Madrid, 1 February 2023

Competition terms and conditions

The Naturgy Foundation is a non-profit institution founded in 1992 by Naturgy to educate and raise awareness in society of improvements in energy efficiency and technological innovation in the energy sector.

As part of its commitment to promote research and innovation in the field of energy, the Naturgy Foundation is announcing the 1st Edition of the Naturgy Foundation Award for Research and Technological Innovation in the energy field (hereinafter the Naturgy Foundation Innovation Award).

The call for entries for this award shall be governed by the provisions of these Competition terms and conditions, which must be accepted and fulfilled by those interested in participating.

  1. Purpose

The purpose of the Naturgy Foundation Innovation Award is to grant financial assistance to promote research and technological innovation projects in the energy field that, within the framework of the energy transition, help make decarbonisation goals a reality.

  1. Project requirements (Annex I)

Projects aimed at validating a research outcome, method or idea, as well as those aimed at verifying that the innovative potential of this outcome can be incorporated into the market or generate value in society (proof of concept[1]) are eligible for consideration.

The projects must be unpublished, allow for the practical application of the results generated in ongoing or recently completed research, and must not be funded by any other company or private entity.

Projects must include:

  • An explanatory report clearly stating the proposed innovation and the benefits it provides.
  • The planned timetable and possible compliance phases.
  • An estimated budget.
  1. Deadlines

Applications may be submitted from 1 February to 31 March 2023.

The projects submitted to this call must be ready to be developed within a maximum period of 2 years from the date on which the winning project is announced.

  1. Areas of research

All areas that may involve innovation in fields related to energy are under consideration for the Naturgy Foundation Innovation Award:

  • Energy and efficiency. Solutions for consumers, self-consumption, distributed generation, storage and transport.
  • Energy and supply security. Security in facilities, distribution networks, digitalisation, provisioning, storage, etc.
  • Energy and renewable resources. New technologies related to renewable generation, renewable gases and storage.
  • Energy and the environment. Circular economy, emission reduction solutions, CO2 capture, etc.
  1. Recipients (Annex I)

Participation in this call is open to public or private, non-profit research organisations carrying out fundamental research or experimental development, which have legal personality and their tax residence in Spain. These research organisations include public research organisations and public and private universities listed in the Register of Universities, Centres and Degrees, in addition to other public or private non-profit R&D&I centres whose regulations include R&D&I as their main activity.

Fulfilment of the participant requirements will be accredited in the application by means of a declaration of responsibility from the respective research organisation.

  1. Amount

The Naturgy Foundation will award a maximum of 100,000 euros to the research organisation that presents the winning project selected by the panel.

The research organisation must use the money received exclusively to finance the winning project and may not use it for ordinary administrative costs of the research organisation itself, nor for any other project or activity of the research group. In addition, it will be responsible for ensuring that the project is carried out in accordance with the established objectives and it must keep documentation related to the funded project for this purpose. (See Annex II)

The Naturgy Foundation reserves the right to verify and accredit this point.

  1. Application submission requirements
  • Applications shall be submitted by the research organisation to which the research group belongs through its legal representative.
  • Each research group may submit only one application. No member of a research group may participate in the research team of another application.
  • Research organisations must meet the following requirements:
    • They must have legal personality, be legally constituted and have their tax residence in Spain.
    • They must be up to date with their tax and labour obligations.
    • They must present an initiative to be carried out in Spain.
  • To participate, please fill in the online form, available here.
  • They must have read the annexes (I, II and III) attached to these legal terms and conditions.
  • They must accept the data processing and image recording consent policy, available here
  • They must accept the Naturgy Foundation privacy policy, available here
  • They must declare their conformity with Naturgy’s Code of Ethics, which can be found here

The Naturgy Foundation may require additional information in order to correctly assess the application.

For further information related to the initiative during the application submission period, nominating organisations may contact the Operational Secretariat of the Award via e-mail: premioinnovacionfund@naturgy.com

  1. Assessment process

The award will be granted on a competitive basis, in accordance with the principles of publicity, transparency, objectivity, equality and non-discrimination.

Through the Operational Secretariat of the Award, the Naturgy Foundation will carry out an initial verification to check that the applications received fulfil these terms and conditions.

The scientific and technical assessment procedure for applications will be carried out in two stages:

  • The first phase will involve assessment by a Scientific committee coordinated by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). This committee will be regulated by the collaboration agreement signed for this purpose between the Naturgy Foundation and the CSIC. The Scientific Committee will prioritise applications based on the assessment criteria indicated in point 10 of these rules and will issue a report with the result of its assessment.

The composition of the Scientific Committee will be balanced in terms of gender, insofar as possible. Members of the scientific committee must expressly state that they have no conflicts of interest in relation to the submitted applications, and those persons who declare such conflicts may not participate in the scientific committee.

  • The second phase will consist of the panel’s decision, which will be based on the report issued by the Scientific Committee. The final decision on the winning project will be taken exclusively by the panel.
  1. Award panel

The panel will be made up of people of recognised prestige and with extensive experience in the academic and business sector, and will include representatives of Naturgy and the Naturgy Foundation.

The panel will have the composition and number of members deemed appropriate by the Naturgy Foundation. The Naturgy Foundation may seek the advice of the CSIC as regards the composition of the panel on the basis of the collaboration agreement signed between the two entities.

The composition of the panel will be published on the website of the Naturgy Foundation in due course.

  1. Assessment criteria

The assessment criteria for applications are:

  1. Degree of evolution of previous research that could lead to the proof of concept. Recently completed research or research that is still under development must have a reasonable degree of evolution that allows it to develop towards the proof-of-concept project presented in the application.
  2. Quality and feasibility of the proof-of-concept project.
  3. Detailed approximate timeline, project milestones and associated budget.
  4. Capacity of the principal investigator (PI) of the application.
  5. Expected impact.
  6. Transparency and sound management of project funding.
  7. Innovation provided in the energy field.

The assessment criteria (1-7) will be graded by the Scientific Committee as excellent (A), very good (B), satisfactory (C) and not feasible (D). On the basis of the rating given to each of the criteria, the Scientific Committee will issue an overall rating for the application (A-D).

  1. Decision and communication of winners

The panel will meet prior to the award ceremony to determine the winning project.

The panel’s deliberations are confidential. The decision regarding the award shall be final and the participants waive any right to make any claims in this regard. It is expressly stated that no technical information will be disclosed about applications that do not win the award.

The Naturgy Foundation and the panel reserve the right to declare the competition void.

The winning project will be announced at the Naturgy Foundation Innovation Award Ceremony, which will take place at the headquarters of the Naturgy Foundation in Madrid (Avenida de América, 38) in June 2023.

The Naturgy Foundation Innovation Award ceremony will be a public event attended by the project researchers and the legal representative of the research organisations that have submitted the winning application.

  1. Payment of the award

The Naturgy Foundation will pay the award in several instalments:

First instalment: 50% of the award to be paid within 60 days after the Foundation receives the documentation accrediting the legal status of the winning research organisation and other required documents.

Second instalment: 30% of the award, which will be subject to the project development assessment carried out by the Scientific Committee based on the reports indicated in Point 13.

Final instalment: The remaining 20% of the award, subject to the completion of the winning project and the final assessment by the Scientific Committee.

The Naturgy Foundation will make the corresponding tax withholdings. The awarded amount will be untransferable and under no circumstances may it be subject to exchange, change, alteration or compensation at the request of the winner.

The research organisation submitting the winning project will receive a document to be returned to the Naturgy Foundation, confirming its acceptance of the award and providing the data requested for payment of the award.

  1. Justification of the assistance associated with the award (Annex III)

The winning project must submit a monitoring report and a final report. The interim scientific-technical report must be submitted no later than 12 months from the date on which the winning project is announced. The final report must be submitted within 30 days of the project completion date

The Scientific Committee may request any additional information it deems necessary for the corresponding assessment.

  1. Assignment of image rights and data protection

The Naturgy Foundation may publish the list of participating entities and use the images, logo and any other information, except the scientific-technical documentation of the application, in communication with third parties by any means of communication or in any of its publications, with the aim of disseminating information about the Prize.

The beneficiaries of the award must attend the award ceremony and, in turn, provide their consent for the Foundation to use any images obtained during the award ceremony for subsequent publication.

Participants in this call may not use the logo of the Naturgy Foundation or any other Naturgy Energy Group, S.A. logo for a purpose other than that set out in these terms and conditions. No actions may be undertaken to disseminate the participating project to the media or talk about participation in the initiative without prior communication, coordination and acceptance by the Naturgy Foundation.

The winning entity and the research team undertake to collaborate in interviews and press releases managed by the Naturgy Foundation for the purpose of disseminating information about the award.

In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679, of 26 April, on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data and Law 34/2002, of 11 July, on Information Society Services and Electronic Commerce, in addition to other current legislation, participants are informed that the personal data they provide in connection with their participation in the award will be processed by the Naturgy Foundation for the purpose of managing the award: https://www.fundacionnaturgy.org/premio-a-la-innovacion-fundacion-naturgy-tratamiento-de-datos-y-consentimiento-para-la-grabacion-de-imagenes/

  • The recipient of the personal data of the participating entities will only be the Naturgy Foundation, companies or entities contracted for the purpose of implementing this award and the panel.
  • The participating entities declare that the personal data provided for this purpose are true and accurate. In the event that the personal data of third parties of the participating or beneficiary entities is provided, they guarantee to the Naturgy Foundation that they have obtained their consent for these purposes.
  • If participants so wish, they may exercise their rights of access, rectification, cancellation, opposition, deletion and data portability at any time by sending an e-mail to the following address: premioinnovacionfund@naturgy.com.
  • All information on personal data protection can be found in the Privacy Policy, available here
  1. Regulations in relation to project development

Applicant projects must comply with Article 17 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088. Therefore, under no circumstances may actions that directly or indirectly cause significant damage to the environment be eligible for funding.

Furthermore, only activities that comply with the relevant national and European environmental legislation shall be selected.

The entity receiving the award must comply with the legal requirements established in Law 31/1995, of 8 November, on Occupational Risk Prevention. 

  1. Intellectual property

Submitting a project to the Naturgy Foundation Innovation Award does not affect the intellectual or industrial property thereof, which will remain the property of the research centre submitting the application, even in the event of winning.

The participating research centres will be responsible in the event that the projects or any of the documents submitted by the candidates infringe the rights of third parties in any way as regards intellectual, industrial or any other kind of property.

In relation to the winning project, the Naturgy Foundation or, where appropriate, the Naturgy group entity designated thereby, will have a right of first refusal to license the industrial property evaluated. This right may be exercised from the date on which the Naturgy Foundation innovation award ceremony takes place until three months after the last award instalment has been paid.

If the Naturgy Foundation and/or the designated Naturgy group entity decides to exercise its right of first refusal, it shall notify the research centre of this decision in writing before the end of the indicated period of time. The research centre and the Naturgy Foundation and/or the designated Naturgy group entity shall proceed to negotiate in good faith a licence agreement for the valued industrial property, so that the Naturgy Foundation and/or the designated Naturgy group entity acquires the rights to exploit it under fair market conditions. The Naturgy Foundation and/or the designated Naturgy group entity reserves the right to decide whether the exploitation of these rights shall be exclusive and, if so, the period of time during which this exclusivity shall remain in force.

Failure by the Naturgy Foundation and/or the designated Naturgy group entity to provide such notification shall be construed as a decision not to license the industrial property and the research centre shall be free to license such rights to third parties without any obligation to provide financial compensation or consideration to the Naturgy Foundation.

  1. Acceptance of the Legal Terms and Conditions of the award and Annexes I, II, III

Participation in this call for entries for the award automatically implies acceptance of all the terms and conditions and their Annexes I, II and III. These may be interpreted by members of the organisation in any aspects not foreseen therein.

Failure to fulfil any of the points contained in these legal terms and conditions will result in the exclusion of the participating entity.

The entirety of the award given by the Naturgy Foundation must be used to finance the activities of the winning project and may not be used for ordinary administration costs of the entity itself or be transferred to another organisation. To this end, the Naturgy Foundation will require a report accrediting the use of the funds awarded.

In any case, the Naturgy Foundation is not responsible for the use and purpose given to the funds provided to the award winner.

Failure to fulfil the obligations arising from these legal terms and conditions will allow the Foundation to request a full or partial refund, as the case may be, of the amount paid to the beneficiary entity, and if it deems appropriate it may also take the relevant legal action.

The decisions of the panel are final in terms of their assessment and evaluation criteria.

The Naturgy Foundation shall have the power to interpret and develop these terms and conditions as necessary.

The Naturgy Foundation reserves the right to cancel this call for entries at any time before the prize is awarded, without this granting any right to compensation to any participating person or entity.

The Naturgy Foundation reserves the right to shorten, cancel, renew or modify the terms and conditions of this award if the circumstances so require. Its liability shall not be compromised by this fact. Any difficulty arising or resulting from the application or interpretation of these terms and conditions or not provided for herein shall be resolved in the last instance by the entity organising the award.

  1. Applicable law and jurisdiction

These terms and conditions shall be interpreted in accordance with Spanish law. For all matters relating to the interpretation, compliance and execution of these terms and conditions, the Naturgy Foundation and the participants formally submit to the jurisdiction and competence of the courts and tribunals of the city of Madrid, expressly waiving any other jurisdiction or privilege that may correspond to them.

  1. Additional information

The Naturgy Foundation accepts no responsibility for failure to enjoy the award for reasons attributable to the winner, and is exempt from any liability for damages that may arise from the presentation of the application, participation in the initiative or enjoyment of the award that may be suffered by the winners or third parties. In this sense, each research organisation and research group decides to compete under its own and sole responsibility, a fact that it declares by accepting these terms and conditions.

The Naturgy Foundation reserves the right to modify the conditions of the award at any time, including possible cancellation, before the closing date of the award provided that there is a justified cause, undertaking to communicate the new terms and conditions or, where appropriate, the definitive cancellation in the same way as these, sufficiently in advance.

ANNEX I. Characteristics and requirements of projects and research groups

  • Proof-of-concept projects shall aim to use the knowledge and results of the research team’s previously completed or ongoing research by carrying out additional activities to confirm their innovative potential and facilitate their transfer. Proof-of-concept projects may not be focused on continuing previous research not aimed at developing the proof-of-concept project.
  • Projects must include the timetable, the various milestones expected to be achieved and the associated budget.
  • The research duration of the projects will be a maximum of 2 years.
  • The winning project will be implemented by a single research team led by a Principal Investigator (PI).
  • The PI must hold a PhD and be employed by the research organisation submitting the application for the entire duration of the project.
  • Each PI may only participate in one application. They may not appear as the PI or as part of the research team of another application. Failure to comply with this condition will result in the exclusion of all applications in which they participate.
  • The members of the research team must have a PhD degree or an engineering, architecture or bachelor’s university degree.
  • If they are listed as a research team participant in one application, they may not be listed either as a PI or a research team member in another application. Failure to comply with this condition will result in the exclusion of all applications submitted in which the person causing the breach is listed.

ANNEX II. Funding of the winning project

  • The funding may be used for the following expenditures:
    • Acquisition or rental of instruments, scientific-technical and computer equipment.
    • Purchase of consumables, supplies and similar products, including office and office IT equipment.
    • Costs of publication and dissemination of results, including those derived from open access publication. Any publication or dissemination of results must have the express authorisation of the Naturgy Foundation. Publications and any other dissemination material directly derived from the scientific activity carried out in the project must include a reference to the award obtained and to the Naturgy Foundation.
    • Registration costs for congresses, seminars, conferences, technical seminars and workshops, and
    • Travel expenses, transport, subsistence, accommodation and meals, insurance or visas of research team members. These expenses will be of the amounts approved by the legislation applicable to the research organisation receiving the award.
    • Costs of applying for industrial and intellectual property rights.
    • Costs of renting rooms, translation, organisation of conferences, events, congresses and seminars.
    • Costs for the use of the organisation’s central services, provided they have public rates, and costs of use and access to the Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) and large national and international scientific facilities.
    • Part of the project’s activities may be outsourced, provided that the beneficiary research organisation is unable to carry out these activities.

In the event that the research organisation receiving the award is subject to public sector procurement legislation, it must comply with the provisions of this legislation.

The award does not fund indirect costs.

ANNEX III. Justification of the assistance associated with the award

Scientific and technical justification

The research group receiving the funding associated with the award will be required to submit an intermediate scientific-technical monitoring report through the research organisation to which they belong. This report must be submitted no later than 12 months from the date on which the winning project is announced.

The interim scientific-technical report will be assessed by the Scientific Committee, as set out in the collaboration agreement signed between the Naturgy Foundation and the CSIC, and will receive a favourable/unfavourable rating.

The second instalment, corresponding to 30% of the funding associated with the award, will depend on the assessment of the interim scientific-technical report.

If the assessment is favourable, the Assessment Committee may make recommendations (non-binding) to better achieve the project objectives.

If the assessment is unfavourable, the Scientific Committee will make a series of recommendations aimed at improving the project, which will be discussed with the research group in an ad-hoc meeting. In the light of the conclusions of this meeting, the Scientific Committee will decide whether or not to continue the project. If the project is not continued, it will mean early termination and the loss of the right to receive the remaining 50% of the funding associated with the award.

  • The research groups receiving the funding associated with the award will be required to submit a final scientific-technical report through the research organisation to which they belong that will be assessed by the Scientific Committee, as set out in the collaboration agreement signed between the Naturgy Foundation and the CSIC, and will receive a favourable/unfavourable rating. This final scientific-technical report will be delivered within 30 days of the end of the project.

The payment of the third (final) instalment, which represents 20% of the funding associated with the award, depends on the assessment of the final scientific-technical report

Economic justification

  • The research groups receiving the funding associated with the award will be required to submit a final financial report through the research organisation to which they belong, certifying the use of the funds awarded. This final financial report shall be submitted within 30 days of the end of the project.
  • Failure to submit any of the aforementioned reports will result in the total reimbursement of the money received to the Naturgy Foundation.

[1] Defined by the Ministry of Science as the “validation of a research outcome, a method or an idea carried out with the purpose of verifying that the innovative potential of this outcome could be incorporated into the market or generate value in society.”