At Politecnico di Torino PhD students from the CoACH project present their research to industries

CoACH: Advanced glasses, Composites And Ceramics for High growth Industries, is a EU project that has provided an innovative, multidisciplinary and inter-sectorial doctoral training for young researchers in glass, ceramic and composite science and technology, for the strategic thematic areas of health, energy, ICT and environment. The final project workshop “Advanced materials for high growth industries - from the Phd to industrial innovation” will take place on October 3 and 4.

CoACH is a European Training Network which has been supported by the EC through the Marie Sklodowska-Curie funding in Horizon 2020. It involves multiple actors: five universities and ten enterprises in seven different European countries. Young PhDs had the possibility to work in close relationship with industrial and business world, developing new antibacterial materials, innovative materials for energy production and harvesting, sensors for harsh environments and building materials from industrial wastes. Research outcomes have a high potential to be applied. The 15 individual research projects concern:

• novel, antibacterial and nanostructured coatings for medical devices and implants for dental, orthopedic and tissue engineering processes. They can help reduce bacterial infections and cut the use of antibiotics in patients.
• innovative glass fiber sensors that can monitor the degradation of polymer composites in harsh environments (i.e. petrochemical, aeronautic, naval branch)
• innovative thermoelectric materials using non-toxic elements and new manufacturing techniques for more efficient thermoelectric devices
• new glass-ceramic and ceramic materials that are able to increase the reliability of solid oxide electrolysis cells
• materials for eco-sustainable buildings produced by industrial waste

The project is the result of a synergic interaction between industry and university with the objective of training through research and preparing both to an academic and private sector career: researchers have acquired, besides scientific and technical competences, also soft skills like entrepreneurship and communication.

“The event is organized in collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino doctoral school, to promote the PhDs’ innovative projects and their skills among the several companies attending the workshop. PhDs will be offered the unique opportunity to present themselves through poster sessions and 3 minutes oral pitches” says Milena Salvo, CoACH coordinator and professor at the Department of Applied Science and Technology.