MERGE Twinning Project

💐We’re proud to see our project, GlaS-A-Fuels Project, featured on the European Commission’s Innovation Radar platform for its promising technological innovation in sustainable fuels. 🌍⚡

The recognised innovation, developed by VŠB - Technická univerzita Ostrava, focuses on highly active that enable the efficient transformation of ethanol into butanol and other higher-order alcohols — an important step toward advancing renewable and sustainable .

🤩It’s inspiring to see projects within the MERGE synergy ecosystem gaining recognition for their contribution to Europe’s green transition and clean energy innovation agenda. 🚀

🔎 Learn more about the featured innovation on the Innovation Radar platform:

Highly active catalysts for the effective transformation of ethanol to butanol and/or higher order alcohols. Details of the EU-funded innovation 'Highly active catalysts for the effective transformation of ethanol to butanol and/or higher order alcohols.' which was funded by the EU in HORIZON project GlaS-A-Fuels

🤩 Happy to see our MERGE project partner Giuseppe Portale (from University of Groningen) as part of the organising committee of the Chemistry of Materials Community Day 2026 | Materials for a Sustainable World, taking place on
🗓️ 26 June 2026 at 📍 NWO in Utrecht.

🙌 The event will bring together researchers and industry representatives working on , with a strong focus on scientific exchange, matchmaking, and public–private collaboration.

💪 A great opportunity for , , and discussing future directions in circular , , , and more.

👇 More information and registration:

Chemistry of Materials Community Day: Materials for a Sustainable World | NWO The Research Community Committee Chemistry of Materials organises a community day on Materials for a Sustainable World on June 26th, 2026. The committee warmly invites young and established researchers and industrial partners to a dynamic community day. This event brings together everyone working on...

👏 Proud to see MERGE partner Gianvito Vilé from Politecnico di Milano recognised among the 10 most-read articles of 2025 in Cell Reports Sustainability.

Read the full article below 👇
https://www.cell.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2949-7906%2824%2900447-6

🎯 Strengthening Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem at EIC Info Day Prague 2026!

👏 Dr. Aristides Bakandritsos, PI/lead scientist of the MERGE project at VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, took part as a speaker at the EIC – European Innovation Council Info Day held in Prague last month.

📝 The Info Day, organised by Technology Centre Prague together with the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), provided valuable insights into funding schemes and support mechanisms for Europe’s innovation ecosystem.

💡 Dr. Bakandritsos participated in discussions on EIC Pathfinder and EIC Transition programmes, and joined a panel focusing on knowledge transfer between academia and industry, sharing experiences relevant to collaborative research initiatives like MERGE.

🙏 Bringing together over 130 participants, the event created a dynamic environment for networking, exchange of ideas, and strengthening connections across the European research and innovation community.

🚗🌱 Is a cleaner transport in Europe finally accelerating?

📝 The European Commission has highlighted the important role of higher ethanol blends—such as E20—in reducing emissions from existing vehicles and strengthening energy independence. With renewable ethanol already cutting emissions by up to 79% compared to fossil petrol, this move signals a strong step toward a more sustainable fuel mix.

🚀 At the same time, the MERGE EU project contributes to this transition by advancing cutting-edge research on single-atom —enabling more efficient and sustainable production of industrially essential chemicals and fuels. These innovations support cleaner energy pathways and help bridge the gap between today’s fuel systems and tomorrow’s low-carbon solutions.

🔗 Read more: https://biofuels-news.com/news/european-commission-confirms-important-role-of-higher-ethanol-blends/

🙏 Together, and innovation are paving the way for a more resilient, low-carbon mobility system in Europe.

European Commission confirms important role of higher ethanol blends - Biofuels International Magazine European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed to MEPs that the EU should consider allowing higher ethanol blending in petrol in order to de-fossilise Europe’s car fleet more effectively. Von der Leyen specifically mentioned E20, a petrol blend with up to 20% renewable ethanol, a...

🌱A breakthrough in solar-driven biomass valorization just published in Nature Catalysis!

👩‍🔬 👨‍🔬 An international team, including experts from VSB–Technical University of Ostrava, developed an innovative photocatalyst for converting biomass into key materials for bioplastics.

🥬 What’s the link with MERGE?

👉 Discover how this research connects with our work and wider collaboration network:

Breakthrough in solar-driven biomass valorization published in Nature Catalysis - MERGE Horizon Europe project Merge Twinning project: News & Events, articles and announcements

🤩Great to see our MERGE partners actively contributing to the scientific community! 👏

☺️We’re proud to see our partner from Politecnico di Milano participating in the 10th Workshop of the European Nanoporous Materials Institute of Excellence in Valencia, engaging with the latest advances in and exchanging knowledge with leading experts in the field.

🎯At MERGE, staying closely connected to cutting-edge research and emerging trends is key to driving innovation. Events like this highlight the strength of collaboration and the importance of continuous scientific dialogue across Europe.

🚀Looking forward to the insights and inspiration that will come out of these discussions!

🙌We’re truly proud and inspired to collaborate with outstanding partners like Gianvito Vilé from Politecnico di Milano in the Horizon Europe MERGE project 🤝

🤩It’s amazing to see how have evolved over the past decade—from pioneering concepts like metal–nitrogen coordination to becoming a globally recognized field. A particularly impressive milestone: IUPAC has listed SACs among the Top 10 Emerging Technologies, citing 3 key papers from Gianvito Vile’s group among the selected references 👏

💪Being part of this journey is both a privilege and a motivation for us. Together in MERGE, we are pushing forward the development of SACs for greener and more sustainable chemical processes 🌱

🎯Excited for what lies ahead—and grateful to be working alongside such inspiring scientists shaping the future of green chemistry.

💡 Inspiring to see this paper from EWABA showing the strong emissions-saving potential of waste-based biofuels, reinforcing the importance of unlocking Europe’s biomass resources. (Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/4725gf1 )

🥬 This strongly supports the goals of MERGE, which strives to valorise renewable, non-food biomass (such as lignocellulosic waste) into green fuels and high-value chemicals through advanced electro- and photo-catalytic processes powered by tailored single-atom catalysts ♻️

VŠB - Technická univerzita Ostrava | Politecnico di Milano | University of Groningen | Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL

www.ewaba.eu

🚀 🚀Are you interested in cutting-edge material characterization techniques?

🔬 At , researchers will explore cutting-edge and techniques - from scanning probe microscopy to advanced imaging and optical methods - highly relevant for catalyst development and materials research, offering a great opportunity to engage with the latest developments and connect with the community.

👉 A good chance to join and explore the details here: https://nanoscientific.org/nsf_europe/main/2026

🎯 A great chance to follow the latest trends and innovations in and .

NANOscientific Community - Connect and Innovate in Nanoscience Visit NANOscientific to engage with the latest in nanotechnology research and global scientific collaboration. Access expert articles, detailed research insights, and join our premier events at nanoscientific.org.

🎉 Last week, the MERGE project consortium successfully held its review meeting, marking an important milestone after the first 17 months of implementation.

🎯 During the meeting, all four project partners presented the progress achieved so far, highlighting key developments and collaborative efforts across the consortium. The discussion with the reviewers was constructive and engaging, providing valuable feedback and reflections on the work carried out to date.

🤩 We are pleased that the reviewers acknowledged the strong progress of the project and the quality of the work delivered so far. Their positive feedback is an encouraging sign that MERGE is on the right track toward achieving its objectives.

🙏 A big thank you to all partners (VŠB - Technická univerzita Ostrava, Politecnico di Milano, University of Groningen, and Q-PLAN INTERNATIONAL) for their commitment and collaboration throughout this journey. We look forward to continuing the work and building on the momentum in the coming months.