SMAR3TS project partner - University of Vaasa is looking for innovative approaches to design future fuels and integrate combustion concepts within ongoing digital and green energy transition.
The global energy system is undergoing a profound transformation driven by decarbonisation targets, energy security concerns, and rapid digitalisation. Conventional fossil-based fuel and combustion systems are increasingly incompatible with climate neutrality goals. At the same time, emerging low- and zero-carbon fuels (e.g. hydrogen, biofuels, e-fuels, and fuel blends) require new combustion concepts, system integration approaches, and digital solutions to ensure efficiency, safety, and scalability.
To support this transition, research and innovation must move beyond incremental optimisation and focus on system-level solutions that combine fuel design, combustion technologies, and digital tools. These solutions are critical for enabling flexible, resilient, and sustainable energy systems across industrial, transport, and power-generation applications.
The University of Vaasa has strong expertise in energy systems, combustion technologies, and digital energy solutions, and is actively involved in research addressing the challenges of the green transition. Within the SMAR3TS framework, this challenge is particularly relevant for advancing future-oriented energy technologies that align with EU climate and innovation objectives.
The Innovate3X (I3X) challenge—framed as a call to develop solutions for resilience, restoration, and regeneration—invites research and innovation talent within the SMAR3TS project to contribute to the development of next-generation fuel and combustion solutions through secondments at the University of Vaasa in Finland.
In response to this I3X, future secondees could work on the following challenges that need to be addressed:
- Technological aspects of handling thermal loading and oil-induced pre-ignition of zero-carbon fuels; handling impurity removal from closed-loop combustion systems
- Control development – handling transient events in reactivity-controlled combustion, handling control complexity with variable valve actuation
- Energy stream valorisation – from all energy system components
- Methodological gaps in acoustics not fitting modern development methods and hard to unify into a coordinated development framework with energy and emission aspects
- Legislation – extremely difficult processes of approving hydrogen-operated systems on laboratory and in real-world scenarios
- Designing and assessing future fuels and fuel blends
- Integrating novel combustion concepts within hybrid and digitalised energy systems
- Conducting sustainability, techno-economic, and lifecycle assessments
- Analysing regulatory and policy frameworks affecting fuel and combustion innovation
- Exploring market adoption dynamics and societal acceptance of emerging energy technologies
These activities will contribute to accelerating the green and digital energy transition while strengthening Europe’s resilience and technological leadership.
SMAR3TS project partner - University of Vaasa (Department of Efficient Powertrain Solutions / School of Technology and Innovations)is looking for innovative approaches to develop future fuels and integrated combustion concepts.
Express your interest in SMAR3TS secondment - Your opportunity at the University of Vaasa (Vaasa, Finland)
This I3X challenge is initiated by the University of Vaasa within the SMAR3TS project and requires a secondment with a minimum duration of 30 days. Fully funded by the European Commission, the four-year SMAR3TS project started in October 2025 and unites 35 partners worldwide to accelerate resilient, restorative and regenerative transitions through research and innovation mobility.
For more info: please see the details in the attachments.
Please note: the secondments are open only to SMAR3TS Consortium Partners.
Necessary skills and capabilities across disciplines
- For a problem related to the buildings which contain durable and valuable components with high reuse potential, there is currently no standardized way to identify, recover and reallocate these materials - as a solution – there is a need for a standardized pre-demolition audit methodology to identify materials with reuse potential.
- One of the solutions would a registry/Marketplace in the format of a digital platform, skills are needed to create this tool/environment, accessible for developers.
- Learning about the best practices in other European countries (including the barriers and enablers in this process) will be most valuable to solve the problems related to the reuse of building materials.
Examples of challenges that need to be addressed
1.Optimising the regeneration processes in the pyrometallurgical industry.
Status: Industrial and market validation needed.
2. Reducingengine vibrations throughtheidentificationof governing excitations and enabling noise-based control
Status: Toolchains and methods created.Benchmarking of the new methods inreal-world operationscenarios isneeded
3. Newinsights into engine noise with fundamental studies on combustion-derived pulsating flow propagation
Status: Engine exhaust and airpath noise covered. Correlations of combustion noise with fuel properties anddiferent combustion modesremain unexplored
4.Selectiveelectrolysis for preparation of ammonia (SE-NOx to NH3) from nitrogen oxide (NOx) containing fluids
Status: Concept validation inanindustrialapplicationisneeded. Improving process efficiency needed, particularly in engine applications.
I3X at the University of Vaasa – About the initiator
1. Background info
University of Vaasa combines expertise in energy transition, business renewal, and leadership of societal transformation. UVA is part ofEnergyVaasa, the largest energy technology hub in the Nordics.
Website: www.uwasa.fi
2. Research Group/Company Department
The research group supports the end-to-end process of powertrain development from fuel to energy and emission management, while its research focuses on combustion engines.
Link to the website: https://www.uwasa.fi/en/research/groups-and-focus-areas/efficient-powertrain-solutions
Contact info:Maciej Mikulski, Professor,maciej.mikulski@uwasa.fi
See attachment: Expertise and available technologies at the University of Vaasa within SMAR3TS project and examples of strategically relevant I3X Initiatives.
Alignment to Work-Packages (Nutrition, Mobility, Energy, Housing)
SMAR3TS domains that are relevant to the work of the University of Vaasa organization/research and innovation team:
The suggested I3X is relates to the domains ofenergy andmobility.
Alignment to Resilience, Restoration, Regeneration (R3)
The suggested I3X supportsrestoration and contributes toregeneration.
Note:
The expression of interest for the secondment at TalTech must be submitted via the platform. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and you will be contacted as soon as possible. For any questions, please contact: info@smar3ts.eu
SMAR3TS (Staff Mobility to Action Resilient, Restorative, & Regenerative Transitions & Societies) enables secondments (staff exchanges), between 36 partners, across 16 countries (and 4 continents), to undertake cutting-edge research and innovation on resilience, restoration, regeneration (R3) across four sectors: energy, mobility, nutrition and housing, to accelerate pathways to economic, environmental and societal impact.
SMAR3TS is funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchange Program Project ID: 101236376.
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