CITCEA-UPC
CITCEA-UPC is a UPC university research center in Barcelona specializing in power electronics, smart grids, electromobility, and renewable energy integration, funded through EU, Spanish, and Catalan research grants plus industry chair partnerships with energy distributors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CITCEA-UPC does
CITCEA-UPC (Centre d'Innovació Tecnològica en Convertidors Estàtics i Accionaments) is a university research center founded in 2000 and operated within the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) at the ETSEIB campus in Barcelona. The center specializes in electrical energy systems, power electronics, electromobility, smart grids, and renewable energy integration. Its work spans four technical pillars: power electronics converters (multiport, high-voltage, wide-bandgap semiconductors), smart grid technologies (grid-forming, storage integration, AI/federated learning), digital twins for distribution networks and industrial energy systems, and electromobility systems (EV controllers, hydrogen propulsion, hybrid storage, axial flux motors). Research output is delivered through named platforms including PLATON (an AI/federated-learning energy data platform), DD-DT (Data-Driven Digital Twin for distribution networks), and GENIUS (digital twin for energy-intensive industries), plus the ERG hardware prototype.
The center generates revenue exclusively through competitive research grants and industrial contract research rather than commercial product sales. Project contracting revenue reached €5.1M in 2022, up from €4.3M in 2021. In 2023, the active portfolio comprised 28 projects across three funding streams: 12 EU projects (Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, including MSCA doctoral networks), 11 Spanish national projects (AEI/CDTi), and 5 Catalan regional projects (ACCIÓ/AGAUR). The organization maintains long-term industry chair partnerships — Càtedra Endesa Red-UPC (since 2005) and Càtedra Estabanell Energia-UPC — that anchor technology transfer to distribution system operators. Commercialization occurs through two spin-offs: eRoots Analytics (sustainable grid tools) and TeknoCEA (custom power electronics components and services). The center is a member of the TECNIO network (ACCIO) and is recognized as an official Research Group by AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya.
CITCEA-UPC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CITCEA-UPC
- Legal name
- CITCEA-UPC (Centre d'Innovació Tecnològica en Convertidors Estàtics i Accionaments)
- Website
- https://citcea.upc.edu
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- CITCEA-UPC is a UPC university research center in Barcelona specializing in power electronics, smart grids, electromobility, and renewable energy integration, funded through EU, Spanish, and Catalan research grants plus industry chair partnerships with energy distributors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CITCEA-UPC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Power Electronics & Electrical Energy Research
- NAICS
- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)
- SIC
- Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613), Electronic Coils, Transformers & Other Inductors (3677)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Electrical Balance-of-Plant EPC (MV Collection, Cabling, Earthing, Lighting) (EUAEADAB), Distribution Substations & Switching Stations (MV) EPC (EUAEACAC)
Keywords
Where CITCEA-UPC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CITCEA-UPC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- European Research Projects: EU Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe funded research projects including MSCA, HE, and collaborative projects. In 2023, 12 European projects were active.
- National/Regional Research Projects: Projects funded by Spanish Ministry, AEI/CDTi, ACCIO/AGAUR, and Catalan government. In 2023: 11 AEI/CDTi projects and 5 ACCIÓ/AGAUR projects.
- Industrial Contract Research: Direct contract research with energy companies including chair partnerships (Càtedres) with Endesa Red and Estabanell. Technology transfer to industry.
- Project Contracting Revenue: Direct project contracting: €4.3M in 2021, €5.1M in 2022
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
CITCEA-UPC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CITCEA-UPC is a university research center that conducts applied R&D and technology transfer in electrical energy, power electronics, smart grids, electromobility, and renewable energy integration. It delivers research projects, collaborative programs, and specialized platforms (including digital twins and AI-driven energy data tools) for utilities, distribution system operators, and energy-intensive industries, while commercializing selected outputs through two spin-offs (eRoots Analytics and TeknoCEA).
Product overview
CITCEA-UPC is a university research center focused on electrical energy and power electronics. Rather than a unified commercial product, the center operates through research projects, two spin-off companies (eRoots Analytics and TeknoCEA), and specialized research platforms. The spin-offs commercialize technology: eRoots Analytics offers sustainable electricity grid tools, while TeknoCEA provides custom power electronics components and services. ERG is a high-density power energy ring generator product. Research platforms include PLATON (AI-powered energy data platform), DD-DT (Data-Driven Digital Twin for distribution networks), and GENIUS (Digital Twin for energy-intensive industries). The center also manages two industry chairs (Estabanell and Endesa Red-UPC) focused on grid digitalization and energy innovation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Càtedra Estabanell Energia-UPC: A chair focused on the digitalization of electrical distribution networks, established between CITCEA-UPC and Estabanell energy company.
- Càtedra Endesa Red - UPC (CERIEN)
- eRoots Analytics
- TeknoCEA
Products and services
- eRoots Analytics A technology start-up spin-off of CITCEA-UPC that develops tools for the transition to highly sustainable electricity grids, targeting utilities, DSOs, and grid operators.
- TeknoCEA A CITCEA-UPC spin-off that provides custom power electronics components, systems, and services to companies and research laboratories in power electronics, automation, and power systems.
- ERG - Digital Energy Ring Generator High power density equipment that generates an energy ring with a single unit, integrating batteries and allowing multiple renewable sources for fully self-sufficient installations. Targeted at installations requiring integrated renewable and storage solutions.
- PLATON An online platform that integrates energy data and AI services for distribution networks, using federated learning techniques for training machine learning models across energy data spaces. Designed for DSOs and energy data-space participants.
- DD-DT (Data-Driven Digital Twin) Data-Driven Digital Twin that removes technical restrictions of distribution networks for energy transition enablers, with five groups of tools for monitoring, analysis, and operation of distribution networks. Targeted at distribution system operators and grid stakeholders.
- GENIUS Digital Twin A complete digital twin for monitoring and control, state estimation and prediction, active energy management, carbon footprint monitoring, and economic analysis in energy-intensive industries in urban environments.
Quantifiable outcome
- €5.1M project contracting revenue in 2022 (19% growth from €4.3M in 2021)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use CITCEA-UPC
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CITCEA-UPC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CITCEA-UPC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Endesa RedcoreCàtedra Endesa Red - UPC d'Innovació Energètica established in April 2005. Focuses on training, research, technology transfer, and scientific dissemination in energy innovation for the electricity sector. Aims for technological and social excellence in Endesa's electricity distribution system.
- EstabanellcoreCàtedra Estabanell Energia-UPC focusing on digitalization of electrical distribution networks. Applies AI-based technologies to build efficient and sustainable energy systems, with customers at the center of the energy transition.
- iGrid T&DcoreCollaboration on DD-DT (Data-Driven Digital Twin) project. iGrid contributes communication systems and data management expertise within electrical networks; CITCEA-UPC contributes distribution network analysis capabilities.
- YOUWINDminorConsortium partner in OPTIWIND project for validation and integration of floating offshore wind farm electrical models into Youwind Model IT solution.
- IREC (Catalan Institute of Energy)minorConsortium partner in OPTIWIND project alongside YOUWIND and CITCEA-UPC.
- Premium, S.A.minorCollaboration on EXPANSION project for parallelization methods in power supply systems. Development of modular power supply systems with decentralized control.
- ACCIO (Generalitat de Catalunya)coreTECNIO network membership through ACCIO, the Catalan government's agency for business competitiveness and internationalization.
- AGAUR (Generalitat de Catalunya)coreOfficial recognition as a Research Group by the Agency for the Management of University and Research Grants of the Government of Catalonia.
- EU Horizon Europe Consortium (23 partners)coreH2GLASS HE project consortium: 23 European partners working on hydrogen technologies for glass and aluminium industries decarbonization.
- EU MSCA Doctoral Network (8 beneficiaries, 11 associated organizations)coreIDEAL4GREEN MSCA: 8 beneficiaries and 11 associated organizations recruiting 15 doctoral students for microgrid research.
- EU MSCA Doctoral Network (8 academic, 13 industrial partners)coreInter-oPEn MSCA: 8 academic partners and 13 industrial partners providing doctoral training on power electronics interoperability.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
CITCEA-UPC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- VITO: Belgian Flemish Institute for Technological Research, operating applied research in sustainable energy, smart grids, and electrification. Comparable European non-university research center with industry contract research, EU project portfolio, and spin-off generation.
- IMDEA Energía: Madrid-based Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Energy, focused on electrical systems, renewable integration, and smart grids. Same university-adjacent applied-research structure with competitive grant capture and industry-funded projects.
- DTU Wind and Energy Systems: Technical University of Denmark department conducting university-based research on wind energy, power systems, and grid integration. Comparable academic-research model with EU consortia participation and direct engagement with European energy utilities.
- IREC (Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya): Catalan energy research institute also based in Catalonia with overlapping focus on renewable integration, power systems, and energy transition. Comparable as a public applied-research institute with both research output and technology-transfer spin-offs (e.g., Norvento, ECO4COOL).
- Fraunhofer IWES (Institut für Windenergiesysteme): German applied research institute focused on wind energy, grid integration, and energy system transformation. Closely comparable applied-research model with industry partnerships, EU project participation, and technology transfer to European energy utilities.
- CIRCE (Centro de Investigación en Recursos y Consumos Energéticos): University of Zaragoza-affiliated Spanish R&D center focused on energy resources, efficiency, and renewable integration. Operates a similar academic-industry hybrid model with chair programs, EU projects, and technology transfer to Spanish utilities and industrials.
Broad incumbents
- Siemens Energy: Global broad incumbent in power generation, grid technology, and power electronics. Represents the type of large commercial counterparty that CITCEA's research serves and competes against for talent and downstream commercialization of grid innovations.
- CIEMAT: Spanish national research center with a much broader mandate spanning energy, environment, and technology, including power electronics and renewable energy. A larger incumbent in the same national research ecosystem that competes for talent, grants, and industry chair partnerships.
- Hitachi Energy: Global broad incumbent in power grids, power electronics, and grid digitalization. A natural commercial counterpart for CITCEA research outputs on switchgear, grid-forming converters, and distribution network digital twins.
- Schneider Electric: Global broad incumbent in energy management, automation, and distribution network solutions. Comparable target ecosystem for CITCEA's grid-automation, energy-data, and industrial-digital-twin research outputs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CITCEA-UPC social profiles
Digital presenceCITCEA-UPC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CITCEA-UPC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CITCEA-UPC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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CITCEA-UPC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CITCEA-UPC
What does CITCEA-UPC do?
CITCEA-UPC is a university research center that conducts applied R&D and technology transfer in electrical energy, power electronics, smart grids, electromobility, and renewable energy integration. It delivers research projects, collaborative programs, and specialized platforms (including digital twins and AI-driven energy data tools) for utilities, distribution system operators, and energy-intensive industries, while commercializing selected outputs through two spin-offs (eRoots Analytics and TeknoCEA).
Is CITCEA-UPC a public or private company?
CITCEA-UPC is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was CITCEA-UPC founded?
CITCEA-UPC was founded in 2000. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is CITCEA-UPC based?
CITCEA-UPC is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does CITCEA-UPC make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. European Research Projects are the primary driver. The others are national/Regional Research Projects, industrial Contract Research and project Contracting Revenue.
Who are CITCEA-UPC's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are VITO, IMDEA Energía, DTU Wind and Energy Systems, IREC (Institut de Recerca en Energia de Catalunya), Fraunhofer IWES (Institut für Windenergiesysteme) and CIRCE (Centro de Investigación en Recursos y Consumos Energéticos). Broad incumbents are Siemens Energy, CIEMAT, Hitachi Energy and Schneider Electric.
Does CITCEA-UPC have an API?
No public API is recorded for CITCEA-UPC.
What industry is CITCEA-UPC in?
CITCEA-UPC's product category is Power Electronics & Electrical Energy Research. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAM, Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of EUAEADAB, Electrical Balance-of-Plant EPC (MV Collection, Cabling, Earthing, Lighting). Its NAICS code is 54169 and its SIC code is 3613.