MERGE Twinning Project

The biofuels industry 2026: Innovation, opportunity and leadership

🌱Biofuels are set to play a key role in the #energytransition by 2026, driven by innovation, policy and leadership.
🎯EU projects like MERGE are crucial, advancing sustainable biomass-to-fuel technologies and strengthening EU research excellence.
Source: biofuels-news.com/news/the-bio...

🚀 MERGE partners kick-start the year with highlighted publications!
👏 The group of Prof. Gianvito Vile from our partner Politecnico di Milano contributed to two publications recently highlighted in #Synfacts, focusing single-atom catalysts.
👇Links to highlights:
bit.ly/3MaKlPv
bit.ly/4jXXuYA

Strengthening Proposal Writing Skills with MERGE!
🎯 Q-PLAN delivered another successful MERGE webinar, providing practical guidance on budgeting, costs and gender aspects — all key to supporting strong @horizoneu.bsky.social proposals .

👉Read the details in: www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...

🌟 We are proud of our MERGE partners!
🎉 Prof. Gianvito Vilé @vilegroup.bsky.social from our partner POLIMI , won the MaP Award of ETH for the best doctoral thesis back in 2016.
Today, ETH promotes a new series of posts to highlight the career evolution of past winners of the MaP Award.

YouTube video by MERGE Twinning Project MERGE video

Need a quick refresher on our mission? 🧠
📽️ Watch our technologies and pathway towards #sustainablefuels and #Greenchemicals !

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wkn...

@rug.nl @vilegroup.bsky.social

🎉 MERGE wishes you a happy holiday season and all the best for the new year!

This year has been full of #research towards #Greenchemicals and #sustainablefuels ! Looking ahead to exciting outcomes in next year! 🚀

@rug.nl @vilegroup.bsky.social

Fe+2 – Fe+3 dimer single atom catalyst in action for upgrading key biomass-derived chemicals in water 🌱➡️🧪
👉Read the full article in pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
👏Congratulations to the teams of VSB and all contributing researchers and co-authors !

🚀 We are proud of our partners' publications in top journals! 🚀
Discover the latest publication with significant contribution of VSB, in www.merge-twinning.eu/library/scie...
Congratulations to Prof. Radek Zboril and Dr. Aristides Bakandritsos who contributed! 👏
@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

🤔 How can researchers address complex #catalysis challenges and turn them into winning Horizon Europe proposals?
🤝The first MERGE school, hosted by @vilegroup.bsky.social in our partner Politecnico di Milano, gave us the answer!
👉 Read the details in www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/... .

How can new #material #technologies transform industrial practices?
📢 VSB, CATEN and MSIC co-organise a #workshop on the industrial potential of new technologies utilising single atom #engineering and artificial intelligence (AI).
MERGE is co-funding this workshop!
@rug.nl @vilegroup.bsky.social

Want a quick preview on proposal-writing essentials? 💵
We are sharing experience and material in proposal writing for Horizon Europe! ✍
📢 Q-PLAN led a webinar about proposal writing, targeted to experienced researchers !
👉 Read the details in: www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...

⭐ VSB presence through MERGE in NanoCon 2025 #conference on nanomaterials #engineering!⭐
👉 Read more here www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/....
🚀VSB had a strong presence, with Prof. Radek Zboril chairing the conference and numerous VSB researchers participating !
@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

🚀 MERGE partners contributing to #sustainability of #research ! 🚀
👏Prof. Gianvito Vilé @vilegroup.bsky.social from our partner Politecnico di Milano contributed to drafting the revised Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (#MSCA) Green Charter .
👉 www.linkedin.com/posts/ugcPos...

🎉 Working together for better research and innovation!
We’re very happy to start a new #collaboration between MERGE and SAN4fuel ! 🤝
👉Read more here: www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...
Our cooperation already started with co-hosting the EU–Asia #Workshop on Sustainable Technologies !

⭐ VSB showcased MERGE at #NanoBio2025! ⭐

🧑‍🔬Dr. @ArisBakandritsos presented “Single Atom Engineered Antibiotics Overcome Bacterial Resistance,” highlighting Mn-doped #graphene via single-atom engineering — paving the way for waste #biomass to #GreenChemicals! ⚛️

🚀 MERGE partner Politecnico di Milano contributes to address key major environmental #challenges: the removal of emerging #pollutants, by applying #catalysis design and photoreactor #engineering! ⚗️
👇 Read more details in www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

⭐Our coordinator Dr. Aristides Bakandritsos from VSB gave a #keynote #presentation titled “Low-Dimensional Functional Materials for Catalysis and Energy Storage” in nanoBalkan 2025 international #conference.
👉 Details here (www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...) !

@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

Sustainability assessment of single-atom catalysts in the transition to greener chemical processes This study compares the environmental and economic impacts of homogeneous, heterogeneous, and single-atom catalysts for ester synthesis, under thermal, photocatalytic, and electrocatalytic conditions,...

🙌 Sustainable #synthesis of #esters through Single-Atom #Catalysts (SACs)! ⚛
A new #paper about the production of esters using Nickel - based SACs was published from our partner Politecnico di Milano.
👉 Read the full publication in
www.cell.com/cell-reports...

@vilegroup.bsky.social
@rug.nl

🧪 Can #innovation in chemistry lead the way toward #sustainability?🏭
Professor Matthias Beller, Vice President of the Leibniz Association, gave a lecture “How to Achieve Sustainable Energy Technologies and a Circular Chemical Industry” at our coordinator VSB!

www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...

🚀 Boosting #research capacity with top #scientists! 🚀
👩‍🔬 Professor Klaus Müllen joined the scientific team of our coordinator VSB-TU Ostrava! Read more about Prof. Müllen, one of the ten most cited chemists, below:
www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...

@vilegroup.bsky.social
@rug.nl

💡 How could #nanomaterials pave the way for Sustainable Technologies?
🎉 MERGE Project proudly co-hosted the EU-Asia Workshop on #Sustainable Technologies, along with SAN4Fuel project!
👉 Read all the details: www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...!

@vilegroup.bsky.social
@rug.nl

🙌 A new #paper about Thioether Synthesis using Copper Single-Atom Catalysts (SACs) was published from our partner Politecnico di Milano!
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
💡 Results indicate the potential of SACs to address challenges in #sulfur #chemistry!
@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

Are you curious about sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels? ⛽
👉 The journey towards creating catalysts to valorise waste biomass into green fuels and chemicals continues for our project MERGE. Read our latest newsletter here: mailchi.mp/fee44f998973...
@vilegroup.bsky.social
@rug.nl

🤔 Wonder about the advancements in nanomaterials for Sustainable Technologies?
🎉 MERGE Project supports the EU-Asia Workshop on Sustainable Technologies, along with SAN4Fuel sister project.
⭐Renowned researchers from Europe and Asia will be present!
@vilegroup.bsky.social
@rug.nl

🤔 Wonder about the latest news on #research about green fuels and #chemicals?
👉 Subscribe to our #newsletter through our website: www.merge-twinning.eu
⭐The 2nd version of our newsletter is coming soon! ⭐

@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

Driven by science, powered by young researchers — #AMYCBIOMED!
🚀🧬 Prof. Gianvito Vile @vilegroup.bsky.social from our partner POLIMI gave the opening plenary talk in #AMYCBIOMED 2025, presenting results from MERGE, SusPharma_eu, GreenDigiPharm2 projects!

@rug.nl

What are the advantages of structured, shaped or even 3D-printed #SingleAtomCatalysts (SACs) compared to their powdered counterparts? ⚛
👉Read the details in a new review #paper by our partner Politecnico di Milano :
advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

@rug.nl
@vilegroup.bsky.social

When collaboration turns into capacity building!
Aristotelis Folas from Q-PLAN visited VSB to meet with administrative staff and review current management processes with respect to Horizon Europe projects.

👉 Read more here www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...

@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

Sharing knowledge is the key to success! 🎉
Aristotelis Folas from Q-PLAN visited VSB- Technical University of Ostrava for two weeks, delivering hands-on #trainings on preparing #proposals for @horizoneu.bsky.social !
👉 Read more www.merge-twinning.eu/news-events/...

@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl

Fostering scientific collaboration! 🎉
👩‍🔬 Areti Moutsiou from our partner POLIMI is doing a four-month research exchange at VSB- TU Ostrava, where she gave an inspiring talk titled:
💡"Heterogeneous Catalysis for Sustainable Chemical Applications"💡
Thank you Areti!
@vilegroup.bsky.social @rug.nl