Parcours Erasmus Mundus Sustainable Catalysis (SUCAT)

The aim of SuCat is to train and form high level graduates in the field of catalysis (homogeneous, heterogeneous and biocatalysis) and sustainable chemistry. Catalysis is the most interdisciplinary and overarching technology in the chemical industry. Catalysis is involved in many industrial applications (energy, fine chemicals, materials…) and in the environmental protection (recycling of waste and reduction of greenhouse gases). Catalysis is of high interest in the chemical industry and helps to define sustainable catalytic processes. Catalysis is directly associated to sustainable chemistry and will help to develop green and sustainable future dependent on breakthrough discoveries in this field. These considerations reveal the strong need for bringing together the scattered knowledge of catalysis over several specialities:

• Homogeneous catalysis
• Heterogeneous catalysis
• Biocatalysis

• The alumni will have a broad spectrum of employers based on their double expertise in catalysis (two declinations) and in life cycle assessment,
• The alumni will be trained in skills that the employers require and need,

• The need for highly qualified personnel having skills and expertise in more than one declination of catalysis and sustainability is of prime interest.

• The purpose of SuCat is to provide to students knowledge and skills on catalysis in all its aspects as well as in Life Cycle Assessment. Practical experiences in two declinations of catalysis will be performed through a 6 months internship and 6 months of master thesis giving to students the skills to work in catalytic field in industry or academia. This master gathering partners from Europe, Brazil and Canada will help to coordinate catalysis in all these countries in order to graduate students in this field.

• The respective universities are supported by industrial partners (L’OREAL, CLARIANT, SOLVAY, ADISSEO, RAIZ…) and/or clusters that will prepare the students for the real labour market through a combination of industrial plant visits, internship and seminars.

• This formation will allow students to enter directly in the “work life” or start a PhD in catalysis field.

The mobility plan ensures several opportunities to students from the same or different Master cohorts to meet and exchange. The students will have the opportunity to know well each other and to create a real group.

The welcome weeks are specifically planned to build a group within the same cohort and exchange experience, thought as beneficial in terms of networking and transferable skills purposes.

The first semester will be held in Poitiers. In the meanwhile, guest lecturers from University Rovira i Virgili, University of Aveiro as well as from affiliated partners will come to Poitiers or give their courses by video-conference.

Students of the SuCat master will do an internship of 6 months in one of the consortium or affiliated partners that will be on a different field of catalysis than the specialization chosen for the second year. They will be encouraged to move in order to discover another country and culture.

In the second year of the master, students will choose a specialization and will move to the University of Aveiro for biocatalysis, University Rovira I Virgili for homogeneous catalysis and University of Poitiers for heterogeneous catalysis. The main aim is that they will have 30 ECTS credits from at least two partners in order to get a double degree diploma.