Recruiting Partners
The University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (UoE) is a leading public research university based in Scotland. It is ranked 27th in the 2025 QS World University rankings and 19th in the world’s most international universities according to Times Higher Education. UoE has been ranked 4th in the UK and 1st in Scotland for research power, where 96% of its research was classed as either world leading or internationally excellent. It is a member of several associations of research-intensive universities, including the Coimbra Group, League of European Research Universities, Russell Group, Una Europa, and Universitas. The university's academic disciplines are structured into 21 Schools in three Colleges: Arts, Humanities and Social Science; Medicine and Veterinary Medicine; and Science and Engineering. Its structure underpins a broad range of courses with more than 300 degree programmes.
UoE has three colleges (Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences, Medicine & Veterinary and Science & Engineering) and 21 schools (including the School of Engineering, within the College of Science and Engineering) and 5,300 full-time academic staff (over 300 at the School of Engineering - SoE). It has roughly 50,000 students, of which, over 20,000 are international students from 130 countries. UoE has 6,500 are doctoral students (680 based in the SoE).
The University of Lille
The University of Lille (ULILLE) is a multidisciplinary university that covers 4 research and training areas: Sciences and Technologies; Life Sciences and Health; Arts, Literature, Languages, Human and Social Sciences; Law, Economics, and Management. ULILLE policies aim to reinforce inter-disciplinary research, in line with major social issues, knowledge transfer and public-private partnership. Key figures: 78,000 student, including 9900 international students; more than 520 diploma degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, Law, Health, Economics, Management, Languages, Human and Social Sciences, including 24 degrees fully taught in English; 66 research units; 3300 lecturers and researchers; 350 tenured and post-doctoral researchers; 17 ERC grantees; 2000 Doctoral Researchers, 6 Doctoral Schools; over 3000 scientific publications each year.
The University of Perugia
The University of Perugia (UNIPG), funded in 1308, is one of the oldest universities in Italy and one of the most accredited, with 14 Departments and more than 40 Research Centres, 1,000 Professors and Researchers, offering a wide variety of courses in all fields of education. Its goal is to provide students with the finest quality degree programmes and academic opportunities within a stimulating multicultural environment, along with the opportunity to enjoy an excellent lifestyle and foster their personal and academic growth while studying at the highest level. All 17 PhD programs are international and share research projects with top Universities. Currently, there are about 50 research groups that received grants from the European Research network. Thanks to about 400 Erasmus+ agreements throughout the European Union and to about 150 agreements with extra EU universities, students may receive mobility grants to spend up to 12 months in foreign countries. The quality of this service is certified by the European Commission with the ECTS label for excellence.
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), headquartered in Trondheim with campuses in Gjøvik and Ålesund, is Norway's largest university, with 42,000 students and 7,400 staff. NTNU collaborates with over 730 institutions in more than 100 countries. NTNU is host or partner for 35 large research centers (centers of excellence, research-driven innovation and environmentally friendly energy). The university participates in 198 Horizon 2020 projects (November 2020) and is awarded 12 ERC grants (November 2020). The university has a strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2005–2015, NTNU collaborated with business and industry in more than 10 000 projects. This included some 1200 Norwegian and 760 international companies. NTNU has an extensive international network with NTNU office in Brussels. NTNU is a member of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA). One the four main strategic research areas (2014-2023) of NTNU is dedicated to the topic of Energy: “Development and integration of a renewable and sustainable energy supply is a key challenge for the world community. NTNU commits itself to contribute to such a transition by minimizing the ecological footprint in developing the existing resources, and to massively invest in research related to renewable energy sources, storage and transportation solutions.’’
Politecnico di Torino
The “Scuola di Applicazione per gli Ingegneri” (Technical School for Engineers) was founded in 1859, to then become the Regio Politecnico di Torino in 1906. Over the decades, Politecnico di Torino became one of the most important research and academic institutions in Italy with its continuously growing community. The Politecnico over its more than 150 years of history has become an international school, where traditions and future, past and modernity are all interlinked. The Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering (DISEG) is the head of the schools for Civil Engineering and Building Engineering. DISEG promotes, coordinates and manages basic and applied research, training, technology transfer and services to the local community in the fields of structural mechanics, structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, building technology, building production, drawing and representation.
Université Grenoble Alpes
Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA) is one of the major multidisciplinary French universities with 57 000 students, and 6400 researchers working in 100 research laboratories. With 10300 foreign students, half of the Ph.D. students coming from all over the world, and more than 8000 researchers visiting every year, UGA is an internationally engaged university and has been awarded by the EC with the ’HR Excellence in Research Award’. Université Grenoble Alpes ranks each year in the Top 100-250 group of the best world universities in all major international rankings and is in the Top 10 of French higher education institutions.
The host group “Laboratoire 3SR” is a joint research unit (UMR 5521) involving the University Grenoble Alpes (UGA), the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble (Grenoble INP). The laboratory comprises 120 individuals conducting cutting-edge research in Solid Mechanics, with applications in structural engineering, infrastructure, and materials for civil engineering, transportation, manufacturing, and healthcare. Across these domains, the research at 3SR integrates both experimentation and modelling, operating at both the material and structural scales. Experimental studies are undertaken to comprehend, analyse, and inform the development of theoretical and numerical models, considering physico-mechanical couplings and conducting multi-scale analyses. The interdisciplinary nature of this research contributes to advancements in understanding and innovation applicable to a wide range of industries and scientific fields.
The University of Derby
The University of Derby has been awarded Gold by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in the country’s first ever Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), putting it in the top 20% of all providers in the UK. The Zero Carbon Research Theme carries out world-leading research to provide local, national, and international impact in the field of renewable, low carbon energy, including geothermal.
Associate Partners
AccesSol Group
The AccesSol Group is a leading player in the field of underpinning in France, recognized for its expertise and reliability. The various companies within the group specialize in providing tailored solutions for the underpinning of structures, including houses and larger buildings, by utilizing advanced techniques such as micropiles and resin injections. These methods ensure structural stability and longevity, even in challenging ground conditions. With its cutting-edge technology and experienced workforce, the AccesSol Group underpins several hundred buildings annually. Its operations are supported by a robust network of over 40 dedicated teams strategically positioned across France, ensuring efficient and localized service delivery to meet the diverse needs of its clients.
Bolsover District Council
Bolsover District Council is a local government district in Derbyshire, England, providing district-level services. County-level services are provided by Derbyshire County Council. Bolsover DC will supervise placements, support data collection, and chair and host any task and finish group.
UKRI/ British Geological Survey
The British Geological Survey is a world-leading geological survey and global geoscience organisation, focused on public-good science for government and research to understand earth and environmental processes.
GEOEG sarl
GEOEG (Lausanne, Dubai, Monaco, and Chicago) brings together global expertise to design and create sustainable geoenergy solutions for buildings, districts, and cities. With a focus on carbon neutrality, GEOEG harnesses advanced analysis, design, testing, and monitoring tools to deliver and optimize innovative underground energy systems that integrate seamlessly into the built environment, offering highly efficient, sustainable solutions that not only reduce carbon emissions but also enhance energy resilience. The company specializes in shallow geothermal technologies, deep geothermal technologies, underground thermal energy storage systems, and subsurface heat islands mitigation strategies.
Geosolving Srl
Geosolving srl, founded in 2016 as a spin-off of Politecnico di Torino, specializes in solving geological and geotechnical challenges in civil, hydraulic, and environmental projects using advanced techniques. The company has pioneering expertise in energy geo-structures and offers consulting, predictive analyses, design, testing, and monitoring services.
Iren Group
Iren Group is one of the largest and most dynamic multi-utility companies in Italy, serving a multi-regional area in the North-West of Italy, and operating in the sectors of electricity, gas, thermal energy for district heating, management of integrated water services, environmental services, and technological services. It is the largest operator in Italy in the production of thermal energy for district heating and manages the largest district heating network in Italy, in the metropolitan area of Torino.
Keller Ltd
Keller is a leading specialist in geotechnical engineering, operating across the full spectrum of construction sectors. With a breadth of in-house capability encompassing ground improvement, deep foundations, earth retention, and instrumentation & monitoring, the company provides tailored engineered solutions to complex subsurface challenges.
Municipality of Lille
In the territory of the European Metropolis of Lille (MEL), 11 municipalities are impacted by underground quarries, covering 181 hectares with an estimated void of 4.5 million cubic meters. To address this risk, Lille and MEL established a quarry service in 2018, staffed by a multidisciplinary team. Their expertise includes stability diagnostics, geophysical and geotechnical assessments, work oversight, crisis management, risk prevention planning, and maintaining a GIS Quarry system.
Norvegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI)
NGI is an independent company specializing in international consultancy and research in geotechnics and engineering-oriented geosciences. It combines expertise in geology and technology to provide sustainable solutions in infrastructure, environmental technology, contaminated land, and natural hazards like landslides and avalanches. NGI's research addresses challenges in climate, energy, and social security. The company offers services ranging from basic investigations to planning and consultancy for both open and closed ground heating systems.
SIMTEC
SIMTEC is the French leader of the COMSOL Certified Consultant. Our goal is to assist industrial professionals in their processing development, research using innovative approaches thanks simulation and modeling work. With strong collaboration and continual interaction, we help our clients to structure their research and to study scientifically their new ideas based on their business experience. We can develop easy-to-use custom numerical software to providing a decision support tools based on scientific computations, for our customers. We are experts in numerical modelling using COMSOL Multiphysics software for many physical phenomena, including electromagnetism, heat transfer, computational fluid flow, structural mechanics and chemical engineering. Our experience in these fields, combined with our modelling expertise, enables us to support you in conducting efficient research. Whether you require a one-off modelling study or a long-term collaboration, we can provide you with qualitative and quantitative knowledge of your engineering processes to help you innovate and optimise more quickly.
https://www.simtecsolution.fr/en/
SmartParc
The SmartParc is a 110-acre site dedicated to food production, offering a collaborative environment for food businesses to innovate and drive down operational costs. The site will feature approximately 2 million square feet of buildings, with around 1 million square feet already constructed. These modern, energy-efficient buildings are designed to foster collaboration among food businesses. Renewable energy will be shared across the site, enhancing sustainability, while heating and cooling are provided through a central district heating and cooling network, ensuring optimal energy use and reducing environmental impact.
TELT
TELT is the public binational company managing the construction and operation of the Lyon-Turin railway's cross-border section for freight and passengers. Owned equally by the French State (via the Ministry for the Ecological Transition) and the Italian State (via Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane), TELT was established in 2015, succeeding LTF, which handled preliminary studies and works since 2001. Its leadership includes a French-appointed President, currently Daniel Bursaux, representing stakeholders, and an Italian-appointed CEO, currently Maurizio Bufalini, overseeing operations.
TownRock Energy Limited
TRE is an award-winning geothermal energy consultancy and technology R&D company established in Aberdeen and based in Edinburgh. TRE specialise in the valuation, development, and operation of net-zero heat projects utilising various geothermal resources, including flooded coal mines, hot sedimentary aquifers, and hot dry rocks. Their mission is to harness the Earth's subsurface geothermal energy to provide zero-carbon renewable heating and cooling solutions for industrial, commercial, and domestic users.
University of Gustave Eiffel
The University Gustave Eiffel (UGE) is a national university which main focuses are on urban and territories planning, environment, civil engineering, and construction. The UGE is a unique multidisciplinary university merging the competence of a teaching university, with a research institute, and four higher education school (architecture and engineering). The university has exceptional experimental resources, and leading research teams on their domains.
