The University of Bologna is taking part in Call4Fellows 2026, a new initiative launched by Snam – one of the world's leading energy operators – aimed at bringing research on hydrogen, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), and long-duration energy storage (LDES) from the laboratory to the market.
Call4Fellows brings together three leading academic partners – the University of Bologna, Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino – and is open to researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and final-year PhD students ready to turn their ideas into concrete, scalable solutions.
The initiative was conceived to bridge cutting-edge international scientific research and industrial application, and rests on three pillars: excellence, innovation and impact. The selected projects will combine scientific rigour, technological maturity and concrete relevance to energy integration.
Following an initial selection process, five Fellows will receive two months of mentorship to develop their projects further. The most promising project will then give rise to a fully funded two-year research and development programme, carried out in collaboration with Snam and one of the partner universities.
The University of Bologna's participation in Call4Fellows 2026 reaffirms its role in fostering technology transfer and dialogue between research and industry, while contributing to the growth of scientific expertise and the development of an Italian and European cleantech innovation ecosystem.
The programme was presented on Monday 13 April at the event “Hyaccelerator Day: Call4Startup & Call4Fellows 2026”, which was attended by Rector Giovanni Molari. The event brought together innovators, industrial partners and research institutions to present the new identity of Hyaccelerator, Snam's acceleration programme, which offers start-ups and researchers a clear, structured pathway from concept to industrial validation.
Applications will remain open until 31 May.
Further information and application guidelines
