Ericsson Spain and the University of Malaga have decided to renew the Hedy Lamarr Women and Technology Chairwhich since its creation in 2021 has established itself as a space for collaboration between the business and academic fields to bring technology closer to future generations of engineers, as well as to inspire women and facilitate their approach to STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Since the launch of this chair, more than 1,200 students have participated in its activities, and in 2025, 369 female students have participated so far. In the last academic year, under the umbrella of this chair, more than 35 talks and visits to educational centers have been held. In addition, 110 high school students have visited Ericsson offices, and 51 participated in the Hedy Lamarr Challenge, a competition whose mission is to promote practical learning in emerging technologies.
In addition to renewing the chair, Ericsson and the University of Malaga have launched a new challenge with it as a framework. The theme that both entities have chosen for this 2025-2026 challenge is «How would you change the world around you with generative AI?«.
This challenge will be carried out in three phases. The first will be an ideas competition, in which high school students who want to participate will present proposals related to AI aimed at the Sustainable Development Goals.
The second phase will consist of a high-value technological initiation course, in which the chosen participants will receive practical training at the University of Malaga through workshops and presentations by Ericsson experts. The third and final phase will be the Hilda Ericsson Competition, in which, with the support of University mentors, students will develop real projects that a specialized jury, which will include Ericsson experts, will be in charge of evaluating.
The presentation of ideas must be done before January 13, 2026, while the course will take place between January and February. The registration deadline for the Hilda Ericsson competition will be March 10, 2025, and the presentation of projects to the jury will be April 30 and May 8. Finally, the contest awards ceremony is scheduled for May 22, 2026.
Since the launch of the Hedy Lamarr Chair, the data of. the University of Malaga show a favorable evolution in the presence of women in engineering related to technology. Furthermore, in the Computer Science Degree, the percentage of female students has increased from 17.1% to 29.5%, and in Telecommunications, from 25% to 35.8% between the 2021/2022 and 2023/2024 academic years.
Juan Olivera, President of Ericsson Spainhighlighted that the company firmly believes «that innovation can only grow in diverse and inclusive environments. The renewal of the Hedy Lamarr Chair reinforces our commitment to STEM talent and to promoting a more egalitarian digital future in Spain«.
Anna Wålehn, Director of Cognitive Software Engineering at Ericssonhas indicated for his part that the Cognitive Network Solutions team in Malaga «Globally leads the company’s efforts to maximize network performance through advanced ML and AI technologies. Connecting our developments with the youngest allows us to build a bridge to the talent that will design the networks of the future«.
