USVT Timișoara Wins the Prestigious World Biogas Association Award 2026 in Birmingham

On Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Birmingham, England, the “King Michael I” University of Life Sciences from Timișoara (USVT) received the AD & Biogas Industry 2026 Award, presented by the World Biogas Association (WBA) in the “Micro and Small Scale On-Farm AD of the Year” category. The award recognises the Biogas Plant of the Year 2026, following an international selection process that identified three finalist projects worldwide for the AD & Biogas Industry Awards.

USVT’s 100 kW electrical biogas plant was constructed as part of the project “Renewable Energy Sources and Circular Economy Applied in an Academic Community – An Example of Sustainable and Smart Development” (RES-CIRCULAR), funded through grants provided by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021, under the Romanian Energy Programme, as well as through USVT’s own financial resources.

The University was represented at the Awards Gala by members of the project team: Prof. Dr. Eng. Cosmin Alin Popescu, Rector of USVT; Prof. Dr. Eng. Teodor Vintilă, Project Director; and Prof. Dr. Eng. Adina Horablagă, Administrative Director General of USVT.

In 2025, the “King Michael I” University of Life Sciences from Timișoara (USVT) became the first higher education institution in Romania to implement an integrated waste-to-energy conversion system within a university campus. The project developed by the USVT academic community manages organic materials, waste, and biomass, transforming them through the action of microorganisms into biogas, which is subsequently converted into electricity and thermal energy. The system also includes a photovoltaic installation, forming a dispatchable energy production system, complemented by the valuable organic fertiliser generated by the biogas plant.

This achievement is part of the project “Renewable Energy Sources and Circular Economy Applied in an Academic Community – An Example of Sustainable and Smart Development” (RES-CIRCULAR), funded through grants provided by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021, under the Romanian Energy Programme, together with USVT’s own financial resources.

The objective of the project is to promote the role and impact of the circular bioeconomy in revitalising local communities and accelerating the transition towards circular, efficient and sustainable production and consumption systems from economic, social and environmental perspectives.

Since the official inauguration and commissioning of the photovoltaic system and the biogas plant, the project has received numerous national and international distinctions. Earlier this year, it was named a finalist for the AD & Biogas Industry Awards 2026, organised by the World Biogas Association (WBA), in the Micro and Small Scale On-Farm AD of the Year category.

The nomination itself represents a privilege, recognising USVT and its collaborators who contributed to the development of the RES-CIRCULAR project among the world's leading professionals in the biogas industry, acknowledged for their tangible contributions to the global advancement of biogas technologies.

The AD & Biogas Industry 2026 Award is a testament to the hard work, dedication and passion invested by the RES-CIRCULAR team throughout the development and implementation of this project, and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to receive this international recognition.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all colleagues and partners who supported the RES-CIRCULAR project throughout its design and implementation.

RES-CIRCULAR Project: https://biocombustibil-tm.ro/res-circular/ro_ro/