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International and Intersectoral (Industrial) Innovative PhD Program
ACCESS (Advanced Catalytic Processes for using Renewable Energy Sources)

Academic Year:

  • 2020–2021 – Cycle: XXXVI
  • 2021–2022 – Cycle: XXXVII
  • 2022–2023 – Cycle: XXXVIII
  • 2023–2024 – Cycle: XXXIX
  • 2024–2025 – Cycle: XL
  • 2025–2026 – Cycle: XLI

Coordinator: Prof. Gabriele Centi, Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences

Duration: 3 years

 

Program Overview

The ACCESS PhD Programme (Advanced Catalytic Processes for using Renewable Energy Sources), active since the 36th cycle and renewed in subsequent cycles, is an international and industry-oriented doctoral programme carried out in cooperation with foreign universities and industrial partners.

The programme was originally linked to the ERC Synergy SCOPE project (Surface-Confined fast-modulated Plasma for process and Energy intensification in small molecules conversion, Grant No. 810182, EU-H2020, ~€10 million, 2019–2025), coordinated by the University of Messina, with the participation of the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands). The project funded PhD scholarships and offered students access to advanced training activities and international mobility programmes. During the 37th and 38th cycles, the PhD programme also involved industrial partners, including NextChem, as well as other institutions that co-funded additional PhD positions.

Starting from the 39th cycle, although the collaboration with the initial partners has concluded, the ACCESS PhD Programme is supported by national and international companies that co-fund PhD scholarships. These partners (including Versalis and Casale) are characterised by a high level of scientific expertise, strong research infrastructures, and a significant commitment to R&D activities, ensuring the sustainability and high scientific profile of the programme.

Research Areas

The activities of the ACCESS PhD Programme focus on key topics of the energy and industrial transition, including:

  • electrification of chemical processes and advanced catalysis;
  • decarbonisation of industrial processes;
  • circular carbon economy and CO₂ utilisation;
  • green hydrogen production and hydrogen carriers;
  • chemical energy storage;
  • technologies for enhancing the resilience of energy and industrial systems;
  • direct conversion of solar energy into chemical energy (e.g. artificial leaves).

These topics are fully aligned with European and national priorities, including the PNRR framework.

Educational and Scientific Objectives

The ACCESS PhD Programme aims to train researchers with strong interdisciplinary skills capable of developing chemical processes driven by renewable energy, overcoming the current dependence on fossil-based heat sources. The goal is to contribute to the development of technologies for chemical energy storage and transport, which are key enablers for a sustainable global energy system.

Research Lines

The programme addresses:

  • fundamental challenges, such as controlling selectivity, efficiency and productivity in photo-, electro- and plasma-catalytic processes;
  • technological challenges, including the design of advanced (also 3D) electrodes, integrated devices, and systems operating under realistic industrial conditions;
  • expansion of applications, ranging from CO₂ and biomass valorisation to the sustainable synthesis of key molecules (e.g. NH₃, urea), up to complex chemical transformations with high industrial impact.

The ACCESS PhD Programme provides an advanced and highly interdisciplinary training environment, strongly oriented towards scientific and technological innovation for sustainable, low-carbon chemistry.

 

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