Gaznat-EPFL Research Programme: Selected Projects for Funding
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Gaznat and EPFL have strengthened their collaborative efforts to advance carbon-neutral energy solutions. This initiative invites EPFL researchers to contribute to the development of innovative technologies aimed at decarbonizing Switzerland's energy sector. A first Call for proposals was launched from 31 March 2025 to 21 August 2025 under the Gaznat-EPFL Research Programme and seven EPFL projects were selected for funding.
Gaznat-EPFL Research Programme: Selected Projects for Funding from the first call for proposals
The Scientific Committee of the Gaznat-EPFL Research Programme, composed of four high-level representatives from Gaznat and four from EPFL, has announced the projects selected for funding under its two categories: EXPLORE and SEED.
These projects will contribute to Gaznats’s vision of achieving a CO₂-neutral supply of energy molecules for western Switzerland by 2050, progressively decarbonizing its transport network and Swiss industry.
The EXPLORE category supports lab-scale prototype projects (TRL >4) with the potential to advance toward TRL 6–9. Projects may run for up to four years and are expected to deliver prototypes of innovative technologies, processes, or solutions, ideally deployed at the Gaznat GreenGas Innovation Lab.
The SEED category targets early-stage projects (TRL <4) lasting 6 to 12 months. These projects aim to identify and characterize promising technologies or pathways with the potential for further development toward higher TRLs.
Following the call for proposals, the Scientific Committee evaluated all submissions and conducted a thorough evaluation process. Based on this assessment, the Committee made its final funding decisions.
The selected projects are listed below:
EXPLORE CATEGORY
Prof. Wendy Queen, Laboratory for Functional Inorganic Materials (LFIM)
Project title: “Stability-Engineered Adsorbents for Industrial Carbon Capture”
Dr. Jan Van Herle, Group of Energy Materials – GEM
Project title: “30kWe 30bar anionic exchange membrane water electrolyser design and prototype”
SEED CATEGORY
Prof. Agrawal Kumar Varoon, Laboratory of Advanced Separations (LAS)
Project title: “Scalable pore size distribution modification technique for improving carbon capture performance”
Dr. Ebrahim Fatmah Mish, Laboratory of Molecular Simulation (LSMO)
Project title: “Towards CO2-Neutral Hydrogen: MOF-Based Photocatalysts for Brine and Seawater Feeds”
Dr. Jan van der Herle, Mr. Romain Jordan, Mr. Martin Gay, Group of Energy Materials – GEM
Project title: “O2/N2 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) for Oxy-combustion in a SOFC-GT hybrid system”
Prof. Wenyu Gu, Laboratory of Microbial Physiology and Resource Biorecovery (MICROBE)
Project title: “Constructing an Oxygen-Tolerant Biomethanation Process for Power-to-Gas”
Dr. Cédric Frantz, Dr. Jan Van Herle, Group of Energy Materials – GEM
Project title: “Bio-electrolysis stack for biomethane production from cheese whey and CO2”