This is the first time that an Italian student has won first place in the HVAC World Student Competition. Beniamino Fabbri, a graduate in Energy Engineering from Politecnico di Milano, received three awards for his thesis: the AiCARR Prize, victory in the REHVA Student Competition and, above all, first place overall in the HVAC World Student Competition, held during the 15° REHVA HVAC World Congress – CLIMA 2025 in Milan.

The thesis, entitled “Identification and diagnostics of malfunctions in a water-water heat pump using artificial neural networks”, was rated the best in the world among those submitted by students from leading international universities conducting research in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) sector.

The work was carried out at the laboratory run by the Advanced Air Conditioning Technologies research group of the Department of Energy at Politecnico di Milano. The supervisors were Prof. Luca Molinaroli and Eng. Chiara D’Ignazi, who commented:

“This award represents an exceptional achievement not only for Beniamino, but also for our research group and our department. This is the first time that an Italian student has won this global competition. His work reflects the quality of the education we offer and the growing international relevance of our activities in the field of HVAC.”

The Department of Energy congratulates Beniamino Fabbri on this important achievement, which confirms the excellence of the education we offer and the ability of our students to make a concrete contribution to the global challenges facing the energy sector.