The Social Council of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH) of Elche presented the awards for the 6th edition of the UMH Institutional Chairs Awards this morning. These awards recognize the achievements of individuals and organizations that have distinguished themselves within the University’s institutional chairs.

Among those attending the event were the President of the UMH Social Council, Joaquín Pérez Vázquez; the Rector of the University, Juan José Ruiz Martínez; the Regional Minister for Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society, Carolina Pascual Villalobos; the Mayor of Elche, Carlos González Serna; and the Vice-Rector for Institutional Relations, María Teresa Pérez Vázquez.

The recipients of this sixth edition of the awards were: the ANALCO group, manufacturers of a wide range of footwear products, for the San Crispín Footwear Chair; the Elche Archaeological and Historical Museum ‘Alejandro Ramos Folqués’ (MAHE), for its ongoing work promoting the Iberian culture of the Ilici region, for the Dama de Elche Chair; and José Antonio Román Marcos, choirmaster of the Misteri d’Elx for 17 years, for the Misteri d’Elx Chair.

Likewise, the Palmeral d’Elx Chair has recognized Lourdes Morales Cuello and José Vicente Miralles, technicians from the Plant Health Service in the province of Alicante, for their continuous work over the last 15 years in caring for the Elche and Alicante palm grove heritage; Hidrotechnoagua, and its director, Rafael Morán, on behalf of the UMH Chair in Rwanda, as it is a socially responsible company that collaborates in the development and supply of the Nemba Hospital in Rwanda; brothers Fernando and Juan Huedo Díaz, from the Pedro Ibarra Chair, for their donation of 5,100 photographs of the Misteri d’Elx; and the Gudie Lawaetz Chair of Cinematography and Documentary has awarded the Spanish Television program ‘Versión Española’.

The Legal Clinic Chair has awarded the La Mama d’Elx Breastfeeding Association for the impact of the work carried out within it. The Miguel Hernández Chair has recognized Francisco Esteve, Professor of Journalism and a pioneer and leading figure in Hernández studies and in the founding of associations dedicated to the poet; and the Anneta Nicoli Chair has recognized Mariví Montfort, who has collaborated in the creation and organization of the annual program’s content since the Chair’s inception.

The institutional chairs, under the Vice-Rectorate for Institutional Relations, are those created to contribute to the generation and dissemination of knowledge in specialized fields with broad social impact and of interest to the University. Their activities may include training, research and development, and/or outreach.