Europe has a solid research and industrial base and is the home of bold, creative entrepreneurs. Yet it often needs to strengthen the use of its scientific excellence and industrial prowess to accelerate innovation and turn innovative SMEs into global technology giants. By reinforcing close cross-border collaboration between multiple actors, including academia, the public sector, industry and individual entrepreneurs, Horizon Europe aims to develop radical solutions to pressing societal challenges and fostering sustainable economic growth and employment. Through its Pillar III ‘Innovative Europe’, the programme will focus on supporting the development of disruptive and market-creating innovations and on enhancing European innovation ecosystems.
Pillar 3: Innovative Europe
HE Pillar 3_European Innovation
Horizon Europe: Pillar 3 Projects
CATART - Reaction robot with intimate photocatalytic and separation functions in a 3-D network driven by artificial intelligence
Specific programme: HORIZON EIC Grants
UPV/EHU Partner Status: Coordinator
UPV/EHU PI: Iker Agirrezabal
Project start: 01/09/2022
Project end: 31/08/2026
Brief description: Mimicking the chemical production of nature is a well pursued dream in the scientific community. Scientific progress is limited by the lack of efficient synergies among complex functions and by a much smaller research library than nature. CATART will explore new synergies in reaction robots that mimic nature in a much faster way. This will be achieved using H2O and CO2 as model substrates. We propose systems containing 3-D quantum dot networks with the ability to simultaneously harvest sun-light by luminescence, photocatalyze substrates and separate products. These phenomena will be managed by artificial intelligence, leading to reaction robots that autonomously learn and instantly maximize productivity. The envisioned system will revolutionize the way chemicals are produced. The combination of expertise in photonics, machine learning, catalysis, organic chemistry and engineering from 5 academic, 1 research center, 1 SME and 1 industrial partner will enable a successful pathway into feasible reaction robots. CATART will contribute to a game-changing chemical technology, placing EU industry and society in a privileged situation to face future economic and environmental constraints.