Chairs in partnership with companies

Endowed chairs in partnership with companies are the most stable form of collaboration between the School and the aerospace industry. Under an agreement, the company funds a joint programme of training, outreach and research over a number of years.

For students and teaching staff, an industry-sponsored chair offers an opportunity to engage more closely with the company: to gain first-hand insight into its challenges, collaborate on real-world projects and open up new avenues for training and employment. Each chair defines its own activities and areas of focus.

Indra Chair in Autonomous Aerial Systems

The Indra Chair in Autonomous Aerial Systems (AEROS Chair) was established through an agreement between the University of Vigo and Indra Sistemas Aéreos Autónomos, S.L. It focuses on unmanned aviation, guidance, navigation and control (GNC) systems, and UAS and RPAS systems. It forms part of the Xunta de Galicia’s Civil UAVs Initiative and focuses on civil applications: forest fires, maritime rescue, infrastructure inspection and integration into airspace (U-space).

CHAIR DETAILS

• Agreement: May 2026. Duration: two years, extendable for a further year.
• Official launch: 13 October 2026.
• Director: Prof. Fernando Veiga López.
• Research group: Aerolab.
• Monitoring Committee: Fernando Veiga López and Nieves Lorenzo González on behalf of UVigo; Jesús Ángel García Sánchez and Antonio Albarrán Merchán on behalf of Indra.

ACTIVITIES

• Call for final-year undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations on topics proposed by Indra.
• Promotion of work placements at Indra.
• Series of technical seminars with industry professionals.
• Talks at sixth-form colleges.
• Conference on women and the aerospace sector.
• University challenge on UAS systems.
• Collaboration with student associations.

R&D AREAS

• Operational safety of drone flights.
• Analysis and mitigation of ground-based risks in UAS operations.
• Autonomous air navigation.
• Trajectory generation and optimisation.