NODES - Spoke 4 consolidates relations with the Aosta Valley area, introducing the design visions resulting from the educational workshop "Designing the Alps of tomorrow: new production scenarios"   The day of 11 July 2024 developed through the meeting of around forty students from the Polytechnic of Turin with local stakeholders from real municipalities in the valley. This design experience - the outcome of the six-monthly workshop which saw the students try their hand at designing pilot projects in some of the municipalities covered by the Nodes, Spoke 4, RM1 research - was articulated through a series of meetings in the area, including the the last one, which took place on 11 July 2024 at Skyway, in Courmayeur, which saw the participation of numerous stakeholders from the Aosta Valley area. Specifically, the educational exercise proposed to the forty students involved within the educational workshop "Designing the Alps of tomorrow: new production scenarios" (Polytechnic University of Turin - teachers Roberto Dini, Valentina Serra, Valerio Lo Verso, Francesca Thiebat ) was focused on the development of a series of pilot projects, with the aim of proposing possible processes for the recovery and reactivation of abandoned properties: the Linguistic high school of Courmayeur, the former railway station with the adjoining Morgex warehouse, the former barracks of Saint Marcel and the former mining complex of Ollomont.   The day - promoted by the Courmayeur Mont Blanc Foundation and the Polytechnic of Turin, and held at Skyway in Courmayeur - was a moment of reflection on these possible transformative scenarios, bringing together the local actors directly interested around the projects: mayors and municipal councilors, facilitators social, but also the local Order of Architects. The issues addressed on this occasion can be traced back to different dimensions and scales of the project: on a technological-energy level, wondering what sustainable materials and construction systems could be, in terms of both the impact of emissions and their presence or absence within the local production chains; but also in terms of the social and economic impact that these projects can have within territorial systems with variable networks. The day took place around two complementary moments: in the Pavillon's La Verticale conference room in the morning, during which the maquettes and graphic designs were set up in front of which the discussion took place, culminating in the award ceremony of the three projects deemed most interesting by the local jury (made up of Roberto Ruffier, Sandro Sapia, Michele Saulle). In the afternoon we moved to the highest Punta Helbronner, to admire the surrounding snowy landscape from a privileged point of view. The didactic dimension is therefore intertwined with both the research and dissemination dimensions, allowing students to plan through an experience that brings them as close as possible to reality, and to the territory to receive input and visions resulting from lenses different from those to which they are most accustomed.   Below are experts, local stakeholders, teachers involved in the process and present on the final day: Politecnico di Torino – Roberto Dini, Valentina Serra, Valerio Lo Verso, Francesca Thiebat, Silvia Lanteri, Alessandro Depaoli; Fondazione Courmayeur Mont Blanc - Roberto Ruffier, Elise Champvillair GAL Valle d’Aosta - Marta Anello; Comune di Saint-Marcel - Andrea Bionaz, Alessandro Grange; Comune di Ollomont - David Vevey; Comune di Morgex - Barzagli Federico; Comune di La Thuile - Mathieu Ferraris; Ordine degli Architetti della Valle d’Aosta - Sandro Sapia; Michele Saulle; Piero Brunod.  

The Small and Medium Enterprise Management Advanced Course will begin in October. The schedule will be published shortly.   The Master will cover seven areas of specialization: 1. Organization and digitalization: management of online meetings, smart working and staff motivation, use of big data for SMEs, cyber security and cloud working. 2. Strategy and marketing: business strategies for SMEs, customer segmentation and targeting, operational marketing, social media marketing and dynamic pricing. 3. Performance management: financial statements, cost analysis, ratio analysis for economic evaluations and management of company performance. 4. Management and finance: exchange rates and financial investments in goods, lobbying and advocacy, green public procurement and new procurement code, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. 5. Law, tax and business: new institutions of labor law in a European perspective, discipline of the logistics contract, legal profiles of financing SMEs, tax relief and incentives for SMEs. 6. Sustainability and competitiveness: sustainability for business competitiveness, measurement of the ecological footprint, reporting, indicators and certification of sustainability. 7. Scenario analysis: green and digital economy, geography of energy resources, new global political balances, extra-European markets for SMEs, nationalisms, ideologies and globalization.   Discover the program on University of Valle d'Aosta website.    

The NODES project was presented to President Mattarella during a visit to the University of Valle d'Aosta On the morning of Saturday, September 7th, the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella, visited the new campus of the University of Valle d’Aosta.   During the visit, the NODES project (which has received funding from the MUR – M4C2 1.5 of PNRR funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU) was presented to him, with a detailed description of the objectives, the seven universities of the Northwest leading it, and the network of collaborations involving both the local ecosystem and the South of Italy. The main themes and activities related to the project were also illustrated.   Professor Marco Alderighi, scientific director and project manager for the University of Valle d’Aosta, highlighted the resources allocated to businesses within the ecosystem and the research activities carried out in the flagship projects in which the University is directly involved: as leader in Spoke 4 – Digital and Sustainable Mountain, and as associate in Spoke 3 – Tourism and Cultural Industry.   Subsequently, during a meeting with the university community, President Mattarella reiterated the importance of mountain territories and the European democracy, stating: “Mountains do not divide, but unite. These meetings, lived together and not in opposition, benefit everyone and lead to growth. This is, after all, the essence of life in Valle d’Aosta. This is the essence of European democracy.”   Professor Alderighi then commented: “The interest that President Mattarella has shown in the NODES ecosystem rewards the professors and technical-administrative staff of this University for their dedication and for the results already achieved, with about two-thirds of the project completed. Together with the other NODES partners, we are making the best use of the resources provided by the European Union for the dual ecological and digital transition.”