The CÁTEDRA SICE – Innovative Technologies Applied to Infrastructure Management has announced the winners of the third edition of the Cátedra SICE Awards (2026), which recognise academic excellence, innovation, and technological development in engineering projects addressing some of the key challenges facing modern infrastructure.
Following the evaluation of all submissions in accordance with the criteria established in the call for applications, the SICE–University of Zaragoza Joint Committee, which oversees the Chair, has selected the winners in the two award categories.
In the Best Bachelor’s Thesis (TFG) category, the award has been granted ex aequo to Hugo Mateo Trejo, from the University of Zaragoza, for his project “Adaptation of a Distributed Real-Time Database for a Mass Transportation Infrastructure Control System (SIDERA SCADA)”, and to Antonio Maqueda Acal, from the University of Seville, for his work “Real-Time Traffic Prediction Using Graph Neural Networks”. The award was shared after both projects achieved the same evaluation score and demonstrated an equally high level of technical excellence.
The Best Master’s Thesis (TFM) award was presented to Víctor Manuel Ramos Meléndez, from the Universitat Politècnica de València, for his project “Assessment of Conventional Roads to Improve the Operation of SAE Level 2 Autonomous Vehicles: Application to the CV-35 Road”. His research focuses on improving operating conditions for automated vehicles on conventional road infrastructure.
This third edition once again highlighted the outstanding quality of the submissions received, both in terms of academic rigour and their practical application to real-world infrastructure challenges. The winning projects address highly relevant topics, including digitalisation, artificial intelligence, advanced traffic management, and the evolution of intelligent transportation systems.
Promoted by the CÁTEDRA SICE – Innovative Technologies Applied to Infrastructure Management, these awards aim to encourage research and technological innovation in the field of infrastructure management while recognising the talent of students developing solutions that can contribute to safer, more efficient and more sustainable infrastructures. The competition is open to engineering students from universities across Spain who have completed Bachelor’s or Master’s thesis projects related to innovative technologies applied to areas such as smart mobility, transportation systems, tunnels and tolling, water management, renewable energy, telecommunications, security, and smart urban services.
The awards also foster the application of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, cybersecurity, and information and communication technologies to infrastructure management, helping to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry.
The Cátedra SICE would like to thank all participants for their interest in this year’s edition and warmly congratulate the award winners, as well as all students who submitted their work. The high number of applications received and the exceptional standard of the projects presented reflect the remarkable talent within Spanish universities and reinforce the role of these awards in promoting innovation, applied research, and the development of new solutions for the infrastructures of the future.
