Over the course of the visit, meetings were held across Colombia with key academic and industrial partners, with a strong focus on expanding collaboration through Erasmus+ frameworks, joint research initiatives, and institutional agreements. The TalTech delegation included the Director of the Department of Energy Technology Prof. Alar Konist, Prof. Anna Volkova, Prof. Oliver Järvik and researcher Dr. Alejandro Lyons Cerón.

Meetings with partners across Colombia
At Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) – Bogotá, the delegation met with colleagues from the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, engaging in technical discussions and laboratory visits focused on thermochemical conversion, energy systems, sustainability, and decarbonization. They also had the honor of meeting the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Sonia Esperanza Monroy Varela, Prof. Fabio Sierra Vargas and the Director of International Relations Valeria Carrizosa. These discussions addressed strategic academic cooperation, mobility opportunities under Erasmus+, and long-term institutional alignment.
The delegation also visited Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogotá, meeting with the Mining and Energy Department, represented by Ana Paola Gutiérrez Rico, to explore academic exchange, research collaboration, and the development of formal cooperation agreements, including potential engagement within Erasmus+ programs.
At UNAL – Sede Medellín, Faculty of Mines, the delegation met with Prof. Juan Carlos Maya López, Prof. Farid Chejne Janna, faculty members and students of the TAYEA research group and the ABISURE research community. The visit included laboratory tours and technical discussions on biomass pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal processes, chemical looping, circular economy, and advanced energy systems modelling. Opportunities for joint research proposals and mobility activities under Erasmus+ were also discussed.
In Medellín, the delegation also visited SUME EnergyC S.A.S., hosted by Carlos Gómez, to learn about the development and production of pyrolysis units. This visit reinforced TalTech’s commitment to strengthening university–industry cooperation in thermochemical technologies and sustainable energy solutions.
In Cartagena, a technical visit was conducted at the Cartagena Refinery (Ecopetrol S.A.), hosted by Sonia Raquel Duarte Cely and her Sustainability team. Discussions focused on industrial processes, energy efficiency strategies, sustainability practices, and industrial decarbonization pathways, opening perspectives for future academic–industry collaboration.

Strategic Outlook
This visit to Colombia represents an important step toward:

• Strengthening cooperation through Erasmus+ mobility and capacity-building initiatives
• Advancing joint research proposals
• Expanding collaboration within the ABISURE research community
• Promoting academic mobility and university–industry partnerships
• Developing cooperation in thermochemical processes, hydrogen technologies, CO₂ capture, energy systems modelling, and sustainable industrial transformation

The alignment between TalTech’s Department of Energy Technology and Colombian academic and industrial partners provides a solid foundation for long-term collaboration.