Federation for International Refractory Research and Education
News
15 PhD positions open in REFFRACTEUR – FIRE is a partner!
REFFRACTEUR, a new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions - Doctoral Network (DN-ID), has been selected for funding by the European Commission.
REFFRACTEUR means “Digital REFractory FRAmework for a Carbon-neutral and Resilient indusTry in EURope)” and will train 15 Doctoral Candidates (PhDs) at the interface of materials science, digitalisation, circular economy and industrial decarbonisation, addressing one of Europe’s most strategic challenges: the transformation of high-temperature industries (steel, cement, glass, non-ferrous metals).
What makes REFFRACTEUR unique?
1 - A fully integrated approach combining Digital Product Passports, AI-driven quality control, physics-informed digital twins and decision-support systems
2 - A strong Industrial Doctoral Network, with each PhD spending ~50% of their time in industry
3 - A pan-European consortium covering the entire refractory value chain, from raw materials to end-users and recycling
4 - Direct alignment with the European Clean Industrial Deal, circular economy and climate-neutrality objectives
15 fully funded PhD positions (36 months) are now open across Europe, covering topics in:
1 - Sustainable refractory materials
2 - Microstructure-property relationships
3 - Advanced thermomechanical characterisation
4 - Digital twins & AI
5 - Life-cycle assessment and circularity
6 - Optimisation of industrial operations
Application deadline: 8 June 2026
1 - Open to international candidates (MSCA mobility rules apply)
2 - Full details and application procedure: www.reffracteur.eu
We warmly encourage excellent MSc graduates, as well as colleagues and partners, to share this opportunity within their networks.
Here is the list of our partners: CNRS (Institut de Recherche sur les Céramiques), Montanuniversität Leoben (COC & CPS), Universidade do Minho, Université de Liège, Technische Universität Wien, Université de Limoges, Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge, Forschungsgemeinschaft Feuerfest e. V. - FGF, Elkem ASA, Imerys, RHI Magnesita, Vesuvius, CERAQUITAINE, Safran, SHS - Stahl-Holding-Saar GmbH & Co. KGaA, Fesios, Siemens, Tata Steel Nederland, LSA - Laser Analytical Systems & Automation GmbH, Université de Limoges, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, FIRE - Federation for International Refractory Research & Education, EUROPEAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, RWTH Aachen University, Centre Sciences, Pôle Européen de la Céramique, Cerame-Unie
Last news
Highlight of the members of the Board of Directors - Victor Carlos Pandolfelli
My journey with FIRE began in 2003, together with Prof. Michel Rigaud and other academic and industrial colleagues. In 2005, our first official meeting in Limoges, France, transformed this vision into reality. From the beginning, FIRE was founded on a strong belief in cooperation between universities and industry towards a better education. Its strength has always come from working across institutional, cultural, and national borders.
Highlight of the members of the Board of Directors - Christos C. Aneziris
As the world navigates climate and energy transitions, strong partnerships between industry and academia are more important than ever. In the refractory field, sustainability means not only developing materials for high-temperature applications, but also ensuring the sustainable processing of these materials.
Contact us and/or Become Member!
Contact us for any information and/or to Become Member of FIRE: fire@ecers.org
