Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, UNSA, winner of the first Horizon Europe Doctoral Network project in BiH

Researchers from the Process and Environmental Engineering department at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sarajevo, have achieved a historic success – our faculty has won the prestigious Horizon Europe Doctoral Network (DN) project, which officially starts in November 2025.

This is the first Horizon Europe DN project received in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and also one of only two approved projects in our country ever.

The project entitled COMBINE – Coupled Problems for Decarbonisation in Industry and Power Generation was approved in a highly competitive process within the Marie Skłodowska-Curie program, where more than 1,400 applications were submitted.

The project leader on behalf of the University of Sarajevo is Prof. Dr. Amra Hasečić from the Process and Environmental Engineering department, which confirms the international recognition of this study program and its contribution to contemporary research trends.

The project will enable 17 doctoral candidates to develop their dissertations within specially designed doctoral programs, with international mobility and stays at various partner institutions. What makes this program unique is the fact that doctoral candidates are not just students – they are employed full-time in partner institutions as researchers, which for the first time in BiH provides this type of engagement for a doctoral degree.

By winning this project, the University of Sarajevo and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering further strengthen their position on the European research scene. This is proof that domestic researchers, with strong international partners, can be leaders in solving the global challenges of energy transition and decarbonization.