Arturo Azcorra receives the Fermina Orduña Award

The current Secretary General of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures and former director of IMDEA Networks has received this recognition for his contributions to technological innovation

01 March 2023

Arturo Azcorra, current Secretary General of Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures and former director of IMDEA Networks, has received the Fermina Orduña Technology Innovation Award for his contributions to the 5G control system. The President of the Community of Madrid Isabel Díaz Ayuso presented him with the award yesterday, February 28, at the Real Casa de Correos, where the Margarita Salas, Miguel Catalán, and Julián Marías Research Awards were also presented.

“I am truly passionate about science and technology. And, therefore, this recognition of my career in technological innovation means a great deal to me,” he said during his speech. Azcorra also thanked his colleagues in his working group both at UC3M and IMDEA Networks, and the research support services: “Their work is little recognized and it is really essential for researchers to be able to successfully carry out our work”. And, of course, he expressed his gratitude to his family and to the Community of Madrid. Specifically, and in relation to the latter, he stressed the importance of “maintaining the determined and continuous policy of promoting technological innovation and science”. “This policy places our community in what is called Pasteur’s quadrant, because what it does is to combine a science directed by excellence and relevance, which is the most that can be said of a research policy,” he concluded.

The researcher is one of the main creators of European 5G technology, forming part of the group of experts in charge of designing the strategy for R&D in this technology, as well as its deployment and implementation. Beyond his leadership role in this field, his work as director of IMDEA Networks stands out with contributions that have had a great socio-economic impact and the protocols and solutions he has designed have been incorporated into standards or have given rise to commercial products.

On the other hand, he co-founded the 5TONIC research laboratory together with David del Val (CEO of Teléfonica I+D). This initiative brings together the main industrial players in the Spanish 5G ecosystem (Ericsson, Intel, Capgemini, and Commscope, among others), as well as academic partners, and aims to combine the efforts of its members to develop and deploy 5G solutions. 5TONIC has contributed to place Spain at the forefront of Europe in the development of 5G technology, proof of which is that it has been the only site present in the three main European 5G infrastructures and that Spain is the second European country (only behind Germany) in receiving European R&D funds for 5G.

Hence it has been awarded the Fermina Orduña prize, which recognizes the work, successes, and innovative attitude of people who have been linked throughout their professional careers to the Community of Madrid and who have managed to significantly promote and implement technological innovation in the productive and business fabric, or are currently doing so.