CIC EnergiGUNE

Had the privilege of working in CIC as a postdoc and I can say it is one of the bests in Spain to do research in energy storage. The center is very well equipped and the research staff are an elite group of experts. The HR and admin staff are very supportive and helpful.

I did my doctorate studies and my second post-doc at CIC energiGUNE and I highly recommend the center. In addition to the human and professional quality of the staff, the facilities and equipment are impressive. Excellent working atmosphere and great place to learn and develop ideas related to materials, materials characterization and electrochemistry.

I joined CIC energigune in 2012 and I carried out my PhD and first post-doctoral period. It spent an excellent period there, where I acquired knowledge on electrochemistry and mainly in structural and interphase analysis. The center is well equipped with divers techniques, such as, XPS, XRD, ssNMR, TeM, SEM, etc. The team is formed by international people. I really recommend for PhD students.

CIC Energigune is definitely a world class institution with Top Management, developing leading research initiatives key for Energy development. If you are either looking for a place to work on the forefront of Energy research or need a solid partner when facing an Energy related challenge, this is one of the places not to miss.

If you are a student, a post-doc, a more senior scientist or you want to be a director, I strongly recommend to not apply here.The idea of CIC Energigune is excellent. Interesting topics, great impact, potentially huge benefit for the Basque Country and Spain. CIC Energigune presents itself aesthetically well, the internet site is well structured, gives you an impression of efficiency and modern approach to research.However, the work reality is extremely difficult. Many people have already left CIC Energigune after a relatively short time (scientific directors, group leaders, associate researchers, receptionists, master students).The responsibility of this situation is due to the CIC Energigune “management”, mainly the administrative “Director” (AD), a non-scientist, power-hungry person who has the control on every aspect of CIC Energigune, not only concerning administrative tasks, but also scientific ones.CIC has a strong pyramidal structure. It has mostly public funding, but it is run like an old fashioned private company, lacking internal democracy. Modern strategies nowadays used to avoid internal conflicts, coaching courses to let the workers develop at their best, or rules that adapt the company to the peculiar role of scientist, are completely absent. The AD runs CIC as it was an industry with no specificity for a research centre. The methods to hire people, especially at high level, are largely based on politics.Then comes the general “Director”, who in principle is the highest in charge. The previous one was totally biased by the AD. The new one was recently appointed. They should be scientists. If you Google them, you won't find any scientific results.Then there is an administrative structure called DECO, made by a group of bureaucrats controlled by the AD. They have administrative tasks and they guarantee the AD the control of the institution. They would refer to the AD whatever they hear from you. They are not the only ones, though. If, in conversations that you might have informally in the corridors, you complain about the direction, there is a strong risk the information arrives to the AD via some researcher particularly “close” to the direction.The AD+DECO put in place bureaucratic infrastructure of internal procedures, rigidly applied and not designed to facilitate the research activities. DECO people exert their (little) power, and paradoxical situations are created where the employee in charge to coordinate" is also the least competent person in the specific issue. The rigidity in the application of the procedures is necessary for the AD to monitor whatever happens.At the bottom of the pyramid

CIC is one of the most wonderful research hub that I have experienced in my career. Highly equipped with state-of-the-art instruments, dynamic researchers, excellent working environment, highly caring administrative and academic leadership etc.Gebrekidan Gebresilassie EshetuAlumni of CIC ( Postdoctoral)

He trabajado casi dos años en esta empresa en la sección de mantenimiento. Puedo decir que desde el primer, hasta el ultimo día el ambiente de trabajo que se respira es muy cordial, todo el mundo es amable, agradecido, colaborador, y respetuoso. Un lugar donde te impregnas de ilusión, por ayudar a los científicos, por crear cosas nuevas o mejorarlas, por conocer y reparar sus maquinas. Si accedes puedes aportar a la ciencia tu granito de arena

I had the privilege of doing my doctoral thesis at CIC Energigune and I highly recommend it. It is a center with excellent facilities and full of talented and skilled people.

Ambiente de trabajo agradable, con gente amable en general.

I spent at CIC Energigune more than 6 years and I believe it was a great experience and an excellent chance to expand my knowledge and make a humble contribution into the filed of surface science for energy storage related applications. The big advantage is availability of different tools/instruments to approach problems from different sides. In the same time the team of researches is rather young - average age around 35 if not less. That makes the environment highly competitive and one has to be tough enough to survive and succeed. Other thing - that was quite different from experience in academia- this research center run as a business enterprise. I think, you like it or not, but that is the way the applied science is going to evolve. It is not easy to get used to it you stick to the idea that --science is to satisfy your curiosity for government expense" .."