News

School of Water Re-use The first international training school on the topic of water reuse, School of Water Re-use, will be established in Turin in 2022. The school intends to train staff of water utilities, companies, young researchers, young professionals, PhD students interested in deepening their knowledge and developing skills on the topic of water reuse. The aim is to offer participants an insight into new perspectives and solutions for the challenges that will be faced in this field. In particular, multidisciplinary knowledge related to the topic of Water Re-use will be acquired by crossing different fields of application. Not only training. On 19th April 2023 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Aula De Filippi in Via Accademia Albertina 13 in Turin, the first meeting of the newly created Working Table on Water Re-use will be held. The Table was created to address with a multidisciplinary approach the issue of water reuse in view of the increasingly pressing water crisis and the entry of the Regulation (EU) 2020/741 on minimum requirements for water reuse. The aim of the meeting is to gather critical issues, interests, needs and present the expertise present. Finally, the Working Table proposes itself as an interlocutor to initiate collaborations, synergies, projects to face and fight the water crisis.

Un incontro per raccogliere riflessioni e indicazioni dai protagonisti del settore Giovedì 2 Marzo dalle 14.30 alle 17.00 si è tenuto a Cuneo il secondo appuntamento dello Stakeholder Committee dello Spoke 7. L’evento è stato rivolto alle organizzazioni del territorio, quali acceleratori e incubatori, centri di ricerca, enti di rappresentanza di imprese, investitori, poli di innovazione regionali e cluster tecnologici nazionali, che hanno espresso il loro interesse a partecipare ai lavori dello Stakeholder Committee dello Spoke 7- Agroindustria Secondaria.  L’incontro è stato l’occasione per illustrare la missione e le attività dello Spoke 7 e per presentare le tematiche di ricerca, raccogliendo riflessioni, indicazioni e riscontri dai portatori d’interesse per eventuali proposte di integrazione.  A questo scopo i portatori d’interesse sono stati invitati a diffondere lo Strumento di Scoperta Imprenditoriale, messo a punto con la collaborazione del Sistema dei Poli di Innovazione Piemontesi, che permette alle aziende di fornire riscontri circa i temi di ricerca e sviluppi e proporre idee progettuali, al fine di orientare la programmazione dei futuri bandi.     

Nuove opportunità per giovani ricercatrici e ricercatori  Creare nuove opportunità di lavoro per giovani ricercatrici e ricercatori è una delle ambizioni del progetto NODES. Per portare a termine questo importante obiettivo, lo Spoke 7 ha concentrato i propri sforzi nei primi mesi del 2023 per l’attivazione di bandi per assegniste e assegnisti di ricerca, dottorande e dottorandi, tecnologhe e tecnologi della ricerca. L’iniziativa ha consentito di creare opportunità per 23 nuove posizioni, alle quali hanno applicato circa 60 giovani risorse. I temi di approfondimento della ricerca dello Spoke 7 sono in linea con l’obiettivo generale dello Spoke, innovare il sistema agroalimentare nel Nord-Ovest, introducendo approcci digitali e sostenibili nella trasformazione alimentare. Per quanto riguarda le attività previste dai bandi, alcune figure si occuperanno di analisi di laboratorio per definire la qualità degli alimenti e delle bevande e della loro salubrità. Potranno dunque essere coinvolte nelle procedure analitiche, anche strumentali, per determinare la loro composizione, la presenza di contaminanti chimici e microbiologici e proporre delle azioni di miglioramento nel caso vengano riscontrate delle criticità. Importante sarà inoltre il contributo nella definizione di nuovi approcci produttivi che possano soddisfare la crescente necessità di aumentare la sostenibilità dei sistemi alimentari.    

On February 2, the partners and researchers of the Spoke dedicated to Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility met at I3P to take stock of the progress of activities. About fifty researchers working on the three Flagship Projects of Spoke 1, which represent the thematic trajectories through which the spoke aims to achieve the goals set on the different axes of the ecosystem, SPACE4YOU, H2 Mobility, Electro, participated. Specifically, the SPACE4YOU project, coordinated by Professor Sabrina Corpino of DIMEAS-Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Professor Fabio Dovis of DET-Department of Electronics and Telecommunications, aims at the creation of a distributed laboratory dedicated to "small satellites" and the new space economy. On the other hand, the theme of sustainable mobility, guaranteed through the use of alternative energy carriers such as hydrogen, will be addressed by the H2 Mobility project, whose coordination will be in the hands of Professor Fabrizio Pirri of the DISAT-Department of Applied Science and Technology. Finally, the ELECTRO project, coordinated by Professor Paolo Guglielmi of DENERG-Department of Energy will contribute to the development of systems and devices for the charging and management of electric vehicles, as well as the analysis of new business models for sustainable mobility. For more information click here

A privileged tool for scientific collaboration between research and business for innovation and sustainability. The PNRR is an important funding instrument that aims to support the country's recovery and growth through investments in various sectors, including research and development. In this context, Spoke 2 is a reference point for connecting the worlds of research and business, recognising the importance of funding to support PhD scholarships. On the 22nd of February 2023, at the Grugliasco Campus (TO), the University of Turin organised the 'Doctorates and Industry' event, aimed at companies interested in collaborating with the university and learning more about the opportunities offered by PhDs at the Piedmontese university. The meeting was attended by the referee professors of the various PhD courses, as well as numerous entrepreneurs. During the event, useful information was provided on the financing of PhD scholarships through PNRR funds, which could be used to co-finance these training and research opportunities. The funding of a PhD scholarship by a company or institution allows the PhD student to work closely with the funding institution or company, having access to laboratories and contacts with researchers at the university. Interested parties can find further information on the dedicated page on the University of Turin's portal.

Spoke2 - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry involves the Stakeholder Committee to share the action strategy and activate the joint construction work  The first operational meeting of the NODES Ecosystem Spoke2 - GREEN TECHNOLOGIES AND SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY with the Stakeholder Committee was held on the 22nd of February 2023 at 2.30 p.m. in an online meeting.  Focus: Sharing information and action strategy and activating interaction for joint construction work. Three crucial topics were discussed during the meeting: the opportunities for companies with cascading calls, the collection of research topics proposed by companies and the collection of topics proposed by researchers.  The objectives of the project are applied research, training, technology transfer and entrepreneurship development. Indeed, the Stakeholder Committee plays a central role in achieving the objectives of the learning and change process generated by the NODES Ecosystem. It consists of representatives of local organisations such as accelerators and incubators, research centres, business representative bodies, investors, regional innovation poles and national technology clusters, as well as representatives of central and local public administration.  The members of the Stakeholder Committee are not directly partners in the project, but are important because they bring their knowledge, experience and expertise to the regional and interregional learning process and will be able to support the project's objectives in terms of research and innovation topics.  The Committee will meet at other times during the year and will be involved, in particular, in the SPOKE 2 themes to which it will refer in order to: validate the development themes of the NODES Ecosystem, contribute to the investigation of possible developments, support the dissemination and valorisation of the Ecosystem results and participate in dedicated events and activities, collaborate in the creation of synergies between the Ecosystem, Spoke 2 and local and European public and private initiatives. 

The role of Stakeholder Committe and how to join.  The NODES project includes Stakeholder Committes among the bodies for managing the Ecosystem. In these initial months of the project, Spoke 5 has been actively engaging representatives from the territory belonging to different areas (innovation, sustainability and digitalization) with a decisive impact on every aspect of human life - from health to the environment, from interpersonal relationships to democracy.    Associations, venture capital firms, chambers of commerce, professional orders, Invitalia, and incubators have been invited and involved.    The Stakeholder Committe of Spoke 5 currently consists of 13 members. The Committe has held two meetings to discuss flagship projects and educational needs.   

NODES Spoke 6: Technological Innovation and Sustainability in the Transformation of Primary Agro-industry On November 29, 2022, the activities of Spoke 6 "Primary Agro-industry" within the three-year project "NODES" were presented at the Fondazione Riccagioia. The project is funded by the Ministry of University and Research through investments provided by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Spoke 6, led by the University of Pavia, aims to support innovation in high-potential technological trajectories.    The main objective is to develop new products and processes in existing SMEs, create "Deep Tech" start-ups and spin-offs in the local agro-industry, and increase the competitiveness of the involved companies at the international level.    The project promotes collaboration, training, and innovation tools to enable the relationship between large companies, SMEs, start-ups, and the research community in a context of cross-contamination and open innovation. The focus will also be on talent development and redefining the role of doctoral research from an industrial perspective. Large companies will support the ecosystem by identifying industrial development trajectories, hiring highly qualified personnel, and facilitating the absorption of developed innovations.    The implementing bodies of NODES are public universities, including Politecnico di Torino, University of Turin, University of Eastern Piedmont, University of Insubria, University of Pavia, University of Valle D'Aosta, and University of Gastronomic Sciences. They will collaborate with affiliated entities to carry out research activities within their expertise, including the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, six innovation hubs, five reference research centres, three incubators, one accelerator, and one competence centre.    Several representatives attended the presentation meeting, including Roberto Orofino (Ersaf), Paolo Gay (Department of Forestry and Food Sciences, University of Turin), Graziano Rossi (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia), Hermes Giberti (Department of Industrial and Information Engineering, University of Pavia), and Antonio Gallo (Department of Animal Sciences, Nutrition and Food, University of Piacenza).    Spoke 6 "Primary Agro-industry" focuses on the transformation of the agro-industry due to globalization, population growth, and climate change. The goal is to invest in innovation to make new technologies accessible to agro-industrial enterprises and identify new models of sustainable production and consumption. Research areas include the development of sensors and communication systems, data collection and processing to develop innovative services for the sector.    The NODES project aims to attract young researchers and students to ensure the introduction of new technologies in production processes and raise awareness of digital and socio-environmental sustainability issues.    Two flagship projects that receive significant research activities are the integrated forage, livestock, and biogas supply chain, aimed at developing a resilient, circular, and diversified agro-livestock sector, ensuring food security and sustainability in dairy food chains. The other project focuses on vineyard management for grape and wine production, where expertise in Big Data is applied and production and consumption models based on the principles of agro-industry and precision agriculture are developed.    For more details click here  

A day of study and presentation of the Nodes project, «Digital and Sustainable North West» A day of study and presentation of the Nodes Project, "Digital and Sustainable North West", was held today at the University of Insubria, in the Cloister of Sant'Abbondio in Como. The scientific manager of the Spoke is Professor Barbara Pozzo, who together with Professor Mauro Fasano, Delegate of the Rector for Innovation and Technology Transfer, illustrated the activities that will be carried out in the area to the teachers and stakeholders. The Nodes Project, selected within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, involves seven universities with the aim of creating one of the 11 Innovation Ecosystems that the Ministry of University and Research has identified in order to support growth and the digital and ecological transition in Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and in the westernmost provinces of Lombardy, namely Como, Varese and Pavia. Within Innovation Ecosystems, the University of Insubria will directly manage 9 million euros. The teachers of the universities collaborating in the kick off took part today: Piercarlo Rossi of the University of Turin, Katia Premazzi, Paolo Gheda and Marco Alderighi of the University of Valle d'Aosta, Stefania Cerutti of the University of Eastern Piedmont , Sara Lucca and Elena Zaffaroni of ComoNext, Paola Negro and Davide Dellarolle of Città Studi. Present and involved for Insubria: Andrea Bellucci, Roberta Pezzetti and Andrea Vezzulli from the Department of Economics; Simone Tini of the Department of Human Sciences and Innovation for the Territory; Sebastiano Citroni, Giuseppe Colangelo, Valentina Jacometti, Roberta Minazzi, Alessandro Panno and Giuseppe Porro from the Department of Economic Law and Cultures. The mayor of Como Alessandro Rapinese and Francesca Quagliarini, councilor with responsibilities for universities and youth policies as well as an Insubria law student, took part.   The vision of the project is to help improve people's well-being through the use of all material and immaterial forms in which culture and knowledge are expressed and to forge close synergies between all the actors who collaborate to respond to these needs: schools , universities, bookshops, cinemas, creative and cultural industries, museums, libraries, archives, archaeological areas, theatres. The mission of the project is therefore to develop the culture of the territories, linking them to historical, artistic and architectural factors, to its natural beauties, as well as to other aspects that are part of the industrial fabric and which are linked to the concept of creativity, to encourage an entrepreneurial culture committed to sustainability. The research areas involved concern the legal and economic aspects of the creative industries, the digitization of tourism businesses, the introduction of the culture of sustainability in businesses, the success factors of museums and more generally of the creative industries for the development of tourism, information technology connected to the development of tourism and the valorisation of Made in Italy. Many stakeholders present today in Sant'Abbondio: Federico Raveglia of Cooperativa Tikvà, Maurizio Moscatelli of Aquedotto Industriale, Alberto D'Errico Mantero of Seta SpA, Costanza Ferrarin of the Unesco Office, Fulvio Alvisi of the Italian Association of Textile Designers, Luca Malinverno and Franco Pigoli of Porini Srl, Edoardo Botta and Giorgio Maspero of Confartigianato companies Como, Alessandro Ventimiglia of the Silk Factory Past Students Association, Sauro Vicini of Cluster Smart Cities-Lombardy, Graziano Pagani of Confindustria Como, Alessandra Orsenigo, Luca Levrini, Graziano Brenna, Elisa Notaristefano and Claudia Striato of the Alessandro Volta Foundation, Andrea Taborelli of the Como Unesco Consulta, Livia Torterolo and Giulia Troglio of Dgs Spa and Porini Srl, Paolo Angelo Galbiati of Cna Lario Brianza, Francesca Rizzi.   The Nodes Project, as can be read in its scientific presentation, intends to strengthen and evolve the territorial Innovation Ecosystem in order to support the sustainable and inclusive growth of the reference territories, pursuing the objectives on the creation and development of research chains and industrial declined in the sectors identified in the research program, in accordance with the smart specialization strategies for regional research and innovation. Among the objectives of Nodes is also to support innovation on high-potential technological trajectories to develop new products and processes in existing small and medium-sized enterprises, stimulating research enhancement and technology transfer processes and increasing their competitiveness also at an international level. The creation of «Deep Tech» start-ups and spin-offs will be encouraged in the identified sectors, attracting additional venture economic resources, and digital transition processes will be supported also through new collaborative innovation paths and tools between start-ups, SMEs, Large Companies and the world of research, validating scalable and replicable intervention models. It will also contribute to the training of talents, up-skilling and re-skilling of personnel employed with advanced training and through innovative teaching approaches and their inclusion in the productive world, with a focus on the involvement of women in the STEM field and the innovation of the role of PhD in Industrial Optics.  

Nell’ambito delle iniziative di sostegno alla ricerca, previste dal PNRR, è compresa una misura per la creazione di “ecosistemi dell’innovazione”, cioè luoghi di contaminazione e collaborazione tra università, centri di ricerca, imprese e istituzioni locali con una forte attenzione alla integrazione territoriale e alla sostenibilità.   Ogni ecosistema dell’innovazione sarà chiamato a realizzare: a) attività di ricerca industriale realizzate dalle università; b) attività formative per le imprese condotte in sinergia dalle università e centri di competenza; c) trasferimento tecnologico e valorizzazione dei risultati della ricerca verso le imprese c) supporto alle start-up; nonché d) coinvolgimento delle comunità locale sulle tematiche dell’innovazione e della sostenibilità. L’Università di Pavia è partner del progetto per un ecosistema dell’innovazione che vede capofila il Politecnico di Torino e coinvolge anche le altre tre Università Piemontesi (Torino, Piemonte Orientale e Scienze Gastronomiche), l’Università della Valle d’Aosta, l’Insubria e l’Università Cattolica. Tale progetto è stato denominato NODES – Nord-Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile, e si inserisce nel grande ambito “Digitale, Industria e Aerospazio”. È stato approvato dal Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca ed entra ora nella sua fase viva. Si sviluppa in 7 articolazioni (“spoke”):   - industria 4.0 per la mobilità sostenibile e l’aerospazio; - tecnologie verdi e industria sostenibile; - cultura e turismo; - innovazione digitale per la montagna; - salute e silver economy; - agro-industria primaria e agro-industria secondaria. L’Università di Pavia è responsabile delle attività relative all’ambito di agro-industria primaria, con l’obiettivo di coinvolgere in modo pieno il territorio pavese a partire dall’Oltrepò. L’ecosistema del progetto NODES sarà presentato, nell’Aula Magna dell’Università di Pavia, martedì 19 luglio 2022, alle h. 10. Hanno assicurato la loro presenza il Presidente della Regione Lombardia, il Presidente di Assolombarda, il Presidente di Confagricoltura Lombardia e i Rettori o loro delegati delle Università partecipanti all’ecosistema.     PROGRAMMA Ore 10.00 Saluti istituzionali  Attilio Fontana Presidente di Regione Lombardia  Francesco Svelto  Rettore dell’Università di Pavia  Guido Saracco Rettore del Politecnico di Torino  Alessandro Spada Presidente di Assolombarda  Ore 10:30-10:40 Presentazione del progetto e dello Spoke 1: Industry 4.0 for Sustainable Mobility and Aerospace  Guido Saracco, Rettore del Politecnico di Torino Ore 10:40-10:50 Presentazione dello Spoke 2: Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry  Stefano Geuna, Rettore dell’Università degli Studi di Torino Ore 10:50-11:00 Presentazione dello Spoke 3: For Culture and Tourism Industry  Angelo Tagliabue, Rettore dell’Università degli Studi dell'Insubria Ore 11:00-11:10 Presentazione dello Spoke 4: Digital Innovation toward Sustainable Mountain  Marco Alderighi, delegato del Rettore dell’Università della Valle D'Aosta Ore 11:10 -11:20 Presentazione dello Spoke 5: Industry for Health and Silver Economy  Gian Carlo Avanzi, Rettore dell’Università del Piemonte Orientale Ore 11:20-11:30 Presentazione dello Spoke 6: Primary Agroindustry  Francesco Svelto, Rettore dell’Università degli Studi di Pavia Ore 11:30-11:40 Presentazione dello Spoke 7: Secondary Agroindustry  Bartolomeo Biolatti, Rettore dell’Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche Ore 11:40-11:55  Intervento di Riccardo Crotti, Presidente Confagricoltura Lombardia Ore 12:00  Conclusioni e saluti finali    È possibile seguire l’evento collegandosi qui Per leggere l'articolo sul sito dell'Università