On February 25, 2025, the Winter Symposium of the CO₂Refinery doctoral program took place at TU Wien in the impressive setting of TUtheSky. High above the rooftops of Vienna, representatives from industry, politics, and science came together to present and discuss the research results of the past years.

In a series of tandem presentations, where PhD students presented together with their supervisors, the progress of nearly four years of intensive research work was showcased. The focus was on the new technological approaches to CO₂ utilization developed within the CO₂Refinery program. The CO₂Refinery doctoral program aims to translate fundamental research concepts into implementable solutions, thereby making a sustainable contribution to the efficient use of CO₂ as a raw material.

An impressive testament to the scientific success of the program is the 16 scientific publications already published as a result of CO₂Refinery's research. Numerous additional publications are in progress – a sign of the continued momentum and innovative power of the project!

The symposium program covered three central research areas: 1) CO₂ activation, 2) upgrading CO₂ to fuels, chemicals, and feed, and 3) systems engineering, modeling, and analysis. The presentations ranged from the chemical and catalytic conversion of CO₂ to the techno-economic evaluation of innovative technologies.

In addition to the scientific discussions, the symposium also provided opportunities for networking. Especially the open discussion at the end of the official program fostered future collaborations between science and industry.

With this symposium, CO₂Refinery demonstrated that excellent research, interdisciplinary exchange, and close collaboration with industry are essential for progress in CO₂ utilization. The promising results and the high scientific productivity of the program offer hope for a successful further development in CO₂ upgrading and thus a more sustainable future based on new, innovative approaches.