Tampere University (TAU) is a dynamic and forward-looking institution that stands at the intersection of technology, health, and society. Established in 2019 through the merger of the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology, it has quickly become Finland’s second-largest university. Home to over 23,000 students and 4,200 staff from more than 100 countries, Tampere University fosters diversity and global engagement. Together with Tampere University of Applied Sciences, it forms a vibrant community of students and employees, encouraging interdisciplinary learning and research.
The university’s academic structure spans seven faculties, covering fields from engineering and natural sciences to social sciences and health technology. This multidisciplinary approach supports its mission to build a sustainable world through impactful research and education. Research at Tampere University is robust and globally oriented, with over 100 active research groups and centers.
Tampere University serves as the coordinator for the REALCHEM project. Our responsibilities include overseeing project coordination, managing risks, and ensuring data management and ethical compliance. We are also involved in preparing experiments, reviewing data and literature, and producing scientific data and knowledge for decision-makers.
AUTH is the largest university established in Greece with some 50,000 students and more than 2000 faculty members. The team of the Mechanical Engineering Department participating in the proposal is affiliated to the Laboratory of Applied Thermodynamics (LAT) which possesses significant experience in conducting research in the areas of environmental impacts of energy conversion, combustion and formation pollutants in engines, sustainability assessment of energy sources, and calculations of energy flows in energy conversion and environmental control systems. LAT possesses state-of-the-art facilities for engine and emission testing, comprising transient dynamometers and a fully-fledged array of analyzers for gaseous and particulate pollutants characterization. Experimental equipment along with simulation tools are regularly updated, to support high quality studies for academia, industry, and authorities. The AUTH team is led by Prof. Leonidas Ntziachristos who has extensive experience in combustion, fuels, and pollutants characterization.
The LAT will lead research on shipping emissions, with a strong focus on on-board measurement campaigns to capture real-world pollutant and ultrafine particle data. It will design and adapt measurement protocols, optimize sampling strategies, and generate emission factors for a wide range of pollutants, including both regulated and emerging ones. Beyond shipping, LAT will also lead the development of transport emission models, providing datasets for current and future scenarios, and support impact assessments to evaluate environmental and health implications of transport technologies and fuels.
Danaos Management Consultants is a leading technology company offering services and digital solutions to the maritime industry for over three decades. DANAOS offers commercial ERP and high-tech solutions for shipping companies. The DANAOS integrated system is offered by more than 500 companies worldwide and has been installed in over 5,000 ships. The company is also providing performance engineering and marine consultancy services. DANAOS has invested in maritime research initiatives by participating in numerous EU co-funded projects.
DANAOS will contribute to the shipping emission characterisation by supporting measurement campaigns and assisting in the assessment of the measured and collected results for the profiling of emission factors. DANAOS will facilitate measurements in emission control technologies (CCUS system) and offer a digital twin to simulate the effectiveness of the system in different scales of energy loads whilst assessing the overall performance of the technology.
The Finnish Meteorological Institute makes observations and research on the atmosphere, the near space and the seas. It also provides services on weather, sea, air quality, climate and near space for the needs of public safety, business life and citizens. The Finnish Meteorological Institute is an administrative branch of the Ministry of Transport and Communications.
In the REALCHEM project FMI participates to experimental campaigns with their instrumentation (e.g. HR-AMS, PAM, BC instrumentation, CPMA) and performs chemical analysis from filter samples (e.g. EC/OC with Sunset EC/OC analyser, Elemental composition with ED-XRF, ions with ion chromatographs). FMI participates also to database preparation. In addition, FMI participates to dissemination and networking activities.
Helmholtz-Zentrum hereon GmbH (HEREON) is one of 18 members of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, Germany’s largest science organization. HEREON’s mission is to generate knowledge and to research new technologies for more resilience and sustainability—for the benefit of the climate, the coasts and the people. HEREON Chemistry Transport Modeling Department applies emissions models and atmospheric chemistry transport models on regional and city scale. A special focus lies on transport emissions and on secondary particle formation.
HEREON leads Work Package 5 where current and future atmospheric concentration levels of criteria and emerging pollutants will be calculated by model simulation. HEREON will contribute with modelling both emissions and atmospheric transport of pollutants on regional and urban scale. It will help establishing future emissions – in particular, of hard-to-electrify modes of transport– and implement those in the model simulations. HEREON will also contribute to evaluating the impact of current and future pollution on humans by modelling the exposure to air pollution.
The IEM CAS is a recognised centre for basic biomedical research in the Czech Republic and worldwide. The institute currently consists of ten separate scientific departments and one research centre, focusing on research in biochemistry, cell and developmental biology, pathology, molecular embryology, genetic toxicology and nanotoxicology, neurobiology, neurophysiology, neuropathology, oncology, tissue replacement, and nanomedicine. The IEM CAS belongs to the group of institutions of the Czech Academy of Sciences focused on biomedical research. The institute’s projects address key biomedical challenges, including the identification of effective diagnostic markers and the development of treatments for serious diseases associated with the ageing population, such as neurodegeneration, trauma, ischemia, musculoskeletal disorders, cancer, and degenerative changes in vision and hearing. The IEM CAS also places significant emphasis on studying the impact of environmental pollution on human health.
In the REALCHEM project, IEM will participate in experimental campaigns and will lead the task Toxicity assessment of emerging pollutants in WP4. IEM will perform toxicological analyses of real-world emissions using in vitro 3D human airway models exposed directly to complete exhaust in a transportable exposure system. IEM will analyse cellular and molecular responses to emissions from different fuels and technologies and will link them with chemical composition data. In addition, IEM will contribute to the evaluation of health impacts, support the project’s impact assessment, and participate in dissemination and networking activities.
IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute is an independent, non-profit research organisation owned by a foundation established by the Swedish government and industry. IVL was established in 1966 and has since been involved in developing solutions to environmental problems at national and international levels. The institute comprises Sweden’s largest groups of environmental experts and employs around 500 people, which makes IVL a leading institute for applied environmental research and consultancy services. IVL undertakes research projects and contract assignments in the following areas: Natural resources, climate and environment, Resource-efficient recycling and consumption, Sustainable production and environmental technology, Sustainable urban development and transport.
The IVL team is allocated in the Transport and Mobility group which focuses on the sustainability of all modes of transport, conducting research and providing expertise in the field of sustainable transport and mobility solutions, including emissions, fuels, cleaning technologies, emission measurements, modelling, inventories and more.
IVL leads WP6 Technology packages, impact assessment and guidance and its tasks ‘Impact assessment’ and ‘LCA emissions for fuel production pathways’. IVL also leads task ‘Realistic technology trajectories’ in WP7.
IVL will contribute to the characterization of emissions from shipping and aviation in the REALCHEM measurement campaigns, development of technological trajectories that will serve as a base for the project’s modelling, modelling of impacts of emissions from the hard-to-electrify transport sectors on air quality, human health and environment and perform LCA modelling of the studied fuels and technologies.
ONERA is is the French national aerospace research center. It is France’s leading research center in aerospace and defense. It covers all disciplines and technologies in the field. Numerous high-profile French and European aerospace programs have passed through the ONERA since its creation including the Ariane family of launch vehicles, the Concorde supersonic airliner, the Dassault Mirage family of fighter aircraft and the Rafale, the Dassault Falcon family of business jets, Aérospatiale and later Airbus projects, missiles, engines, radars and many more.
Under the supervision of the Ministry of the Armed Forces, it is a public industrial and commercial establishment employing around 2,000 people, the majority of whom are researchers, engineers and technicians, with half of its budget coming from government subsidies. The ONERA has extensive testing and computing resources, including the largest wind tunnel fleet in Europe.
ONERA leads ……
POLIS is the leading network of European cities and regions working together to develop innovative technologies and policies for local transport. POLIS aims to improve local transport through integrated strategies that address the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of transport. To this end, we support the exchange of experiences and the transfer of knowledge between European local and regional authorities and other mobility stakeholders such as industry, research centres and universities, and NGOs. POLIS fosters cooperation and partnerships across Europe with the aim of making research and innovation in transport accessible to cities and regions. That is why we actively support the participation of our members in European projects. Our expertise allows us to create a framework which facilitates dialogue and exchange between local authorities, the transport research community and industry. POLIS strives to provide decision-makers with the necessary information and tools for making sustainable mobility a reality.
POLIS will lead communication and dissemination activities of REALCHEM, to build a vibrant ecosystem around the project targeting EU institutions, academia, public authorities, industry players and other stakeholders. Using their network of cities, POLIS will promote the guidance developed in REALCHEM to local and regional authorities via actions to drive replication including stakeholder events, complementary communication, engagement and outreach.
VTT is a visionary research and innovation partner for companies and society and one of Europe’s leading research institutions with more than 2300 employees. VTT works in close collaboration with industry and highlights the renewal of industrial value chains and sustainable competitiveness in Finland, Europe and globally. VTT is a visionary research, development and innovation organisation, that turns large global challenges into sustainable growth for business and society. Carbon-neutral solutions, Sustainable products and materials and Digital Technologies are the three business areas where VTT develop solutions, with the aim of creating sustainable growth, jobs and well-being. VTT Transport emission control research team aim is to develop, study and find technical solutions to reduce climate emissions and air pollutants from mobile sources.
In REALCHEM, VTT will lead research on heavy duty on-road vehicles (HDV) and non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) and organize two experimental measurement campaigns in real-driving conditions, one for HDVs and one for NRMM. Additionally, VTT leads task on technology packages with guiding principles and contributes to research topics on marine and aviation sector by specific characterization of semi-volatile emissions.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine is an organization with expert competence in occupational and environmental medicine and how various risk factors in the work environment and surrounding environment affect human health. We investigate the relationship between harmful exposure and disease in both individual patients and groups, with a focus on understanding and preventing work-related and environmentally related ill health.
The organization works preventively through education, advice and research and supports workplaces, healthcare and authorities with knowledge of risks and measures.
We have broad expert competence and collaborate with several actors in healthcare and academia, both regionally and nationally. The goal is to contribute to a safe and healthy environment for everyone.
The role of the Laboratory of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in the project is to perform analysis in air samples of polycyclic organic compounds (PACs) including polycyclic organic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their nitrated and oxidized derivatives (nitro-PAHs and oxy-PAHs) as well as dibenzothiophenes (DBTs). The analysis includes approximately 70 individual PAC substances.
Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation (propulsion, equipment and interiors), defense and space markets. Its core purpose is to contribute to a safer, more sustainable world, where air transport is more environmentally friendly, comfortable and accessible. Safran has a global presence, with more than 110,000 employees and revenue of 31.3 billion euros in 2025, and holds, alone or in partnership, global or regional leadership positions in its core markets. Safran undertakes research and development programs to maintain the environmental priorities of its R&T and Innovation roadmaps.
Safran-Tech is involved in WP4 of the REALCHEM project. As part of this, we will be testing SAFs (Sustainable Aviation Fuels) on the BEARCAT test bench. BEARCAT is a highly instrumented turboshaft developed on a MAKILA (2200 SHP) base. In REALCHEM, we will perform tests to characterize the gas-phase and non-gaseous emissions at the exhaust, testing 4 different fuels: a standard Jet A-1, a drop-in SAF blend currently used commercially with an aromatic content of around 12%, and finally 2 SAF blends with different amount of aromatic content.