The ISP is coordinating RENEWME, a new project funded under the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 call, which will help pave the way for biomethane in Europe.
The Integrated Pathways to RENEWable MEthane: Multidisciplinary Approaches for a Green Energy (RENEWME) project, coordinated by Dr Raquel Lebrero Fernández and Dr María Molinos Senante, has been selected under the MSCA Doctoral Networks 2025 call.
Thanks to this European funding, the Institute of Sustainable Processes at the University of Valladolid will, through RENEWME, drive the advancement of biomethane in Europe by training research staff and generating interdisciplinary knowledge of excellence.
Biomethane plays a key role in the decarbonisation of the energy system and in the transition towards a more circular and resilient economy in the European Union. Despite this, its large-scale deployment continues to face significant obstacles, such as regulatory fragmentation, the limited competitiveness of certain technologies, infrastructure constraints and insufficient public awareness of its benefits and potential.
In response to these challenges, RENEWME will develop a strategy based on four main strands: the harmonisation of regulatory and market frameworks; the improvement of the technical, economic and environmental performance of biomethane production pathways; the design of more flexible and decentralised infrastructure; and the strengthening of social acceptance through specific analyses and engagement tools targeted at different stakeholder groups.
Beyond its scientific and technological scope, RENEWME was established with the aim of training a new generation of specialists capable of tackling the major challenges of biomethane deployment. The project will combine advanced research, international doctoral training and cross-sectoral collaboration to build capacity in the fields of regulation, sustainability, technological innovation, digitalisation and the social sciences.
The consortium brings together 19 organisations from 9 European countries, forming an international network comprising universities, companies, sectoral associations and other key players in the energy ecosystem. In Spain, in addition to the University of Valladolid through the ISP, participants include FCC Medio Ambiente, Aeris, Trovant, AVEBiom and the University of Seville.
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks initiatives, launched by the European Commission under Horizon Europe, aims to strengthen doctoral training and the international mobility of researchers through collaboration between universities, businesses and other socio-economic stakeholders across different countries. In this context, RENEWME will contribute not only to expanding knowledge about the role of biomethane in Europe, but also to strengthening the innovation capacity needed to move towards a climate-neutral, circular and socially supported energy system, in line with the priorities of the European Green Deal and REPowerEU.
