The International Association of Online Engineering (IAOE) is pleased to congratulate Prof. Javier García Zubía of the University of Deusto, Spain, on receiving the Ramón Llull Award, one of Spain’s National Computer Science Awards presented within the 2026 Research Awards of the Spanish Computer Science Society (SCIE) and Fundación BBVA.
The award recognizes García Zubía’s outstanding career in educational innovation and, in particular, his contribution to democratizing access to computer science through remote experimentation. For the IAOE community, this recognition is especially meaningful: remote experimentation has been at the heart of the association’s work since its beginnings, and García Zubía has been one of the pioneers who helped establish and advance the field internationally.
Pioneering Remote Experimentation with WebLab-Deusto
At the center of the recognition is WebLab-Deusto, the pioneering remote laboratory initiative developed at the University of Deusto. The work began more than two decades ago and has enabled students to program, control, and interact with real hardware and digital systems remotely through the internet.
Rather than relying exclusively on simulations, remote laboratories provide learners with online access to actual physical equipment. This makes authentic experimentation possible beyond the boundaries of a conventional university laboratory and can extend access to learners and institutions that may not have the resources to maintain expensive experimental infrastructure themselves.
Through WebLab-Deusto, García Zubía and his colleagues have contributed substantially to demonstrating how such approaches can be implemented at scale and integrated meaningfully into engineering and computer science education. The work has helped establish remote laboratories as an important component of contemporary technology-enhanced education and has inspired research and implementation well beyond the University of Deusto.
A Longstanding Member of the International Online Engineering Community
Javier García Zubía has also been a highly active member of the international online engineering and remote laboratory community for many years. His engagement extends beyond his research at Deusto to international conferences, collaborative projects, publications, and the exchange of knowledge across institutions and countries.
His connection with the IAOE community is longstanding. Among other contributions, the University of Deusto has hosted the International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation (REV), the predecessor of today’s International Conference on Smart Technologies & Education (STE).
Also, García Zubía co-authored the book VISIR Handbook: Analog Electronics with the VISIR Remote Lab – Real Online Experiments together with Unai Hernández-Jayo and Gustavo R. Alves, both themselves active members of the IAOE community. The book brings together extensive experience with the VISIR remote laboratory and provides educators with a practical resource for integrating real online experiments into electronics education.
National Recognition for an Idea with Global Impact
The Ramón Llull Award recognizes not only sustained academic achievement but also the broader educational and societal impact of García Zubía’s work. By helping make access to real experimental infrastructure less dependent on physical location and institutional resources, WebLab-Deusto embodies an idea that has become increasingly important for accessible, flexible, and internationally connected engineering education.
The recognition is therefore also an important acknowledgement of the wider field of remote experimentation and of the potential of online laboratories to expand educational opportunities. What began as pioneering work more than two decades ago has developed into an international field connecting universities, educators, researchers, and learners around the world.
Congratulations from the IAOE Community
On behalf of the entire IAOE community, we warmly congratulate Javier García Zubía on this prestigious and well-deserved recognition. We are delighted to see the achievements of a longstanding and active member of our community, and the importance of remote experimentation itself, recognized at the national level.
His work is an excellent example of how technological innovation, educational research, and a commitment to accessibility can come together to create lasting impact in engineering and computer science education.
Link to the oficial award announcement:https://www.fbbva.es/noticias/fallados-premios-informatica-scie-fundacion-bbva-2026/
