News

The case of lab-grown "meat" (already approved and marketed outside Europe-for example, chicken meat in Singapore) is a hotly debated case in Italy, with strong opposition. Prof. Arlorio of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences - UPO and Spoke 2 Research Module Leader participated in the Thematic Table on Ingredients Obtained by "Precision Fermentation" as part of the 27th EFSA Colloquium scheduled on May 11-12 at the European Commission in Brussels. The EFSA Colloquia bring together by invitation international experts in the field of food safety, both in academia and industry, to set up working tables that enable the development of reference documents and guidelines that are used by EFSA or can be forwarded to the Commission, focusing on "hot" topics, just as in the case of this "new" type of food. "Considering the needs to address the new needs of mankind in terms of food sustainability, means considering the production and use of "novel foods" (novel foods, according to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283), always carefully evaluating the Risk Assessment process." began Prof. Arlorio. "The very definition of precision fermentations, to date without a regulatory cap," Arlorio continues, "is a globally accessed debate. For EFSA, precision fermentations would be ascribable to the use of genetically modified microorganisms; therefore, it becomes critical to define whether (and when) genetic material may remain in the finished product. These issues-including the risk analysis process-have long been widely considered in the pharmaceutical industry, where fermentations using genetically modified microorganisms are widely used for drug production. Certainly, "pharma" sector guidelines will be considered in the review of risk assessment processes typical of the food sector." Increasingly, therefore, EMA (the European Medicines Safety Authority) and EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) are finding points of contact in relation to these sensitive issues. For more information, you can consult the material published by EFSA.     

Dall'8 al 9 giugno, alla Fiera di Bologna si tiene la 18esima edizione del Salone internazionale della Ricerca e delle competenze per l’Innovazione - R2B Research to Business.  Ieri mattina, giovedì 8, presso il Corner Cluster Tecnologici Nazionali, NODES e il Direttore Generale dell'Ecosistema, Chiara Ferroni, hanno presentato i bandi per finanziare i progetti delle imprese nei 7 ambiti Spoke.  L’incontro è stato organizzato dal Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale SmartCommunitiesTech, una rete di oltre 200 tra città, enti di ricerca e imprese che collaborano e sviluppano progetti di innovazione per rispondere alle sfide sociali delle moderne comunità con l’obiettivo di promuovere modelli innovativi di collaborazione tra pubblico e privato per sviluppare soluzioni tecnologiche avanzate per la mobilità, l'amministrazione digitale, l'economia dei dati e i servizi al cittadino, la sicurezza del territorio e la sicurezza digitale.  Vai al sito dell'evento        

As life expectancy increases, so does the average age of the global population. In recent years, the research world has been looking for innovative solutions to design effective and sustainable care pathways for elderly patients suffering from neurological disorders.    Neurocognitive rehabilitation, essential for countering the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, is particularly effective when systematically repeated over time and for many months. But for elderly patients moving home-to-hospital can be an obstacle.  In this case, Telemedicine proves the be highly suitable but unfortunately, experts report a high drop-out rate (abandonment of the treatment protocol) among patients who follow at distance these protocols.  Drop-out if often linked to motivational or emotional factors: neuropsychological exercise can be challenging and frustrating, making it difficult for a patient it can be difficult to proceed in the rehabilitation path without the constant presentation of a therapist.      But what would happen if a standard therapeutic process were replaced with a game?    As suggested by other ongoing research, serious games could be used to encourage motivation and engagement.   These would be ad hoc video games created for the rehabilitation of specific cognitive function, playable from home and with a simplified interface designed for an elderly user.    Preliminary studies demonstrate high involvement and reduced drop-out rates among patients involved in this innovative therapeutic strategy, opening the perspective to the creation of real therapies based on games. 

June 7, 2023, Catania - The second leg of the Spoke 2 - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry tour was successfully held today at the Southeast Sicily Chamber of Commerce Industry, Crafts and Agriculture. The event, aimed at illustrating to companies the funding opportunities offered by the NODES Line A cascade calls dedicated to the South of Sicily, was organized under the patronage of the University of Catania, the Chamber of Commerce of Southeast Sicily and Confindustria Catania-in collaboration with the University of Basilicata and the University of Sannio, Partner of the South, and was attended by many companies interested in the issues of innovation and environmental sustainability. The Vice President of Confindustria Catania, Dr. Salvatore Gangi, stressed the importance of such opportunities for Southern Italy, as they contribute to innovative development and the creation of a favorable ecosystem for the next generations, who will thus be able to stay in Southern Italy and enhance local resources and territorial heritage. After introductory remarks by Prof. Romano of the University of Catania and Dr. Condorelli, Secretary General of the Southeast Sicily Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Raffaella Di Nardo of NODES presented the NODES Ecosystem to the entrepreneurs in attendance. Next, Prof. Pironti of the University of Turin explained the activities of Spoke 2, while Dr. Edoardo Braccio, Project Manager of the project, provided details on the funding and training opportunities available through the Line A calls, dedicated to businesses in Southern Italy. Finally, Dr. Sabrina Glionna, contact person for Unioncamere, explained to participants how to submit applications to access the 1.63 million euros made available by the NRP.

L’Università di Palermo ospita l’evento che lancia i bandi per sostenere l’innovazione delle imprese dell’agroindustria secondaria L’Università di Palermo ha ospitato l’evento di lancio del programma di finanziamento per le imprese della filiera di origine animale e vegetale. Nel programma sono inclusi bandi a cascata, dottorati di ricerca in ottica industriale e iniziative di sostegno per l'innovazione e il trasferimento tecnologico della ricerca. All’incontro erano presenti la responsabile dell’hub NODES Chiara Ferroni, la responsabile scientifica dello spoke tematico sull’agroindustria secondaria Luisa Torri, Danilo Demarchi Data Manager dello Spoke 7, Dario Vallauri del polo AGRIFOOD – MIAC Scpa e Roberto Strocco di Unioncamere Piemonte. “Quest’occasione permetterà di collegare tramite il filo conduttore dell’agroindustria primaria e secondaria l’area produttiva del Nord Ovest con il Sud Italia e la Sicilia in particolare - ha dichiarato il Rettore dell’Università di Palermo, prof. Massimo Midiri - Siamo grati all’Ecosistema NODES per avere scelto il nostro Ateneo come partner per il Sud Italia e siamo onorati di presentare i bandi a cascata allo Steri, la nostra sede più importante. Ringrazio particolarmente Chiara Ferroni, responsabile dell’hub NODES, e Luisa Torri, responsabile scientifica dello Spoke tematico sull’agroindustria secondaria”. All’interno di NODES, il programma di bandi a cascata legato allo Spoke 7 destina 1,115 milioni di euro a imprese del settore agroalimentare – in particolare a PMI e start-up del Mezzogiorno, anche in collaborazione con le grandi imprese – per sostenere investimenti in innovazione tecnologica e sostenibilità alimentare. Tali aree sono infatti di fondamentale importanza per rafforzare e rendere più competitivo il tessuto imprenditoriale, contribuendo quindi a far crescere l’occupazione attraverso la valorizzazione del territorio e delle comunità produttive locali.  Luisa Torri ha spiegato che “le tematiche su cui potranno essere sviluppate le proposte progettuali da presentare riguardano: produzioni alimentari sicure, salutari e di alta qualità (healthy food), rese sostenibili grazie all'applicazione di principi dell’economia circolare (green food) e sistemi intelligenti, nuovi processi e strumenti per la trasformazione alimentare sostenuti dai nuovi paradigmi dell'industria 4.0 e 5.0 (smart food)”.  I bandi a cascata per le imprese vedono una collaborazione istituzionale con Unioncamere Piemonte volta ad aumentare la competitività delle imprese e a supportare la gestione ottimale dei bandi. I fondi destinati ai bandi per le imprese del solo settore agroalimentare secondario si dividono in iniziative per sostenere progetti di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale, l’accesso a servizi di innovazione nell'ambito del settore in cui operano le imprese e progetti di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale per le regioni del Mezzogiorno.   

The first introductory kick-off meeting of Impact Deal, an accelerator program in its second year, was held today Impact Deal is a 6-month (June-November) data-driven accelerator program for impact businesses, companies and organizations, which acts as an agreement between disparate parties to generate positive and measurable social and environmental impact based on the use of data. The main target are companies pursuing (ex-ante) impact goals (according to the UN-defined SDGs) in addition to the usual financial KPIs. Thanks to the contribution of the NODES project, within the scope of Spoke 2 - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry - of which OGR Turin is a partner - the 2023 edition of Impact Deal includes the introduction of specific accompanying activities to companies, focused on increasing and maximizing impact, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the initiative. Edoardo Braccio, Project Manager of Spoke 2, presented the NODES project to all kick-off participants today. Bin-e, Daedalus AI, Gocleer, Kreios Space, Mentessa, Opt/Net, Paperbox Health, Planet Watch, Relearn, The Predictive Company, Untap, Valuebin, Virtuleap, Volvero, and Xnext are the 15 impact enterprises selected for the second edition of Impact Deal that begin their journey today at OGR Turin. The Program is promoted by Fondazione CRT, OGR Torino and Microsoft and managed by TOP-IX, in collaboration with ISI Foundation, Ashoka and Impact Hub In addition, City of Turin, SNAM Foundation, BioEnerys, Sella, The Data Appeal Company - Almawave Group, Tim and WINDTRE are partners as Data Club Members (data providers)  

Ceramic nanoparticles play a key and significant role in this technological evolution. In fact, they show exceptional capabilities that allow them to amplify their effect when they encounter a biological substrate (e.g. human skin) through the intrinsic property of FIR. They thus represent an innovative resource compared to traditional additives and materials, transferring energy in the form of heat.   This context includes tissues with FIR properties: a new category of functionalized tissues made of fibers impregnated with nanoparticles that emit FIR playing an important role in health and daily well-being.    In addition, this technology has promoted an extension of biomedical benefits because the beneficial effects of FIR affect their ability to reflect the infrared that the body normally dissipates; this mechanism can be used to increase local temperature, resulting in vasodilation and localized increment in blood microcirculation.  Moreover, there is also the ability to promote tissue regeneration, with activation of the immune system and increase of cellular and tissue metabolism. There are some of advantages of these modern innovative resources as useful strategies directed towards specific pathological conditions, including arthritis, muscle pain, muscle stiffness, and muscle spasm. 

From 26 May to 6 June 2023 DISSTE  (Department for sustainable development and ecological transition) of the Piemonte Orientale university and the study centre Upontourism host Prof. Harald Pechlaner, full professor of tourism and Director of the Entrepreneurship Center as Visiting Professor within the PNRR NODES Spoke 3 Project at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingoldtadt in Germany, Director of the Center for Advanced Studies of EURAC Research in Bolzano. Head is Prof. Stefania Cerutti, who from 1st June will in turn be Digital Visiting Professor of the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingoldtad. The field research activities include a busy schedule of interviews conducted in the Verbano Cusio Ossola area with people who live in/in the mountains (operators, producers, administrators, representatives, etc.), with the aim of collecting a database to develop research topics, project lines and publications: 29 May in Ossola, 30 May in Verbano, 4 and 5 June in Cusio. Furthermore, on 31 May the webinar titled "Culture & tourism or cultural tourism: perspectives of cultural heritage and sustainability" will be held at 2.00 pm at Villa San Remigio and live online, organized in collaboration with ArsUniVco. This will make it possible to feed the TOEP flagship project platform, to come into direct contact with some companies for cascade funding and in general to contribute to the development of the actions envisaged by Spoke3.   All information in the attached flyer or below link

NODES Spoke 6: Presentation of Cascade Funding Calls for South Italy Businesses On May 19th, at the Chiostro del Carmine in Oristano, in collaboration with the University of Pavia and the University of Sassari (UNISS), the South partner of Spoke 6, Linea A cascade calls for businesses in the Mezzogiorno were presented. The event involved over 35 participants, both in person and online, including 20 business representatives, 10  from trade associations, and 5 researchers.    Alberto Stanislao Atzori, Professor of Animal Nutrition and Feeding at the University of Sassari, opened the proceedings, followed by Raffaella di Nardo, representing the NODES Ecosystem. Antonio Gallo, Professor of Animal Nutrition at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Piacenza, then described the two main flagship projects of Spoke 6: Vino and Formidabilæ. Elisa Conz, Professor of Marketing at the University of Pavia and Communication and Dissemination Manager of the Spoke, then delved into the details of the call. Marika Anzalone from Unioncamere Piemonte concluded by providing technical information and guidelines of the Webtelemaco platform.    The meeting was an essential opportunity for networking and exchange, allowing businesses to interact directly with representatives from trade associations and the attending researchers. This exchange of ideas and experiences fostered the creation of synergies and potential future collaborations.    The event provided businesses in the Mezzogiorno with a solid foundation of knowledge and contacts to tackle the challenges of innovation and technological development.   For information about the funding calls and participation guidelines, please refer to the section on the website https://www.ecs-nodes.eu/6-agroindustria-primaria/bandi     

Instrumental analysis of movement is fundamental important in various disciplines and sectors, ranging from biomechanical modeling to early diagnosis and prevention of neuro-muscular pathologies. It assists specialists to develop individual therapy programs and monitoring the effectiveness of adopted strategies.   In particular, wearable sensors are becoming increasingly important because the collection of a wide range of data on human body movement directly in real life conditions. Recent scientific studies have also shown that wearable sensors play a fundamental role in the early detection of neuro-muscular diseases, thus facilitating early and more effective treatment.    Thanks to the NODES project, the groups of the Politecnico di Torino led by Professor Andrea Cereatti (Department of Electronics and Telecommunications) and Professor Gabriella Olmo (Department of Automation and Computer Science), have sinergically started to develop a new generation of innovative solutions for monitoring patients in real-life conditions.   All this is possible thanks to the complementary skills of the two research groups that integrate various technologies such as magneto-inertial sensors, pressure insoles and infrared distance sensors together with deep learning algorithms.  This multi-sensor technology allows to obtain parameters that can characterize the stability of patients and therefore predict the risk of falls as well as to recognize and identify early freezing of gait in patients suffering from Parkinson's disease. 

The Spoke 4 of the NODES ecosystem presents the opportunities of "cascade calls" for the Southern regions Yesterday, an event was held in Matera at the University Campus of the University of Basilicata to present opportunities for businesses in the Southern regions within the "Digital and Sustainable Mountain - Spoke 4" of the "NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile" project. After greetings from Antonella Guida, Coordinator of the PhD Course "Cities and Landscapes: Architecture, Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, History and Resources," and an introduction by Mauro Fiorentino, the project's technical-scientific committee representative for Unibas, the Director General of HUB NODES, Chiara Ferroni, explained the organization and functioning of the ecosystem. Marco Alderighi, project manager of Spoke 4, described the three Flagship projects "SMART WEST," "SUMMER," and "INTERFACE." Subsequently, partners and scientific coordinators of Spoke 4 intervened: Antonio Conte (University of Basilicata) and Ruggero Ermini (University of Basilicata), followed by Francesco Laio (Polytechnic University of Turin), who illustrated the calls, and Lavinia Tagliabue (University of Turin), who presented the training activities. Luca Farfan (Unioncamere Piemonte) also explained the functionalities of the platform for participating in calls.  webtelemaco.infocamere.it

Con determina n. 17/2023 dello scorso 19 Maggio 2023, HUB NODES s.c.a.r.l. ha attivato la raccolta di candidature spontanee attraverso Manifestazione d’Interesse per l’iscrizione nell'Elenco degli Esperti di Valutazione.

 Attraverso l’Elenco verranno selezionati e nominati i membri delle Commissioni di Valutazione a presidio di tutte le attività connesse alla valutazione delle domande di finanziamento presentate, nonchè il monitoraggio e rendicontazione dei progetti/servizi finanziati nell’ambito dei bandi a cascata di competenza dell’Ecosistema dell’Innovazione NODES. 

   Possono manifestare il proprio interesse, esperti in materia di procedimenti amministrativi di gara e/o selezione della Pubblica Amministrazione. Maggiori info alla pagina del bando     

Si avvisa che oggi, 17.05.2023, nei Bandi a Cascata:  - Linea A  - Linea B - Linea A - Mezzogiorno sono state pubblicate alcune ulteriori specifiche, relative a selezione, nomina e ruolo della Commissione di Valutazione con apposita rettifica in allegato. Inoltre i termini di chiusura della prima cut-off per i soli Bandi: - Linea A - Linea B è stato procrastinato alle ore 23:59 del 30 Giugno 2023 con medesima rettifica.    Più tempo quindi per le imprese, PMI, start-up e tutte le altre entità interessate alle tematiche dell'Ecosistema, i potenziali beneficiari ammissibili come da bando, per sottomettere le domande di finanziamento e rielaborare così progetti di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale che promuovano l’innovazione di prodotti, servizi e/o processi (bandi LINEA A) e/o richiedere servizi di supporto per sostenere la realizzazione di percorsi di investimento in innovazione, dando impulso alle attività di innovazione e sostenendo nuove imprese e imprese innovative (bandi LINEA B).   Si invitano gli interessati a prendere visione della documentazione aggiornata disponibile anche alle pagine dei singoli Bandi:   LINEA A Spoke 1 - Spoke 2 - Spoke 3 - Spoke 4 - Spoke 5 - Spoke 6 - Spoke 7 LINEA B Spoke 1 - Spoke 2 - Spoke 3 - Spoke 4 - Spoke 5 - Spoke 6 - Spoke 7 LINEA A - MEZZOGIORNO Spoke 1 - Spoke 2 - Spoke 3 - Spoke 4 - Spoke 5 - Spoke 6 - Spoke 7  

The first appointment of the Spoke 2 - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry tour in Southern Italy was successfully held last May 16 at the prestigious Palazzo Partanna in Naples, organized with the aim of illustrating to businesses the interesting financing opportunities accessible through the NODES Line A cascade calls dedicated to the South of Italy. The event, hosted by Confindustria Campania and organized in collaboration with the University of Basilicata and the University of Sannio, Partner of the South, was attended by companies eager to learn more about issues related to innovation and environmental sustainability. 

I termini di presentazione per gli Avvisi di Manifestazione di Interesse per Industrial PhD e Students' Challenges sono stati prorogati.   La nuova scadenza è il 9 Giugno 2023, ore 18.00.   Qui di seguito trovate i link agli avvisi: Industrial PhD Spoke 1 - Phd Industrial Spoke 2 - Phd Industrial Spoke 3 - Phd Industrial Spoke 4 - Phd Industrial Spoke 5 - Phd Industrial Spoke 6 - Phd Industrial Spoke 7 - Phd Industrial   Students' Challenges Spoke 1 - Students' Challenges Spoke 2 - Students' Challenges Spoke 3 - Students' Challenges Spoke 7 - Students' Challenges