Inauguration of the international research project (IRP) NEXGEN in Prague

On 25 June 2026, at Villa Lanna, the representative residence of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the inauguration of the international research project (IRP) NEXGEN – The NExT GENeration of ionic polyhydroxyurethanes for CO₂-capture was held. This project brings together the Ingénierie des Matériaux Polymères (IMP – UMR CNRS 5223, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne) and the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (IMC) of the Czech Academy of Sciences, within the framework of a Franco-Czech scientific collaboration dedicated to the development of new polymer materials for carbon dioxide capture and valorisation.

This inauguration ceremony gathered numerous distinguished representatives from partner institutions and organisations supporting international research cooperation. The speakers included:

  • Jannick Duchet-Rumeau, Director of the IMP laboratory;
  • Radomír Pánek, President of the Czech Academy of Sciences;
  • Jean-Baptiste Gibily, representing the French Institute in Prague;
  • Louis Avigdor, Deputy Director of the Europe Department for
  • Research and International Cooperation (DERCI) at CNRS;
  • Tomáš Etrych, Director of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (IMC) of the Czech Academy of Sciences;
  • Sébastien Livi (IMP) and Hynek Beneš (IMC), scientific coordinators of the NEXGEN project;
  • Jean-François Gérard of the IMP laboratory and a key figure in the long-standing scientific cooperation between the two laboratories.

The various presentations highlighted the excellence and longevity of the collaborations between the French and Czech polymer science communities. The NEXGEN project builds on this dynamic by bringing together complementary expertise around a shared objective: to design a new generation of ionic polyhydroxyurethanes capable of capturing CO₂ and using it as a resource for the development of innovative materials.

Beyond its scientific ambition, NEXGEN reflects the shared commitment of the partners to addressing major environmental challenges through the development of sustainable and circular chemistry-based solutions. The work carried out within the project will contribute to the emergence of more environmentally friendly polymer materials, while further strengthening scientific cooperation between the two countries.

Photos by Daniel Hromada