Within the Industrial Doctorate Plan (DI Plan), research does not stop at the border between academia and business, but is projected towards the most prestigious knowledge centers in the world. International stays, which many industrial doctoral students enjoy, are a strategic pillar for the training of the researcher in training, acting as a catalyst that transforms a doctoral thesis into a research project of global impact and applied scientific excellence.
This mobility provides a differential added value in areas such as academic excellence, facilitating the obtaining of international mention and collaborative work with global experts, which allows humanizing research and access to cutting-edge methodologies. Likewise, the exchange of knowledge promotes the transfer of high-level technology through the integration of innovative solutions that increase the competitiveness and technological independence of the Catalan company. Finally, this process of cultural and operational adaptation promotes the maturity of the researcher and opens the doors to future collaborations and international research consortia.
On this occasion we want to talk about the Digital Twins project, developed within the framework of the DI Plan, a clear example of how applied research can transform a strategic sector such as energy. The result of the collaboration between the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) and the company iGrid T&D , this initiative achieved an unusual milestone: transferring academic knowledge to a commercial product that already optimizes real electricity networks in Catalonia in record time.
The researcher Ignacio Glenny Crende , who led this research during his time as an industrial doctoral student at iGrid T&D, worked on the development of 'digital twins' to improve the observability of distribution networks. Although Ignacio is currently continuing his professional career in another entity, his link with the project and the original company allowed him to lay the foundations for a solution that is already optimizing real electricity networks in Catalonia. Under the academic supervision of Eduardo Prieto Araujo and Vinícius Albernaz Lacerda, and the industrial supervision of Yolanda Castellón (owner of iGrid T&D), Ignacio worked on a solution to allow the integration of renewable energies in a more efficient and safe way. To expand the information on the project, the Industrial Doctorate Plan (DI Plan) published an extensive report on this research that can be consulted on our website.
However, the training of excellence in an industrial doctorate is not only nourished by the university-company binomial, but also by openness to the world. In this interview, we talk to Ignacio Glenny about his four-month stay at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands, one of the most prestigious technological universities in Europe. From his collaboration with Professor Pedro Vergara to the challenge of managing paternity and research in an international environment, Ignacio reveals during the interview how the exchange of knowledge abroad has been the final engine for consolidating his professional and personal growth.
A commitment to internationalization and talent
– What were your motivations for going abroad during your doctorate?
– I already had a very positive experience during my master's degree when I visited the HTW in Berlin. On this occasion, I was interested in doing an international stay to obtain the international mention for my doctoral degree. When the opportunity arose to organize a stay at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), I didn't think twice. It is a leading technological university and I was very familiar with their work in my field of research: digital twins for electricity networks. In addition, my wife is Dutch, a factor that greatly facilitated the logistical organization in a real estate market as complex as the current one.
– How has the company iGrid facilitated this research stay?
– From the beginning, the company was open to the opportunity. We reviewed how the costs of the stay were balanced by resorting to the company's contribution to the project, since the mobility grant was insufficient for a four-month stay in the Netherlands. The most complex part was the management of intellectual property (IP), but we managed to define a line of work that did not compromise it. From there, everything was much simpler.
Adapting to the "biking" culture and Dutch efficiency
– How has your adaptation been to the culture of the country and the work dynamics in Delft?
– Having family ties has helped a lot, although until you settle in you don't assimilate certain aspects. The best known is the massive use of bicycles. Although at first the organization of bicycle traffic is intimidating, you quickly get used to it; those $20$ minutes of cycling every morning are very much appreciated. It's interesting to see parallels with driving in Spain, such as rush hours or the chaos when schools close. Even traffic is sometimes interrupted when they have to raise bridges over canals.
Regarding food, the main shock is the schedule and the lightness of the lunch. Lunch is usually eaten around 12:00 and in a very efficient way, usually a boterham (sandwich). In the work environment, the atmosphere at TU Delft is absolutely international. At CITCEA-UPC in Barcelona I am already used to diverse environments, but here the locals are, sometimes, an absolute minority, which makes the experience very enriching.
Impact on research, towards technological independence
– How has this experience contributed to your professional growth?
– One of the most notable aspects has been participating in events jointly organized by technical universities and electricity distribution companies. In the Netherlands there is a notable movement in favor of technological independence. Companies and universities work closely on the development of open source modeling and analysis tools.
Pedro Vergara, the professor who welcomed me to TU Delft, invited me to get involved in these projects from day one. I was surprised by the level of synchronization between organizations; it is a group and consistent collaboration that is rarely seen with such intensity. It has also been key to participate in the day-to-day running of the research group, since in Barcelona my experience was more entrepreneurial. Having so many people working on topics related to mine makes it easier to see new perspectives and opens the door to future collaborations.
– What technical challenges have you tackled during these months?
We have collaborated on the extension of the information model developed during my Industrial Doctorate to be able to consider dynamic models and simulations of the electrical system. Until now, the work has focused on static analyses, and the stay has served to lay the foundations for support for dynamic analysis. It has been very interesting to see how, despite working on common solutions, digital twin applications different from those we are developing at iGrid are prioritized.
Personal challenges and future learnings
– What have been the main obstacles you have had to overcome?
– The main challenge has been balancing guest research, doctoral thesis progress and company responsibilities not strictly related to the project. Remotely, coordination with supervisors requires more effort. In addition, we have had to manage a pregnancy and the change from the Spanish to the Dutch healthcare system, which has involved a lot of administrative work. Luckily, the family here has given us key support.
– How has your perception of the academic environment changed after this stay?
There is a much-needed demystification part. Collaborating with an institution like Delft allows you to humanize the process; the authors of the articles you read become people with a face and a voice. Now, in the last year of my PhD, the technical perspective of people I had not worked with has helped me a lot in organizing my thesis writing work.
– What are your expectations for the future once the project is completed?
– Personally, it has motivated me to try to participate in more international collaboration projects. In the short term, the focus is to finish my doctorate and become a father, but in the future I would like to facilitate experiences like mine to other researchers. I return to Spain with very interesting work and academic connections and, above all, with good friends. A commitment to innovation is a commitment to the future, and if it is combined with a real challenge from the industry, it is the ideal combination.
