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The Remarkable Success of the 7 Beneficiaries of the Solvay Fund for Chemistry in Strasbourg

In 2016, the Solvay group decided to support the University of Strasbourg to the tune of €500k to enable the development of very high-level research projects undertaken by brilliant PhD students recruited from around the world. The fund was supplemented by €400k in joint funding from the Foundation for Research in Chemistry.

This “programme of excellence for the chemistry of the future” had two objectives:

  • To launch exploratory subjects as a means of finding concrete solutions to society’s challenges.
  • To attract talented international PhD students to the University of Strasbourg within an environment of academic excellence

For the company, the programme was also a means of strengthening its relationship with the academic world and meeting promising young talents. The recipients, meanwhile, benefit from a globally recognised research environment within the best university for chemistry in the European Union*, with close ties to the world of business, institutions and local/regional authorities.

*Shanghai ranking 2023

Key numbers

7

Solvay scholarship winners among the best

750

Applications received from around the world

>20

Meetings between the laureates and Solvay

39

Publications resulting from research funded by the fund

Explore the program through images:

Exceptional laureates

The 7 laureates of the Solvay fund have been selected internationally based on their excellent Master’s results.

The numerous applications received were subject to a rigorous selection process carried out by the foundation’s external scientific council.

Six years later, the quality of the research undertaken by the successful candidates is unequivocal: in total, 39 research articles have been published by the 7 beneficiaries of the Solvay fund. An exceptional level of scientific productivity to match the exceptional profile of the students.

Their research is brilliant, but also useful in addressing the major challenges faced by society. Their subjects are always linked to the major issues we currently face: sustainable development, health or new materials.

The students benefit from training through research at a very high level

The 3 latest beneficiaries of the Solvay fund (Christian Camilo Carmona Vargas, Xinghan Li and Sebastian Andres Martinez Pena) joined the prestigious Complex Systems Chemistry graduate school when it was established in 2018. This highly demanding school offers a transdisciplinary programme taught in English, trains its students in management and exposes them to the R&D issues of importance to companies. The ambitious programme aims to train future chemistry leaders for academia and industry.

In the spirit of Solvay’s programme of excellence for the chemistry of the future, the school funds doctorates on subjects linked to strategic issues: intelligent materials, green chemistry, renewable energy and biomedical technologies. Like Solvay, this integrated Masters-PhD course aims to cultivate a new generation of researchers who will help change the world.

Interested in funding excellence in chemistry projects at the University of Strasbourg?