María Iraburu, university president: “An ethical perspective—which is a commitment to the common good—must be present from the very beginning of everything.”

Tecnun, the School of Engineering at the University of Navarraheld its official opening of the academic year academic year 26-27 yesterday. In the presence of academic, institutional, and business leaders, the school welcomed the 350 master’s students and 140 doctoral students enrolled at its campuses in San Sebastián and Madrid.

The president of the University of Navarra, María Iraburu, presided over the ceremony alongside Francis Planes, the director of the Student Union ( Tecnun); Tomás Gómez-Acebo, the Deputy Director ; Nere Gil-Negrete, the deputy director of Academic Affairs ; and Bakartxo Tejería, the president of the Basque Parliament. Nagore Gil, the director of the Communications Office, hosted the ceremony.

The university president, María Iraburu, encouraged students to broaden their horizons beyond their own interests, since a true university mindset allows for specialization to coexist with a broad perspective on the world.

 “We must all be particularly sensitive to the ethical dimension and the new dilemmas that technology raises. An ethical perspective—which is a commitment to the common good—must be present from the very beginning, so that we may approach these issues with the proper perspective.” 

Francis Planes, the “ director ” of Tecnun, highlighted the academic center’s 65-year history, during which more than 11,000 alumni have passed through its classrooms—7,000 of whom were from Gipuzkoa—reflecting its “strong roots in Gipuzkoa” and its “clear commitment to serving the region.” In light of advances in Artificial Intelligence, the “ director ” (Dean of Engineering) emphasized the need to train engineers with a solid technical foundation who are capable of preserving the human dimension of technology. He also noted that Tecnun “is working on new degree programs tailored to the needs of the Basque Country and the region’s demand for talent” and highlighted the renovation of the “ campus ” in San Sebastián as a cornerstone of the University of Navarra’s Strategy 25-30.

 

“The renovation of the San Sebastián “ campus ” is an ambitious “ project ” project that aims to create the spaces needed to make us a technological leader in artificial intelligence applied to engineering.” 

The inaugural lecture, titled“Javier García de Jalón and University-Business Collaboration,”was delivered by Germán Giménez, position , former director of research and development at CAF and Full Professor at the university.

“Javier was one of those professors and researchers who leave an indelible mark, not only on his students, but also on those of us who were fortunate enough to meet him, work with him, and learn from his approach to teaching and research.”

 

submission the “Javier García de Jalón” and “project Sustainable” awards

Drs . Jesús de la source and Álvaro Urain were named “ submission ” of the “Javier García de Jalón” Research Awards. These awards pay tribute to Professor Javier García de Jalón, who passed away in 2025, and recognize talent, excellence, and a commitment to research, as stated by Nagore Gil, the event’s master of ceremonies and director of communications at Tecnun.

Alvaro Urain with his thesis director , Roc Berenger.

Jesús de la source with thesis advisors Mikel Hernáez and Idoia Ochoa.

The award-winning projects were supervised—in the case of Álvaro Urain—by professors Roc Berenguer and David del Río, and—in the case of Jesús de la source —by Idoia Ochoa and Mikel Hernáez. In addition, the undergraduate thesis Degree and master’s theses of former students María Peña and Lucía Albisua on subject sustainability were recognized. 

María Peña, during the " submission " event at the award project Sostenible.

Lucía Albisua during the " submission " (New Perspectives) event at the " award " (project ) on sustainable development.

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report Tecnun 2025–26 School Year

Álvaro Urain: award Javier García de Jalón 2026

Jesús de la source: award Javier García de Jalón 2026