UL FKKT Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of the International Master’s Program MESC

i-MESC (Interdisciplinarity in Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion) is an ambitious and unique two-year master's program that educates students in the areas of energy acquisition, conversion, and storage. The Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at the University of Ljubljana (UL FKKT) joined the consortium five years ago, along with Université de Picardie Jules Verne (France), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (France), Politechnika Warszawska (Poland), and Universidad del País Vasco (Spain), successfully securing European funding to implement the joint study program.

This year's cohort of the i-MESC program includes 30 students selected from 750 applicants. During their studies, the students will visit at least three countries and complete their master's theses at universities, institutes, and industries around the world. By solving practical problems with research findings, they contribute to addressing current fundamental and applied issues in batteries, fuel cells, electrolysis, and other energy storage and conversion methods. The program covers both scientific and technological knowledge of electrochemical energy storage and conversion, while also focusing on developing soft skills such as project management, communication, ethics and integrity, preparation for professional interviews, intellectual property, and the establishment of startup companies.

Graduates of the program secure positions at the top of global companies in the field of energy materials (such as Umicore and RS2) and at prestigious universities worldwide. Due to its transdisciplinary nature, new teaching approaches, and international integration, the i-MESC study program follows the trends of modern teaching and research, thus pioneering in many ways within the Slovenian area. "The MESC study program was an academically intensive program that provided me with a broad understanding of materials chemistry for energy. The international component was also very important, expanding my horizons and allowing me to establish connections with scientists and students from around the world. This study had a significant impact on my subsequent career path. The knowledge and research experience I gained enabled me to secure a position at the National Institute of Chemistry, where I conduct my doctoral research on modeling processes in energy storage materials at the atomic level. The program was the foundation for my current research work, which includes collaboration with the world's most successful researchers, some of whom I met through the MESC program," said Ervin Rems, employed at the National Institute of Chemistry.

"Being part of the MESC community is a great pride and honor for me. For someone who recently graduated, it's incredible to think about the 20-year history of this program. I feel immense gratitude. I am grateful to be a MESC graduate and a member of this international, diverse, and vibrant community. Studying in Poland, France, and Slovenia as part of the MESC program was not only of high quality but also paved the way for my further academic career in materials chemistry. In Europe, I created many valuable memories. I wish the MESC program all the best and look forward to what it will continue to offer the scientific world," added Maris Minna Mathew, a young researcher at UL FKKT.

This year, the consortium successfully applied again to the highly competitive and prestigious "Erasmus Mundus Joint Master" (EMJDP) program and secured funding, which will allow the program to run for the next five years. Additionally, European industry (Umicore (Belgium), RS2E (France)) will award at least 10 scholarships annually to MESC program students over the next five years.