological domains. This is possible due to its high degree of expertise in six major areas: embedded systems, power electronics, microtechnologies, energy efficiency and storage, mechatronics and advanced manufacturing.