Talgo has delivered its Talgo 2026 awards, with which it reaffirms "its commitment" to innovation, training, and the promotion of women in the industry.
The ceremony, which took place at the headquarters of the Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), was attended by the president of Talgo, José Antonio Jainaga; the vice president of Innovation and Transfer of the Superior Council for Scientific Research CSIC, Ana Castro; the general director of Innobasque, Leire Bilbao, and the general secretary of Vocational Training, Esther Monterrubio.
In a note, Talgo emphasized that these awards have become a social benchmark to "promote avant-garde and disruptive projects and ideas in the field of technological innovation, the visibility of women in the industry, and the fundamental role of welding in the railway sector."
A total of five awards have been granted that highlight innovation, training, and the contribution of women to the industrial fabric. The XXIII Talgo Award for Technological Innovation has been awarded, divided into two categories: Railway Technology and Mobility; the VII Talgo Award for Excellence of Women in Engineering and the IV Talgo Award for the Relevance of Women in Vocational Training. This year, in addition, the Talgo-CSIC Foundation Award for Welding in Vocational Training has been added to the gala.
During the event, the president of Talgo, José Antonio Jainaga, expressed his gratitude to the selection committee and the jury, and conveyed his congratulations to all participants for the very high level of the proposals and works presented.
"I want to highlight the trajectory, the involvement in their work, and the innovative spirit of all participants, of the finalists and of the winners in all categories. Every innovation begins with an idea, and we know that not all of them reach port. But today we have been able to witness firsthand this 'arrival at the finish line' that represents the transformation from idea to project, as the awardees in the category of Technological Innovation have done," he added.
Jainaga has recalled that, when he was studying at university, there were hardly any women interested in engineering, representing less than 1% of his class. For this reason, he wanted to recognize and thank women, both engineers and those who have opted for Vocational Training, "increasingly numerous," who have decided to direct their professional future towards the industry.
List of awards and winners
In the area of innovation, two distinctions have been awarded. The Talgo Award for Technological Innovation in the category of Railway Technology has gone to the project "Unified system of differential downforce in TAV." The second recognition in Technological Innovation, in the category of Mobility, has been for "Waymap," a startup founded in 2018.
The Award for Excellence of Women in Engineering has been granted to Miriam Meroño Terol, Industrial Engineer from ICAI and Director of Portfolio Excellence at Flowserve.
The Award for Welding in Vocational Training, with five winning finalists, has been collected on behalf of all of them by José Ángel Fernández Peyús, technician in Welding and Metalworking at IES Juan de la Cierva, in Madrid.
Finally, the award for the Relevance of Women in Vocational Training has been given to Mercedes Herrera Fernández, Higher Technician in Production by Machining and in Laboratory Analysis and Quality Control, who carries out her work as a Quality Inspector at Ormazabal.