The Social Council of the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) held its 17th annual awards ceremony this morning. The event took place in the Auditorium of the Rectorate and Social Council building on the Elche campus. With these awards, the Social Council recognizes the work, effort, and achievements of those who contribute to social, economic, cultural, and educational development.

Among those attending the ceremony were the Rector of the UMH, Juan José Ruiz Martínez; the President of the Social Council, Joaquín Pérez Vázquez; and the Director General of Universities, José Antonio Pérez Juan.

In the category of ‘Companies and Institutions,’ which recognizes commercial companies or other entities distinguished by their special collaboration with the UMH, the award went to PLD SPACE, a company located in the UMH Science Park. In the category of ‘Research and Transfer,’ which recognizes research and knowledge transfer work carried out by individuals or research groups at the UMH, Professor Ángela Sastre Santos, from the Department of Organic Chemistry at the UMH, received the award in the ‘Research Group’ category, while Professor Manuel Ortiz Fernández, from the Department of Civil Law, received it in the ‘Young Researcher’ category. David Pérez Montava and Laura Faus Ferrer received awards in the ‘Students’ category, which recognizes the achievements of UMH students, assessing their academic results, professional experience and skills, mobility and internationalization, and the social dimension of their curriculum. The awards in the ‘Teaching Excellence’ category went to Professor José Manuel Ramos Rincón, from the Department of Medicine; Professor Adrián Peidró Vidal, from the Department of Systems Engineering and Automation; and Professor Paula Vicente-Arche Coloma, from the Department of Financial and Tax Law. The award in the ‘Innovative Actions in Management’ category, which recognizes the work and innovative experiences developed by services, offices, administrative units, and members of the UMH academic community, was given to the UMH’s International Relations, Development Cooperation, and Volunteering Service.

The Association of Journalists of the Province of Alicante has received the award in the ‘Non-Profit Organization’ category, which recognizes the work of a non-profit association or entity that stands out throughout the year for its cultural, humanitarian, or solidarity work, or especially for its contribution to any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda. The UMH volleyball team has received the award in the ‘University Sport’ category, which recognizes the sporting achievements of an individual, team, or entity belonging to the university community or with a special relationship or connection to the UMH. The award considers sporting results, initiatives or activities undertaken, especially those with a social impact, the development of values ​​through sport, or the contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda. Furthermore, the University Classrooms for Seniors (AUNEX) at UMH received an award in the ‘Social Relevance’ category, which recognizes the achievements of individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the social sphere, with particular emphasis on their contributions to any of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda. The award in the ‘Technology-Based, Innovative, or Knowledge-Based Company’ category recognizes the efforts and work of the UMH university community in creating innovative, technology- and knowledge-based companies as a means of transferring their results to society. This award was given to Prospera Biotech, S.L., a spin-off company from the University’s Science Park. Finally, the Social Council presented the award in the ‘Commitment to Equality, Inclusion, and Sustainability’ category to Marina Marroquí. Specifically, this is a category that recognizes the career of a person or entity, whether or not they belong to the university community, who has developed an outstanding activity in favor of equality, inclusion and sustainability (especially in their contribution to any of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda).