To actively expand international research and teaching collaborations and promote academic exchanges between faculty and students, an online academic seminar was successfully held on the afternoon of March 25th between experts and scholars from China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy at Huazhong University of Science & Technology (ICARE) and the Department of Industrial Engineering of University of Padova in Italy.

HUST Vice President Prof. Zhang Yonghui, ICARE Chinese Dean Prof. Luo Xiaobing, European Dean Prof. Michel FARINE, Vice Dean Dr. Zou Qingming, and Director of the Scientific Affairs Office Prof. Hu Song and other professors attended the opening ceremony. The seminar attracted Chinese and international students from the School of Energy, School of Mechanical Engineering, School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, School of Civil Engineering, School of Telecommunications, and School of Management from our university.

Vice President Prof. Zhang Yonghui delivered the opening speech for the seminar, welcoming faculty members and students from both universities to attend. He expressed gratitude to both institutes for their efforts in organizing the event. Highlighting the global context of climate change, he emphasized that China and Italy are actively working toward building a clean energy future and protecting the planet’s ecosystems, with strategic goals set for achieving carbon neutrality by 2060 and 2050 respectively. As one of China’s top universities, Huazhong University of Science & Technology is actively responding to the trend of energy transition, advancing clean energy technologies, and prioritizing international collaboration. He concluded by expressing hope that the seminar would serve as a platform for sharing cutting-edge insights and technologies, fostering innovative solutions to advance green development.

Professor Massimiliano ZATTIN, Vice Rector of University of Padova, expressed gratitude for Vice President Prof. Zhang Yonghui’s welcome and opening remarks. He stated that it was an honor to gather with distinguished faculty and students from both universities in China and Italy, emphasizing his hope that shared discussions would ignite new ideas. He provided an overview of University of Padova and its Industrial Engineering Department, while advocating for mutual learning, stronger bridges for cultural exchange, and collaborative efforts to contribute to global progress. He sincerely expressed anticipation that this seminar would catalyze research collaborations between the two institutes, laying a solid foundation for future partnerships.

Following this, 19 researchers from both universities delivered presentations and engaged in discussions on two overarching themes: “Hydrogen and Energy Storage, Thermoelectricity, and Thermochemical Conversion” and “Energy Efficiency, Renewable Sources, and Bioprocesses”. Their research covered a wide range of topics, including: Mechanism and Engineering Application of Fluid-Electromagnetic Coupling Suspension Micropump Without Grooves; Electrification of Thermal Processes for Primary Energy and GHG Emission Saving; Thermochemical conversion of biomass and organic solid waste into fuels and chemicals; Electrolytes for Li-ion Batteries and Beyond; Optimization Design and Application of Hydrogen Fuel Cells; Thermal Radiation and Energy Utilization; Activity in the Energy Field of the TES group; Bioprocess Engineering for Sustainable Industrial Innovation; Photovoltaic: from basic research to applications; Thermoelectric device and system; Computational Modeling of Energy Storage Materials; CAPE-Lab - Computer-Aided Process Engineering Laboratory; Design of phase change absorbent for post-combustion CO2 capture; Computational Modeling of Energy Storage Materials; Computational Modeling of Energy Storage Materials; Fundamental Combustion Research Facilitating the Innovative Development of Tobacco; Research activities on sustainable thermal energy technologies; Integrated optimization of energy conversion, storage and networks in multi-energy systems; Solar pyrolysis of algae in alkaline molten salt for hydrogen production; DFT and Molecular Dynamic Studies on Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion; Electrocatalysts and Membranes for Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers.

ICARE Chinese Dean Prof. Luo Xiaobing, European Dean Prof. Michel FARINE, and Prof. Fabrizio DUGHIERO, Dean of the Department of Industrial Engineering of University of Padova, each delivered closing remarks. They jointly expressed gratitude for the participants’ active engagement and proposed ideas, while reaffirming their support for upcoming exchanges, visits, and deeper collaborative initiatives.

In December 2024, ICARE and the Department of Industrial Engineering of University of Padova signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate two-way faculty and student exchanges and explore joint talent cultivation programs, aiming to advance comprehensive strategic collaboration. This July, ICARE will welcome students from the Department of Industrial Engineering of University of Padova to participate in a two-week international summer school titled “Exploring HUST- Trip of Global Clean and Renewable Energy”.