Francesco Brandi, a fixed-term researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of Organometallic Compounds (ICCOM) of the CNR and member of Spoke 3 of MICS – Made in Italy Circular and Sustainable, has been awarded a prestigious Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (MSCA-PF) under the HORIZON-MSCA2024-PF-01 programme, funded by the European Union.
The winning project, named ‘REFLOWER – Polyester Catalytic Chemical Recycling in Continuous Flow Reactors’, aims to develop a continuous flow catalytic chemical recycling system for the recovery of plastic waste, turning it into high value-added chemical compounds. The project is inspired by the research carried out in Cycloplastic Economy, one of the flagship projects of MICS Spoke 3, dedicated to the regeneration of plastic waste from the textile, furniture, footwear and packaging sectors.
The MSCA-PF grant is one of the most highly sought-after individual European grants in the research field. The call for applications, part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, aims to promote the international mobility of researchers and scientific excellence, allowing scholars of all disciplines, ages and nationalities to conduct innovative projects at research institutions or universities in Europe.
In the 2024 call for applications, the European Research Executive Agency received over 10,000 proposals: only 16.6% were selected, for a total of 1,696 post-doctoral researchers funded, with a total investment of 417 millions of euros.
The Cycloplastic Economy Project
Within MICS Spoke 3, Cycloplastic Economy develops innovative methodologies for the depolymerisation and chemical recycling of polyesters, polyamides and polyurethanes derived from various industrial sectors (fashion, furniture, footwear, packaging). The aim is to turn complex plastic waste into high-quality secondary raw materials, reducing the environmental impact of production and promoting a more circular and sustainable industry. The expected results fall within the early stages of technological readiness (TRL 1–4), with benefits in terms of industrial innovation, environmental impact and European competitiveness.
