The SCOPE project started in April 2019, and after an amendment, the end was shifted to March 2026. The situation is now back to normal after delays from the pandemic and related impacts on recruitment, mobility, and meetings. The general project organisation is the following:
- UniME (cPI) is developed the novel catalysts/electrodes, as well as comparative testing with photo- and electrocatalytic conversion, besides the development of novel reactor concepts for plasma-catalysis,
- UANT (PI1) developed physicochemical models of plasma-catalysis systems and did experiments on different modalities of plasma generation and interaction with the catalyst
- UNIWAR (PI2, I3), and associated TUe and UoA, developed a novel two-jet reactor concept, developed plasma-enzyme catalysis, characterised the plasma bubble reactor fundamentally and explored it for two applications (air N-fixation, urine recovery), as well as assessed the sustainability of diverse plasma processes (TEA, LCA, Circularity, ESG).
The project is organised into six work packages (WPs), all active in the fourth RP. The active WPs were WP1 (Identify the mechanisms of controlling the selectivity), WP2 (Surface-confined plasma ), WP3 (Fast-modulated operations in the presence of plasma), WP4 (Advanced processes for direct conversion of target small molecules) and WP5 (Intensified process-sustainability opportunities), in addition to WP6 (Coordination and Dissemination).
The scientific work performed up to the fourth RP aligns with the planned activities. Within the project, 155 publications (all with an indication of project support and green/gold open access) and over 200 dissemination activities (lectures and other relevant events) were realised. PIS also made many additional publications on closely related aspects.
Only online meetings were held during the pandemic, but later, a series of physical meetings between PIs and related teams was organized and will continue. As part of the dissemination, various international conferences and workshops were also organized as part of the SCOPE activities. Mobility of the PhD students and researchers' exchange was also implemented.
An important action regards the realisation of a joint international Doctorate ( ACCESS - Advanced Catalytic Processes for using Renewable Energy Sources), stemming directly from the ERC Synergy SCOPE. The Doctorate is now in the 5th cycle, and it has transformed into an Industrial Doctorate (supported by various companies). Various PhD students spend mobility periods in other PIs' labs. Also, various PhD students work in co-tutelle between PIs. Two ERC PoCs projects, and another at submission stage, resulted from the SCOPE project.
