The Second Symposium on Control Engineering, Modelling, Simulation and Optimisation, and Education in Automation (SIME 2026) is being held in Zaragoza from today until Friday. This scientific meeting is taking place in the R&D Building on the Río Ebro Campus of the University of Zaragoza and is organised by the Robotics, Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence (RoPert) research group.
This symposium, now in its second year and supported by the ITA, covers three scientific areas: control engineering, modelling, simulation and optimisation, and training in automation.
Automation that is rarely seen
Control engineering is often considered a ‘hidden science.’ It is the technology that allows everyday systems such as thermostats and cruise control in vehicles to function as they should, and ensures that complex industrial processes maintain precision and stability. In any automated process, from advanced manufacturing to energy or mobility, control algorithms are fundamental and will continue to be a key part of technological advancement.
The Zaragoza symposium also brings together those who work or conduct research in modelling, simulation and optimisation, the mathematical representation of real systems, from vehicles to industrial plants, with direct application, for example, through digital twins, a model of an industrial plant that receives data from sensors in the real factory to simulate and check operations in real time.
The Automation Education Group will reflect on how to teach and advance this discipline, which has more than a century of history but continues to evolve with new methodologies. Innovative proposals will be discussed, such as the use of virtual reality glasses for laboratory practice, among other experiences.
Four plenary speakers
The scientific programme includes research lectures, presentations of papers and spaces for interdisciplinary discussion, and will bring together around 50 researchers and professionals from the business world. There will be four plenary lectures:
- César de Prada (Valladolid), Professor Emeritus with extensive institutional and scientific experience, and former president of the Spanish Committee on Automation and Robotics. His research combines the development of methods and algorithms with their application to industrial processes. He received the ISA-Spain Award for Best Professional in 2008, the National Automation Award in 2016, and the ISA-International Award for Excellence in Education in 2022.
- Antonio Sala (Valencia) He is a professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) with significant contributions in the technical-scientific field. He is currently deputy editor of the Ibero-American Journal of Automation and Industrial Informatics (RIAI).
- José Luis Guzmán (Almería), Researcher and author of several books on teaching automation. He is a professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Automation at the University of Almería, where he also belongs to the Automation, Robotics and Mechatronics research group.
- Concha Monje, Robotics expert. She will give a lecture entitled ‘Towards simplicity in the design and control of soft robots’. She is a professor at Carlos III University in Madrid (UC3M), where she heads the Soft Robotics Laboratory within the RoboticsLab research group, a pioneer in the development and control of soft robotic joints. Finalist for the Talgo Award for Professional Excellence in Engineering, Top 100 Women Leaders in Spain, Ada Byron Award for Women in Technology from the University of Deusto, Award for Excellence in Research from UC3M.
A space for meeting and innovation
The symposium is held in the R&D Building on the Río Ebro Campus of the University of Zaragoza, and also includes technical visits that encourage exchange between participants, the first of which is to the ITA.
SIME 2026 is an opportunity to learn first-hand about advances in disciplines that are essential today in the digital transformation of the industrial sector.
More info: https://simposiocea-ic-mso-ea-2026.i3a.es/
