PROF. ALEJANDRO A. FRANCO'S GROUP

i-MESC Project (2023-2029). This is an Erasmus+ international educational project of excellence coordinated by Prof. Franco, and involving a consortium which includes Université de Picardie Jules Verne (France), Université de Toulouse (France), Technical University of Warsaw (Poland), University of the Basque Country (Spain), University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), Drexel University (USA) and Deakin University (Australia). i-MESC stands for Interdisciplinarity in Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion. i-MESC offers a highly interdisciplinary MSc. curriculum (see here). The programme has a major focus on batteries, and also covers supercaps and fuel cells, from multiple angles, such as materials synthesis, devices manufacturing, advanced characterization, artificial intelligence and digital twins. The programme also includes practices in the laboratories and in the pilot lines of the i-MESC consortium, and the development and use of innovative Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality educational tools. i-MESC involves the recruitment of 4 cohorts of 30+ students. 

BATMAN Project (2023-2030). This is a PEPR (national) project (France 2030 long term research programme) co-ccordinated by Prof. Franco, and dealing with the use of Artificial Intelligence for the development of next generation batteries. Besides being the co-coordinator, Prof. Franco is the leader of the Work Package focused on the development of digital twins of the manufacturing processes of Sodium Ion and Solid State Batteries, an activity that strongly benefits from the achievements of his ERC projects ARTISTIC and SMARTISTIC focused on Lithium Ion Batteries (see below).

DIGICELL Project (2024-2026). This is an European project focusing on the development of advanced characterization techniques of battery cells (lithium ion battery technology in particular) and advanced digital twins of their manufacturing and performance behavior. Prof. Franco is the leader of the Work Package focusing on the development of such digital twins through a close-loop with the real manufacturing carried out in the pilot line available in his laboratory (LRCS). More information: here.

PULSELION Project (2022-2026). This is an European project focusing on the manufacturing of high-performant solid state battery cells. Prof. Franco is the leader of the Work Package focusing on the development and demostration of digital twins of the manufacturing process and performance of these solid state battery cells. Prof. Franco's group develops physics-based and machine learning models to optimize the electrodes and cells manufacturing. More information: here.

BLESSED Project (2023-2027). This is an European Marie Skłodowska-Curie project focusing on the application of multiscale computational simulation and machine learning to design and optimize Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells. The project is coordinated by Toyota Motor Europe, and in this project Prof. Franco is supervising 3 PhD students in collaboration with the companies AVL, Freudenberg and AC2T. These PhD students work, among others, on the modeling of the fabrication of the fuel cell electrodes, by adapting some of the models developed in Prof. Franco's ERC project ARTISTIC (see below) to these fuel cells. More information: here.

The Battery Kitchen project (2023-2024). This is a project supported by CNRS Innovation through their RISE program which facilitates technology transfer from the lab to the industry. Prof. Franco is the PI of this project which consists a creating a startup that will increase the Technology Readiness Level and commercialize a pioneering software solution accelerating the optimization of battery manufacturing processes. This software solution is supported on Prof. Franco's group research carried out in his ERC projects SMARTISTIC and ARTISTIC(see below). More information: here.

SIMUBAT 4.0 Project (2022-2023). This project, led by Prof. Franco, is about the development and use in University lectures of a tool combining Virtual Reality and Mixed Reality to train into the lithium ion battery manufacturing process. This tool is constituted by a Virtual Reality digital twin of our battery manufacturing pilot line and a Mixed Reality interface allowing to visualize the internal microstructure of the virtually produced electrodes. This innovative tool is being used by Prof. Franco's team to teach University students and Envision AESC battery giga-factory operators. This project is supported by the Service d'Innovation Pédagogique of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne. 

FACCTS Project (2022-2024).  This is a bilateral project between Prof. Franco's group and the group of Professor Shirley Meng at University of Chicago (USA), funded by the France-Chicago Center. This Center is located at University of Chicago and funds research programmes and facilitates scientific exchanges between this University and French laboratories. The FACCTS project treats the manufacturing, characterization and modeling of the mechanical behavior of solid-state battery cathodes upon electrochemical cycling. Prof. Franco is the co-PI of this project (together with Prof. Meng). 

SMARTISTIC Project (2022-2023). This is Prof. Franco's ERC (European Research Council) Proof of Concept Project. This project is supported on the results obtained in Prof. Franco's ERC project ARTISTIC (see below). The project develops innovative digital solutions for battery manufacturing scientists, engineers and technicians. 

ARTISTIC Project (2018-2023). This is Prof. Franco's ERC (European Research Council) Consolidator Grant Project. It develops a predictive multiscale modeling platform of the impact of manufacturing parameters on battery electrodes texture and performance (coupling physical and Artificial Intelligence models). The project website is available here and the videos below present the concept. The project also offers online services (The ARTISTIC Online Calculator) for battery manufacturing simulations from your internet browser (see here). 

STARS Project (2021-2023).  This is a project supported by CNRS Innovation through their “Pré-maturation” program. Prof. Franco is the PI of this project which consists a developing a prototype of Mixed Reality software to assist in the training of scientists, engineers and operators in the prototyping and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries. This software solution will be also part of the business core of the startup is co-creating. More information: here.

MANUFACTURING TWIN Project (2021-2022).  This project, led by Prof. Franco, was about the development and deployment of a digital twin serious game of the battery manufacturing pilot line of our laboratory LRCS. Such serious game can be played from an internet browser, and is currently used by Prof. Franco to teach about how lithium ion battery cells are manufactured. Link to the game: here. This project was supported by the Department of Scientific Culture of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne and by the research carried out in Prof. Franco's ERC project ARTISTIC (see above). 

IODA Project (2021-2024). This is a project funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR). This project is about the use of 3D-printing to fabricate Lithium Ion Batteries with controlled architectures. Prof. A.A. Franco is leading the modeling activities in this project. Such modeling activities include the use of algorithms for topological optimization of the electrodes and the simulation of their operation. 

DESTINY Project (2020-2026).  This is an European MCSA PhD COFUND project devoted to battery research. In this project I am supervising 3 PhD students (two of them co-founded by the materials company Umicore). Two of these students work on the modeling of the manufacturing process and electro-mechanical behavior of solid state batteries and the other student work on the development and demonstration of digital twins for lithium ion battery manufacturing.  More information: here.

SONAR Project (2020-2023). This is an European project devoted to the development of a multiscale modeling platform of Redox Flow Batteries with organic active species. Prof. Franco is the leader of the "Mesoscale Modeling" Work Package dealing with the simulation of interfacial electrochemistry (kinetic Monte Carlo and other approaches). The project website is available here.

BIG MAP Project (2020-2023). This is an European project within the large European Initiative Battery 2030+, dealing with the development of a "master" Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the autonomous discovery of battery interfaces. Prof. Franco is involved in the multiscale modeling activities and leads the linked RS2E activities around the Big Data storage and the pre-treatment by AI. The project website is available here.

 IUF Project (2016-2021). This is Prof. Franco's research project within his position as Juinor Member of the Institut Universitaire de France. This project is in strongly synergy with his ERC-funded project ARTISTIC, and deals with the multiscale computational modeling of next generation Lithium Ion Batteries and Lithium Sulfur Batteries with focus on manufacturing aspects. 

VISION & SMART GRID Projects (2017-2021). These projects, lead by Prof. Franco, are about the  use of interactive and immersive Virtual Reality for battery education and  research. These projects are supported by the Service d'Innovation Pédagogique of the Université de Picardie Jules Verne. For these activities, Prof. Franco and his team won one of the French National Prizes for Pedagogy Innovation in 2019 (PEPS 2019).

CAR FREE Project (2017-2021). This is a project funded by the CONCERT Japan, about the development of carbon-free materials for metal air battery applications. Within this project, Prof. Franco is involved on the computational modeling of lithium air batteries and the suggestion of design of optimized electrode architectures for better electrochemical performance and stability. 

POROUS4APP Project (2016-2020). This was an European project dealing with the design of new porous carbon-based materials for energy and catalysis applications. Prof. Franco was the leader of the "Computational Modeling" Work Package: continuum models were developed assisting in the interpretation of experiments and in the design of optimized Lithium Ion Battery electrodes. 

HELIS Project (2016-2019). This was an European project dealing with the design of advanced Lithium Sulfur Batteries for automotive applications. Prof. Franco was the leader of the "Computational Modeling" Work Package. Within it, continuum and kinetic Monte Carlo models were developed assisting in the interpretation of experiments and in the design of optimized cathode electrodes. 

MAGIC Project (2017-2018). This was a project funded by the CNRS and lead by Prof. Franco on the use of smart functionalities in semi-solid redox flow batteries. The project combined materials synthesis, characterization and computational modeling. The project allowed coming out with some interesting concepts currently under further exploration and for patent filling. 

MECHANICS Project (2017-2019). This was a project funded by the Thomas Jefferson Fund and by the French Program "Make our Planet Great Again", in collaboration with the University of Purdue (Prof. Partha Mukherjee) in the USA. The project was about the development of computational models of silicon-based battery electrodes. Within this project, Prof. Franco hosted two visits of Chance Norris (PhD student at Purdue). 

PUMA MIND Project (2013-2016). This was an European project dealing with the multiscale modeling of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells. The project was set by Prof. A.A. Franco when he was working at CEA Grenoble, and he was leader since his arrival at UPJV/LRCS of the Work Package on mesoscale modeling of electrochemical reactions and transport processes. 

WONDERFUL Project (2015-2019). This was a Regional project coordinated by Prof. A.A. Franco about the multiscale modeling and experimental characterization of semi-solid redox flow batteries. Prof. Franco's team was in particular in charge of the development of kinetic Monte Carlo models able to describe this particular systems coupling electrochemistry and hydrodynamics of particle suspensions. 

MASTERS Project (2014-2017). This was a Regional project granted to Prof. A.A. Franco as a "Top Level Researcher" recognition. The project was about the physical modeling and experimental characterization of Lithium Air Batteries. Within this project, Prof. Franco's team developed a series of kinetic Monte Carlo, continuum models and characterizations advancing the understanding of these complex systems.

SIMILI Project (2014-2015). This was a project funded by the CNRS and lead by Prof. Franco on the development of mathematical models of electrochemical double layer phenomena in Lithium Ion Batteries. This project was in collaboration with Dr. Marie-Liesse Doublet from ICGM (France). Such models were aiming to bridge the gap between Density Functional Theory calculations and macroscopic simulations. 

ALIBABA Project (2013-2016). This was a project funded by the French National Agency of Research (ANR) about the multiscale modeling of Lithium Ion Batteries, and coordinated by Dr. Marie-Liesse Doublet at University of Montpellier. Prof. A.A. Franco was leader of the Work Package dealing with the mesoscopic modeling of electrochemical interfaces and continuum modeling of the macroscopic cell behavior. 

MMM@HPC Project (2010-2013). This was an European project aiming at developing multiscale modeling for device applications. One part of the project was devoted to energy storage devices, and in particular Lithium Ion Batteries. Prof. A.A. Franco's team was in charge of developing and demonstrating a multiscale model of a lithium ion battery within this project.

MAFALDA Project (2010). This was a project funded by the French National Agency of Research (ANR) about the physical modeling of the aging of Polymer Electorlyte Membrane Fuel Cells under automotive operation conditions. Prof. A.A. Franco acted as coordinator and lead the development of an integrative multiscale model able to predict the cells lifetime from the description of the materials aging mechanisms.  

OPTICAT Project (2006-2009). This was a project funded by the French National Agency of Research (ANR) about the development of multimetallic catalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell electrodes. Prof. A.A. Franco acted as Work Package leader in this project, leading the work about the elementary kinetics modeling of the oxygen reduction reaction and aging mechanisms in the studied catalysts.  

POLIMPAC Project (2006-2009). This was a project funded by the French National Agency of Research (ANR) about the study of the impact of external contaminants on the performance of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells. Prof. A.A. Franco acted as Work Package leader in this project, leading the work about the physical modeling of the cells operation in presence of the contaminants. 

Oher projects and bilateral projects (2006-present). Prof. Franco was/is involved in other projects and bilateral collaborative projects (with funding), in particular with industry. For the details, you can check the detailed Prof. Franco's CV available at the bottom of the corresponding page (see here). He was also strongly involved and/or coordinated several project submissions unfortunately not funded.