INRS launches the UNESCO Chair

INRS is proud to announce the launch of the UNESCO Chair on Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage (MATECSS). Established at the Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications Research Centre (EMT), the chair is part of a North-South/South-South initiative to promote access to sustainable energy for all. The kick-off for this prestigious chair will take place on April 10, 2014, at the Fairmount Queen Elizabeth Hotel. INRS rector Daniel Coderre and Federico Rosei, professor, EMT centre director, and first chairholder, will welcome numerous dignitaries and collaborators, including John C. Polanyi, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The United Nations has declared 2014-2024 the Decade of Sustainable Energy for All, and the INRS EMT Research Centre is committed to making this vision a reality. The chair's scientific and technical program is designed to take up this challenge through knowledge transfer and advanced training. The program calls for visiting professors, international workshops, and student exchanges to provide top-notch training on emerging energy technologies. The MATECSS Chair will also offer scholarships and financial assistance for doctoral students from developing countries, either at the Centre or at their own institutions through online courses and scientific and technological transfer activities.

"INRS is delighted to have the opportunity to strengthen Nord-South and South-South partnerships and promote cooperation among partners of the new UNESCO Chair on Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Saving and Storage," stressed Daniel Coderre. "INRS professors are agents of sustainable change, helping to meet today's major social and economic challenges."

Professors at the Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications and Eau Terre Environnement research centres will be involved, along with researchers from partner universities in over ten countries in Africa, the Americas, and Asia.

Provided by INRS