A Finnish delegation visits UMONS to strengthen european cleantech collaborations
The visit of the Finnish delegation from the University of Vaasa took place within the framework of the European project Cleantech4Wallonia & Vaasa (C4W), recently selected under the prestigious MSCA-COFUND programme, which supports cutting-edge research in clean technologies while fostering international scientific collaboration.
On this occasion, several UMONS research teams presented their work to the Finnish delegation, composed of Rector Minna Martikainen, Vice-Rector for Research Mika Grundström, and Philippe Vanrie, European Affairs Advisor for the University of Vaasa.
These presentations highlighted the breadth of expertise mobilized by the university to address current energy and environmental challenges.
Researchers from the Chemical and Biochemical Process Engineering Unit presented their work in environmental technologies, focusing in particular on the development and optimisation of biological processes for pollution control and contaminant treatment.
At the same time, the Proteomics and Microbiology Service is developing innovative biotechnological approaches, including the use of purple bacteria to upcycle agri-food by-products and produce ingredients rich in proteins and bioactive compounds.
Other research activities focus on the development of sustainable polymer materials within the Laboratory of Polymeric and Composite Materials (SMPC), as well as the design of nanomaterials for electronics and energy applications at the Laboratory for Physics of Nanomaterials and Energy (LPNE).
“This visit perfectly illustrates the spirit of the C4W project: building bridges between European research teams, combining expertise, and fostering new scientific and industrial collaborations around cleantech,” explains Ruddy Wattiez, Vice-Rector for Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UMONS.
Multidisciplinary expertise to accelerate cleantech innovation
The presentations also highlighted research carried out within the UMONS Research Institute for Energy, particularly on the integration and optimisation of energy systems, as well as on thermal energy storage technologies.
In the field of energy systems, the UMONS Micro-gAsturbine Research Centre (UMARC) conducts research on micro gas turbines to develop more flexible decentralised energy systems compatible with alternative fuels such as biofuels, e-fuels and hydrogen.
Researchers from the Power Systems and Markets Research (PSMR) Group, affiliated with the Electrical Engineering Department, focus on the modelling and optimisation of power grids and energy markets in order to improve the management of modern energy systems.
Expertise in telecommunications is also represented by the Electromagnetism and Telecommunications Service (SET), whose research includes optical fiber sensors, optical communications, LiFi technologies and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Finally, the Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics (BOMB) research team explores biomimetic approaches inspired by living organisms to design new functional materials.
Turning research into innovation: UMONS also invests in entrepreneurship
Beyond research, the visit also provided an opportunity to showcase the UMONS innovation ecosystem, notably the Virtual Impact Factory, an initiative designed to support the creation of startups emerging from cleantech technologies developed within university laboratories.
For the Finnish delegation, these exchanges confirmed the strong potential for scientific collaboration between the two universities.
“We were very impressed by the work presented and are more enthusiastic than ever about accelerating our strategic collaboration,” said Philippe Vanrie, representative of the University of Vaas* to the European institutions in Brussels. “We will explore opportunities for joint European projects and ensure the success of the C4W programme.”
