We are surrounded by potentially harmful chemicals—in our food, cosmetics, household products, pesticides, medicines, and even fabrics. Understanding how and why this happens, and preventing it, is the goal of SUSTECH – Accelerating SUStainable TECHnological trajectories with computational chemistry and machine learning.

This international project, involving the University of Pisa and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, has just received a 2025 ERC Synergy Grant worth around €10 million, one of Europe’s most prestigious and competitive research awards.

The winning team includes Elisa Giuliani (University of Pisa), Arianna Martinelli (Sant’Anna School of Pisa), Stefan Wagner (University of Vienna), and Olexandr Isayev (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh). Their goal: to steer technological choices right from the design phase in R&D labs.

Using advanced computational chemistry and AI, SUSTECH researchers will be able to retrospectively analyze and predict the risk profiles, toxicity, bioaccumulation, and environmental and health impacts of new molecules and materials—before they reach mass production.