Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering at EPFL

What Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering at EPFL does

IPESE (Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering) is an academic research laboratory within EPFL's School of Engineering (STI), operating under the Institute of Mechanical Engineering (IGM) and physically located at the EPFL Valais Wallis campus in Sion, Switzerland. The lab develops methodologies for industrial energy systems optimisation, including optimal retrofit and investment planning, process integration, energy infrastructure design, and resource efficiency assessment frameworks. Its research targets industrial decarbonisation, neighbourhood-level energy infrastructure planning (exemplified by a Lisbon case study), and European-scale assessment of green mobility scenarios in energy systems. Leadership rests with Prof. François Maréchal, supported by senior researchers including Dr. Nils Schüler, Dr. Sébastien Cajot, and Dr. Tuong-Van Nguyen, who supervise doctoral and Master's research feeding the lab's methodological output.

The lab's outputs are academic in nature: peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, public thesis defenses, and participation in EU-funded research initiatives. Notable milestones between 2020 and 2021 include Hür Bütün's PhD defense on optimal retrofit planning, two Master's thesis prizes (État de Vaud Award and Robert Zanelli Prize), and ongoing participation in EU projects EPOS (H2020, industrial symbiosis) and AID-RES (EU tender for industrial decarbonisation). The lab maintains collaborative partnerships with Portugal's IN+ research centre and EPFL spin-off Urbio, supporting joint thesis supervision and applied research on neighbourhood energy infrastructure.

Because IPESE is a university research group rather than a commercial entity, it does not sell products or services and has no pricing model. Its funding flows from competitive research grants (notably the EU H2020 framework and related EU tenders), Swiss federal institutional funding through EPFL, and academic collaboration agreements. Its primary 'customers' in a functional sense are EU funding bodies, industrial energy stakeholders interested in optimisation research, and Master's/PhD students whose education it supports.

Name

Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering at EPFL

Legal name

Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering (IPESE) - EPFL Laboratory

Website

https://ipese.epfl.ch

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IPESE is an academic research laboratory at EPFL (Valais Wallis campus, Sion, Switzerland) developing optimisation methodologies for industrial energy systems, retrofit planning, neighbourhood energy infrastructure, and European decarbonisation, funded principally through EU research grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sion

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research funding and grants: IPESE operates as an academic research group funded through EU research programs (H2020), government tenders, and institutional funding from EPFL. Revenue comes from competitive research grants for industrial decarbonisation and energy systems projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IPESE is an academic research laboratory within EPFL that develops methodologies for industrial energy systems optimization, process integration, and neighbourhood-level energy infrastructure design. The group conducts research on optimal retrofit and investment planning, industrial decarbonisation, and renewable energy integration assessment frameworks. It participates in EU-funded research projects (H2020 EPOS, AID-RES) and collaborates with industry partners and academic institutions on sustainable energy systems projects.

Product overview

IPESE is a research laboratory within EPFL's School of Engineering (STI), focused on industrial process and energy systems engineering. The group conducts research on energy infrastructure design, industrial decarbonization, and sustainable development methodologies. Their work includes developing optimization frameworks for energy systems, assessing renewable energy integration in industrial processes, and supporting Master's and PhD education. They participate in EU-funded projects (H2020) such as EPOS and AID-RES, and collaborate with industry partners and EPFL spin-offs. As a research laboratory rather than a product company, IPESE produces academic publications, theses, and research methodologies rather than commercial software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Energy Systems Optimization Research

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AID-RES (EU Industrial Decarbonisation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2021AID-RES (Advancing industrial decarbonisation by assessing the future use of renewable energy in industrial processes). EPFL/IPESE participates in this EU tender focused on advancing industrial decarbonisation strategies.
• EPOS (H2020 Industrial Symbiosis project)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2020IPESE is a key contributor to the H2020 EPOS project on industrial symbiosis. The project was highlighted in a European review of industrial symbiosis projects, showcasing IPESE's contributions to circular economy approaches in industrial energy systems.
• IN+ (research centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership with IN+ research centre in Portugal for joint supervision of Master's theses on neighborhood energy infrastructure. The collaboration combines expertise in energy systems optimization and sustainable urban planning.
• Urbio (EPFL spin-off)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with EPFL spin-off Urbio specializing in urban energy solutions. Collaboration on neighborhood energy infrastructure projects combining academic research with commercial applications.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy: German research institute focused on sustainability transitions, industrial energy and resource efficiency, and European energy policy — directly comparable research agenda and EU-funded project portfolio.
• Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI): Swiss federal research institute with energy systems analysis, industrial process decarbonisation, and energy conversion modeling — the closest Swiss-domestic peer to IPESE, also embedded in a federally funded research environment.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Energy Economics and Energy System Technology (IEE): German applied-research institute focused on energy system design, industrial decarbonisation, and energy efficiency — directly comparable in mission, funding model (public/applied research), and European tender participation.
• TNO — Energy Transition: Dutch applied-research organisation with industrial electrification, process integration, and energy system design programmes; comparable in operating model (applied research under public/contract funding) and European tender participation.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) — Energy Center: Large German technical university with major energy systems and industrial process research, comparable in scale and EU-tender participation, and competing for the same Horizon Europe decarbonisation programmes.
• Imperial College London — Energy Futures Lab: UK university research hub covering energy systems, industrial decarbonisation, and sustainable cities — directly comparable in neighbourhood- and industrial-scale energy infrastructure design.
• VITO (Flemish Institute for Technological Research): Belgian research organisation with clean energy and sustainable industry programmes covering industrial process decarbonisation, energy systems, and resource efficiency — comparable research agenda and European funding footprint.
• ETH Zurich — Energy Science Center: Domestic Swiss peer at ETH Zurich coordinating interdisciplinary energy systems research, with similar focus on industrial energy efficiency and European-scale system analysis. Competes directly with IPESE for Swiss national funding and talent.
• KTH Royal Institute of Technology — Department of Energy Technology: Swedish university department with deep industrial energy and process integration research, sharing methodology heritage with the Maréchal group's process-integration school. Directly comparable scope in industrial decarbonisation and energy optimisation.
• SINTEF Energy Research: Nordic applied-research institute covering energy systems, industrial energy use, and process optimisation. Comparable in scope (industrial energy efficiency, electrification) and operating model (applied research funded by EU programs and industry partners).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/epfl_en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/epflnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/epflcampus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipese-epfl
• Instagraminstagram.com/epflcampus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Industrial Process and Energy Systems Engineering at EPFL