APREN Award
The APREN Prize is an initiative of APREN – the Portuguese Renewable Energy Association – that annually recognizes the best Master and Doctoral developed in the areas of renewable energies and the energy transition.
For over a decade, the APREN Prize has established itself as a benchmark in valuing scientific research in Portugal, promoting closer ties between academia and the renewable energy sector. Through this initiative, APREN aims to recognize academic excellence, encourage the development of applied knowledge, and highlight work that contributes to addressing the challenges of the energy transition and building a more sustainable energy system.
With a total budget of €15,000, the APREN Prize also represents an investment in talent and innovation, recognizing researchers whose work can contribute to the future development of the sector.
11th edition
The awards ceremony for the 11th edition of the APREN Prize took place on June 29, 2026, at Culturgest, in Lisbon.
In this edition, research projects dedicated to some of the most relevant areas for the future of energy were recognized, such as artificial intelligence applied to the management of electric bus fleets, wave energy, energy communities, and the stability of electrical grids.
The winners were:
PhD:
🥇 Jônatas Augusto Manzolli (University of Coimbra): Thesis dedicated to the development of a hybrid approach that combines artificial intelligence and optimization methods for the adaptive energy management of electric bus fleets.
🥈 Felipe Duarte (Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto): Research on a multi-objective optimization framework for wave energy parks, using machine learning, genetic algorithms, and numerical modeling.
Master's:
🥇 Mariana Guedes (Instituto Superior Técnico): Work on the impact of uncertainty in the modeling of energy communities, demonstrating the potential of stochastic optimization to improve their performance.
🥈 Tomás Glória (Instituto Superior Técnico): Research dedicated to the stability of Active Distribution Networks, contributing to a more robust operation of electrical systems.
The winning theses are available for consultation at the end of this page.
Beyond the awards ceremony, this edition also included a moment of reflection on the challenges of training and talent management in the energy transition, through the debate "Preparing, Attracting and Retaining Talent: Challenges for Academia and the Sector", complemented by the presentation, by EY-Parthenon, of the results of the Macroeconomic Impact Study of Renewable Energies in Portugal, with a special focus on employment and talent needs for the sector. Learn more about the event on the Events page of this website.
Jury
The evaluation of the applications was carried out by an independent jury, chaired by Jorge Vasconcelos (NEWES) and composed of personalities of recognized merit in the areas of energy, environment, research and higher education:
- Jorge Vasconcelos, NEWES (President of the Jury)
- Ana Teresa Perez, Climate Agency
- Bernardo Silva, FEUP – Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto
- Margarita Robaina, University of Aveiro
- Maria do Carmo Figueira, APA – Portuguese Environment Agency
- Miguel Centeno Brito, FCUL – Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon;Mónica Meireles, ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon
- Nuno Souza e Silva, R&D Nester
- Patrícia Fortes, FCT – Faculty of Sciences and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon
- Paulo Martins, DGEG – Directorate-General for Energy and Geology
- Pedro Carvalho, IST – Instituto Superior Técnico
- Pedro Horta, University of Évora
- Sofia Simões, LNEG – National Laboratory of Energy and Geology
