A new University of Central Florida-Siemens Energy Pegasus Partnership will significantly grow impactful research in energy systems and sustainable energy and enhance how UCF prepares students to thrive in the dynamic energy industry after graduation.

UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright and Siemens Energy North America President Rich Voorberg signed the new partnership agreement Monday, expanding the university’s longstanding relationship with Siemens Energy, a global leader in energy innovation known for its work in gas and power solutions, renewable energy systems and power generation services.

Siemens Energy intends to invest a minimum of $5 million additional dollars, mostly to boost UCF’s research in the energy sector and also in talent development and executive education initiatives.

Siemens Energy has previously invested more than $13 million in research at the university since 1996. The UCF-Siemens Energy partnership also has yielded significant results in the energy workforce, with more than 900 UCF alumni currently employed by Siemens Energy, many in leadership and innovation-focused roles.

“We are grateful for Siemens Energy’s continued partnership and new investment in our talented students, world-class faculty, and innovative research,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “We are both deeply committed to advancing energy technologies and preparing the next generation of leaders in energy, strengthening the workforce in an industry critical to our state and nation’s future.”

Cartwright and Voorberg signed the Pegasus Partnership agreement Monday during a ceremony at the Siemens Energy Innovation Center in the Central Florida Research Park.

“This partnership gets right to the heart of two of the greatest challenges that we as an industry face when trying to drive the energy transition — people and innovation,” says Rich Voorberg, president of Siemens Energy for North America. “The research that we do here in Orlando will be essential to producing and distributing clean, reliable affordable energy and we will be simultaneously training the workforce of the 21st century.”

At the Siemens Energy Innovation Center, about one-third of its employees are UCF alumni. Researchers there frequently partner with UCF faculty members.

Jayanta Kapat, a professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, directs the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery and Energy Research (CATER), and he has worked with Siemens Energy on several projects to enhance the efficiency of and reduce the environmental impact of industrial systems. His research includes innovative methods to improve gas turbine cooling and environmentally friendly techniques for industrial steam production. Kapat recently received the prestigious 2024 International Gas Turbine Institute’s technology award.

“The most important impact of our work with Siemens Energy is advanced training that our students receive, who get to work on practical technologies in UCF labs even before those technologies are introduced to the market. The students also get to work with engineering experts from a large global high-tech company, and no in-class education can provide the same training,” Kapat says. “The talent pipeline for Siemens Energy is another big benefit, as they work closely with the students and get to know them better from our lab itself.

“Of course, societal impact of what we collaborate on is another big gain. Energy and modern human society are so closely intertwined that whatever we and Siemens Energy get to together benefits the society, in terms of cheaper products and cleaner environment. The outcome of our research can directly go into Siemens Energy products in the future as it has happened multiple times in the past,” Kapat says.

Another centerpiece of the partnership is the Siemens Energy Digital Grid Lab, a research and educational facility established in 2017 and now led by Associate Professor Wei Sun of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Here, UCF students are trained in cutting-edge skills needed for success in the fast-evolving energy sector. Students benefit from hands-on training to design and manage self-healing power-distribution grids to quickly resolve issues caused by natural disasters, cyberattacks and other outages. They train on the energy industry’s latest microgrid software to manage and operate dynamic generation assets, such as solar, wind power, storage and electric vehicles. With these skills, students secure positions in a vital industry with a growing demand for jobs.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the utilities sector saw the fastest employment growth of 5.0% in 2023, adding nearly 30,000 jobs, and Florida is among the top five states with the greatest number of energy jobs in the nation.

Building on this legacy, Siemens Energy also intends to invest $800,000 in student recruitment efforts, focusing particularly on postdoctoral researchers who can drive innovative solutions to meet the growing global energy demand. UCF’s College of Engineering and Computer Science will be a key partner in identifying and nurturing top talent for Siemens Energy.

Siemens Energy’s Orlando Innovation Center, located in UCF’s Research Park, is where energy solutions are designed, manufactured, and tested. The Innovation Center Orlando (ICO) is one of four Siemens Energy Innovation Centers globally, and its mission is to drive the future of energy toward a more sustainable future through cutting-edge research, development, and commercialization of innovative solutions.

The center, close to UCF, offers annual internships for UCF students. These hands-on experiences culminate in the popular “Battle Bot” competition, where students showcase their engineering skills in a creative and competitive environment.

Additionally, Siemens Energy has enrolled more than 100 employees in UCF Continuing Education programs, with plans to expand professional development opportunities in the future.

UCF’s Pegasus Partners program offers opportunities for select partners to engage across the university in ways that create meaningful value for both organizations. That engagement includes talent development and recruitment, shared research projects, joint ventures and collaborations, and strategic philanthropy. UCF is proud to include Addition Financial, AdventHealth, Nemours Children’s Health and Orlando Health among its Pegasus Partners.