On the 17th November, 2025. Politeknika Txorierri was recognised in the national phase of the Spanish Quality Innovation Award (QIA) 2025 in the category of Innovation in the education sector for the European project SUSTAIN-IT.
As the coordinator of the project, Politeknika Txorierri, a school for Science and Technology and a TVET centre in Spain, promotes new learning methodologies based on environmental data, IoT sensors, collaborative projects, and challenges linked to the sustainable development goals.
This recognition was based on the project’s efforts to strengthen teaching and technological capacities of vocational training in Namibia, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
In an award ceremony represented by the project manager Sheila Larrabaster at the headquarters of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid, at an event organised by the National Association of Centres Promoting Excellence (CEX), in collaboration with the CSIC and UNIBASQ. The institution was awarded after a series of selection processes with about one hundred applications from various autonomous communities. This evaluation was screened by experts in educational innovation, sustainability, and excellence in management.
After the acceptance, a video showcasing the project activities was shown.
The QIA Awards, created in Finland in 2007 and currently held in Europe, Asia, and Africa, recognise projects that meet five major criteria: novelty, usefulness, user focus, learning, and effectiveness.
This recognition positions Politeknika Txorierri’s efforts as a major agent of change in Erasmus+ capacity building initiatives through the Sustain-IT project. Additionally, it spotlights the institution’s effort on digital transformation and effective transfer of knowledge between the EU and Africa.
The winning initiatives in the national phase will represent Spain in the international competition, to be held in 2026.