Expertise

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is among the best universities in the world in terms of employability,

according to the Times Higher Education (THE) Global University Employability Ranking 2021, which identifies

the universities that best prepare their students to enter the job market. Specifically, it is the second Spanish public

university, occupying 138th place in the world (up 19 places compared to last year). 93.4% of UC3M graduates

find employment in their first year as graduates and their overall satisfaction is very positive (96.6% would

recommend studying at the University), according to the 24th Study of Professional Insertion of UC3M

Graduates.

UC3M is a Spanish public university that excels in research, teaching and innovation. It is among the 35 best

universities in the world in the QS Top 50 Under 50 ranking and is among the best universities in the world in 14

academic fields, according to the Shanghai 2021 ranking by subject. UC3M has numerous accreditations and

quality distinctions, such as the EUR-ACE seal in the field of engineering and the AACSB accreditation in

business and finance programmes, among others. It has exchange agreements with universities in 56 countries on

5 continents. In addition, the University participates in international networks of excellence such as YERUN

(Young European Research Universities) or the European alliance YUFE (Young Universities for the Future of

Europe).

At European level, the UC3M, throughout the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, has attracted a total of

66.23 million euros through 147 projects, 24 of them coordinated. According to the IUNE 2021 Observatory

report on Research Activity in Spanish Universities (2010-2019 data), UC3M is among the top Spanish

universities in terms of the number of projects per professor in both the H2020 Framework Programme and the

National Plan. In terms of industrial transfer, the report highlights that UC3M ranks second in Spain in the number

of national patents per permanent lecturer in 2019, and is third in income from R&D contracts and consultancies

per lecturer.

Participation in EU Projects and International Activities

UC3M has an extensive portfolio of projects in the automotive sector, both at scientific and industrial levels, with

experienced researchers in the field. Professor Fernando Garcia, main contact with EARPA, is leader in the

development of perception technologies in the automotive sector, developing projects and patents as project

leader with Renault France, and BOSH Germany, as well as being one of the active members of the team

developing the first certified level 5 automobile in Spain, developed by the UC3M. He is also one of the directors

of the IEEE-Intelligent Transportation Systems Society.

Some of the most relevant projects of the UC3M related to the automotive sector developed in recent years, with

international relevance, are:

● SHOW. SHared automation Operating models for Worldwide adoption, EU-funded project within the H2020

framework. SHOW project comprises real-life urban demonstrations of autonomous driving technologies

taking place in 20 cities in Europe for 24 months. UC3M is a subcontractor of the Spanish partner EMT

(public transport entity in Madrid), developing the perception suite of their autonomous bus. 1 January 2020

- 31 December 2023.

● LABYRINTH. EU Funded Project with the H2020 framework, with the objective of creating and validating

new swarm drone applications to enhance safety, security, and efficiency in the civil system transport,

through the research and development of drone swarming. UC3M is a partner of the project. 1 June 2020- 31

May 2023.

● R3CAV. Research on technologies and architectures for the development of new autonomous, connected,

robust, reliable, and resilient vehicles. Project funded by Renault and the Spanish Government. UC3M is a

subcontractor of Renault for the development of the perception pipeline of autonomous vehicles. 1 January

2022-31 December 2023.

● DAEMON. EU Funded Project with the H2020 framework aiming to bring the gap between artificial and

network intelligence. 1 January 2021-31 December 2023.

● NewControl (Integrated, Fail-Operational, Cognitive Perception, Planning and Control Systems for Highly

Automated Vehicles). Funded by the EU within the framework of H2020-ECSEL. NewControl will develop and deliver virtualized platforms for each vehicular sub-system essential to autonomous operation at SAE

Level 3+. UC3M is one of the partners of the project. 1 April 2019 -31 December 2022.

● 5Growth. EU Funded Project with the H2020 framework. project designed to empower vertical industries

such as Industry 4.0, Transportation, and Energy with an AI-driven Automated and Sharable 5G End-to-End

Solution that will allow these industries to simultaneously achieve their respective key performance targets.

1 June 2019-28 February 2022.

● Cities Timanfaya. Funded by the Timanfaya Government. First autonomous vehicle level 5 vehicle certified,

deployed in Timanfaya National Park in the Canary Islands and developed by University Carlos III de

Madrid. November 2018-May 2021.

● Project Tornado (Renault France). UC3M was one of the subcontractors (development of the perception

framework) in the project that developed the autonomous vehicle in France during the period 2018-2020.

● 5G IN Fire. EU Funded Project with the H2020 framework which aims to test and develop 5G technologies

in different fields where road transport has an important role, including autonomous driving applications. 1

January 2017-31 December 2019.

Other projects related to robotics and autonomous driving:

● BADGER. The main objective of the project is the design and development of the autonomous underground

robotic system that can drill, maneuver, localize, map and navigate in the underground space. 1 January 2017

- 30 June 2020.

● INDIRES. Funded by the European Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS). The project addresses the

crucial issue of rapidly acquiring and providing information, which is a key necessity in the effective response

to a serious mining incident. 2018-2021.

The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is among the most successful Spanish organizations in Horizon

2020 (H2020), the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, which came to an end last year.

These results were recently published in a report about the participation of Spanish organizations in H2020 by

the Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDIT, in its Spanish acronym) at the Spanish Ministry

of Science, Innovation and Universities. The UC3M ranks among the most prominent Spanish universities for

economic return in H2020, regardless of the institutions’ size.

Furthermore, the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid is a public, young (founded in 1989), medium size university,

international oriented, committed to innovation and excellence in all its missions: teaching, research and

entrepreneurial university.

The UC3M has 22.913 students, being similar in size to some of the major European universities, such as Paris

II, Uppsala, Maastricht, Tilburg, Cambridge and Oxford. 22.9% of students at UC3M are foreign. This proportion

is notably higher at both master’s (30.85%) and doctoral (45%) levels and 51% of UC3M graduates have

participated in international mobility programmes.

The UC3M has 2.178 teachers and researchers (14% of teachers are foreigners) organized in 136 research groups

and 27 Academic Departments, distributed among the corresponding School of Engineering, School of Law and

Social Sciencies, School of Humanities, Communication and Library Science, School of Graduate Studies and a

Doctoral School. The UC3M has four campuses located in the municipalities of Getafe, Leganés, and

Colmenarejo, and in the heart of Madrid at Puerta de Toledo.

In November 2021, UC3M has been the first European University awarded with the dual seal Entrepreneurial

and Engaged University of the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities (ACCEU).