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Il 27 e 28 maggio 2025 lo Spoke 2 – Green Technologies e Industria Sostenibile ha partecipato ai NODES’ Tech Sharing Days presso il Politecnico di Torino con 14 PoC accademici, portando al centro dell’evento le competenze, le idee e i risultati sviluppati nei laboratori dell’Università e dei partner coinvolti. I PoC dello Spoke 2 – FSM2C, GREEN.VAL., ISS, MATERIALIZED, SPONDE, WAKEUP, T2T, Biocare, BioReMediA, DST-SRM, PFS, REDiRECt-Gd, REFINEMENT, ROSEWATER – hanno avuto l’opportunità di raccontarsi attraverso diverse modalità: poster, materiale divulgativo, banchetti all’aperto e in particolare con una serie di pitch da tre minuti in cui i team hanno illustrato in modo diretto e dinamico i propri progetti a un pubblico composto da stakeholder, aziende, investitori e operatori dell’innovazione.   A rappresentare l’Università degli Studi di Torino, capofila dello Spoke 2, è intervenuta Cristina Prandi, Responsabile Scientifica dello Spoke, durante la tavola rotonda dal titolo “Innovazione e trasferimento tecnologico: NODES e la Ricerca accademica come motore d’impresa” con Giuliana Mattiazzo (Politecnico di Torino), Andrea Vezzulli (Università degli Studi dell'Insubria), Marco Alderighi (Università della Valle d'Aosta), Marco Invernizzi (Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale), Hermes Giberti (Università degli Studi di Pavia) e Andrea Pieroni (Università di Scienze Gastronomiche). Nella prima parte dell’incontro – “Il punto di vista degli atenei: cooperazione, ricerca applicata, impatto territoriale” – hanno illustrato il ruolo strategico della ricerca universitaria nel generare soluzioni ad alto impatto per il tessuto produttivo del Nord Ovest. La partecipazione dello Spoke 2 ai NODES’ Tech Sharing Days ha dimostrato come la collaborazione tra accademia e impresa, se ben strutturata, possa concretamente accelerare il trasferimento tecnologico e lo sviluppo di innovazioni sostenibili.   🔎 Per scoprire di più sui PoC dello Spoke 2, visita la pagina dedicata Scopri di più

On May 22, the final event of the SPIDAP project – Development of a Digital Platform Based on Artificial Intelligence for Precision Agriculture – was held at the GAL Terre di Aci headquarters in Acireale (CT). The project was funded through the cascade calls.  SPIDAP is the result of a collaborative effort between Sicilian SMEs Agrigeos and Lualtek, and the CNR-IMEM Institute in Parma. It integrates artificial intelligence, advanced sensor technology, and agronomic analysis to optimize water usage and improve the sustainability of citrus production—an innovative step forward for smart agriculture tailored to local needs. The event was moderated by Mariarita Zappalà (Agrigeos), and opened with institutional remarks by Anna Privitera (Director, GAL Terre di Aci), who emphasized the GAL’s role in promoting agricultural innovation in a region with a strong citrus-growing tradition. Chiara Ferroni, Director of the NODES ecosystem, highlighted the achievements of the program, which has supported over 300 companies, including many in Southern Italy. Salvo Nicolosi (General Manager, Agrigeos) underlined the importance of partnerships between SMEs and research centers in developing knowledge and technologies to advance the agricultural sector. The technical session featured presentations by Marco Acciai (Agrigeos), who showcased field and controlled-environment results using the Plantarray phenotyping system and the Bioristor sensor developed by CNR-IMEM. Michela Janni (CNR-IMEM) explained how the Bioristor enables real-time monitoring of plant physiology, essentially allowing researchers to “listen” to the plants. Luca Occhipinti (CEO, Lualtek) closed the session by demonstrating how Bioristor data and electrical conductivity readings can be integrated into predictive models to optimize irrigation. The event concluded with a shared commitment to continue data collection and refine the predictive model, confirming the value of a collaboration that has already yielded promising results for the digital transformation of the citrus sector.

Il 27 e 28 maggio 2025, presso il Politecnico di Torino si sono tenuti i NODES’ Tech Sharing Days, due giorni interamente dedicati all’innovazione sostenibile e al trasferimento tecnologico, dove la ricerca accademica incontra il mondo delle imprese e genera nuove opportunità per il Nord Ovest.   Nel corso della seconda giornata sono stati protagonisti 30 Proof of Concept (PoC) Accademici, sviluppati all’interno del progetto NODES – Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile, e finanziati dal Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca attraverso i fondi PNRR – NextGenerationEU.   Lo Spoke 3 era presente con 8 progetti dedicati al settore del turismo e della Cultura; l'Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, l'Università della Valle D'Aosta, l'Università degli Studi di Torino e l'Università del Piemonte Orientale hanno avuto l'opportunità di presentare i loro POC di fronte ad una vasta platea composta da imprese, professionisti del settore e ricercatori.   Infine, i team dello Spoke 3 hanno avuto a disposizione una grande area espositiva allestita nel cortile del Politecnico, dove hanno potuto mostrare materiali, risultati e confrontarsi direttamente con investitori, stakeholder e imprese. I presenti hanno avuto inoltre la possibilità di fare delle esperienze immersive mediante l'utilizzo di visori 3D.  

On May 26, 2025, Spoke 1 – Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility held the workshop “Doing Business in Space”, a day of discussion focused on the economic, strategic, and institutional dynamics that are reshaping the space sector in the era of the New Space Economy. The workshop brought together professors and researchers from internationally renowned universities and research centers, with expertise in innovation economics, strategic management, and policy analysis, alongside both emerging and established business players, including high-level startups and companies. The goal of the workshop was to develop a structured perspective on the ongoing transformations in the space sector, with particular attention to emerging governance models, enabling technological trajectories, and the mechanisms of interaction between public and private actors. The working sessions alternated between theoretical contributions and case study presentations, offering valuable insights into market configurations, research support policies, and the evolution of the space industry value chains.

Students do business. The final presentations of the NODES project of the Challenge took place on May 23, featuring students from the GEEM (IBE) and CLEDIFI (FIMIF-FIMEDIS) Master's Degree courses in Economics at the University of Insubria.   The objective of the project, coordinated by Professor Rossella Locatelli and Professor Alessia Pisoni, was twofold:   - Allow students to work with local businesses on the topics of innovation and sustainability - Experiment with educational collaboration between students from Master's Degree courses characterized by different educational objectives   The students presented in-depth market analyses to the company Novello Case - bioedilizia3, supported by detailed financial assessments developed during the last semester, proposing innovative strategies in response to the company's strategic and financial needs.  

The DigiFarm project has successfully concluded. This industrial Proof of Concept (POC), funded through the cascade call Line A, was developed to provide innovative tools to dairy sector enterprises, with the goal of improving nutritional and economic efficiency in milk production. At the heart of the project lies a well-known challenge for farmers: feed costs can account for up to 60% of the total cost of milk production. DigiFarm tackled this issue by developing a simple, effective, and easily applicable assessment model, based on a system of aggregated indicators capable of delivering a clear picture of farm performance—even with minimal field data. The strength of the model lies in its accessibility: it does not require full corporate accounting and can be adopted even by small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up the majority of Italy’s livestock production sector. By integrating technical and economic data, DigiFarm overcomes the limitations of partial indicators, which are often affected by external variables such as market fluctuations in feed or milk prices. The model enables precise identification of areas for improvement, enhancing production efficiency and economic sustainability for the farms involved. The results gathered during implementation confirm the model’s effectiveness: good feed conversion efficiency, satisfactory milk quality, and cost coverage even in less favorable market conditions. Beyond operational benefits, DigiFarm has also had a positive impact in terms of training and professional development, strengthening participants’ skills in livestock data analysis, efficiency modeling, and knowledge transfer to the production sector. DigiFarm stands as a concrete example of how digital innovation can support the agro-food sector’s transition toward more resilient, sustainable, and quality-driven production models—fully aligned with the priorities of the new European agriculture.

NODES Spoke 2 participates in the BioeCO2nomy event with its researchers and the GRIP project On Thursday 22 May 2025, on the occasion of the National Bioeconomy Day, Spoke 2 of NODES - Green technologies and sustainable industries will be among the protagonists of the event ‘The BioeCO2nomy: Opportunities and challenges in CO₂ reduction, capture and reuse’, organised at the Environment Park Conference Centre in Turin. Promoted by the CLEVER Cluster, the initiative is part of the national calendar of events organised by Cluster SPRING and Assobiotec-Federchimica, with the aim of exploring the opportunities offered by the circular bioeconomy and the new frontiers of decarbonisation.   Spoke 2's GRIP research is told Spoke 2 will be present thanks to the contribution of two researchers involved in the GRIP programme activities: Silvia Fraterrigo Garofalo and Samir Bensaid from the Politecnico di Torino. The researcher will present the project during the morning session devoted to advanced technologies for CO₂ enhancement, illustrating innovative solutions developed within the framework of the applied research pathway promoted by NODES. “La BioeCO2nomy” rappresenta un’occasione preziosa di confronto tra imprese, centri di ricerca e stakeholder del territorio, con momenti di networking, incontri B2B e visite ai laboratori di Environment Park. Una vetrina importante anche per valorizzare il ruolo strategico delle tecnologie CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) e la capacità del sistema dell’innovazione di rispondere concretamente alle sfide della transizione ecologica. ‘BioeCO2nomy’ represents a valuable opportunity for companies, research centres and local stakeholders to meet, with networking opportunities, B2B meetings and visits to Environment Park laboratories. It is also an important showcase for highlighting the strategic role of CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage) technologies and the ability of the innovation system to respond concretely to the challenges of the ecological transition.   Find out more and subscribe

From May 19, 2025 to June 19, 2025, the experience “Alla Volta di Como” will be active, the urban game developed by the students of the Scuola Specializzata Superiore d’Arte Applicata of Lugano and the students of the Master’s Degree in Hospitality for Sustainable Tourism Development of the University of Insubria, supported by Spoke 3 (Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile) of the NODES project.   The game, available in Italian and English and completely free, will offer a treasure hunt to discover the cultural heritage of the city of Como, among curious details and hidden itineraries, riddles and prizes; five stages, a city to discover and historical figures ready to challenge you with questions and stories to be experienced.   A special frog and five historical figures in augmented reality will guide you, for a fun and dynamic experience.   The activity is open to everyone.   Find out how to participate by scanning the QR code on the poster!

Spoke 2 NODES research comes to Rai 1 On Saturday 17 May, Linea Verde - Rai 1's historic programme dedicated to territories and sustainable innovation - will air a special report dedicated to a frontier project that combines mineral waste recovery, sustainable building and traditional craftsmanship.

Una proposta per rafforzare la collaborazione tra università del Nord Ovest è stata rilanciata sulle pagine de La Stampa dal Rettore del Politecnico di Torino, Stefano Corgnati che punta a costituire una federazione tra atenei per affrontare insieme le grandi sfide della ricerca, dell’innovazione e della formazione, in chiave cooperativa e sistemica.   L’obiettivo dichiarato sarebbe costruire un nuovo modello di governance accademica, in grado di coordinare percorsi formativi e laboratori, condividere infrastrutture e attrezzature, creare hub di ricerca aperti anche alle imprese, attrarre maggiori finanziamenti pubblici e privati, valorizzare le diverse vocazioni territoriali.   «Oggi non ha più senso parlare di ricerca del singolo, ma servono le grandi infrastrutture», ha affermato il rettore del Politecnico chiamato a ricoprire il ruolo di Presidente dell'Ecosistema NODES, di cui l'Ateneo è coordinatore. «Proiettiamoci a ciò che accadrà tra vent’anni: sarà vincente chi saprà coprire tutte le fasi della ricerca, mettendo in rete le competenze tecnologiche, umanistiche, economiche e giuridiche». Una visione che in parte è già realtà L’ipotesi di una federazione accademica del Nord Ovest potrebbe trovare proprio in esperienze come NODES un punto di riferimento operativo. In questo scenario, l’Ecosistema dell’Innovazione NODES - finanziato dal MUR nell’ambito del PNRR, si configura come un’esperienza già attiva e concreta di cooperazione interateneo che, coinvolge università partner – tra cui molte delle accademie citate nell’articolo – insieme a centri di ricerca, imprese e territori.    Un Ecosistema fondato su una logica di alleanza territoriale per l’innovazione, capace di una cabina di regia condivisa, di una visione strategica comune, d'integrazione tra le competenze accademiche e i bisogni del sistema produttivo, di apertura delle infrastrutture a servizio di imprese e comunità locali. L’Ecosistema sta dimostrando che mettere in rete persone, risorse e competenze non solo è possibile, ma è efficace: accelera i processi, rafforza l’impatto, valorizza ogni territorio nella sua specificità   E in quest’ottica si colloca anche l’iniziativa in programma il 27 e 28 maggio al Politecnico di Torino: i NODES' Tech Sharing Days, momento di incontro tra ricerca e impresa, durante i quali saranno presentati oltre 60 PoC accademici sviluppati dagli Atenei del territorio. Progetti nati nei laboratori universitari e già pronti per essere trasferiti al mercato o alla società.    Si tratta di soluzioni concrete, che testimoniano il valore della collaborazione tra atenei, la forza della ricerca pubblica e la capacità di creare connessioni vive con il mondo produttivo. Scopri il programma completo dei Tech Sharing Days

Plant Flow Solutions (PFS), a new entrepreneurial reality was born from a Proof of Concept developed within Spoke 2 of NODES - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industries, under the guidance of Prof. Claudio Lovisolo (DISAFA, Università di Torino).   The project was also able to continue its development thanks to the collaboration with the 2i3T incubator, moving from academic research to market innovation. The spin-off proposes a platform capable of automatically and continuously monitoring gas exchange between plant and atmosphere (CO₂ and H₂O), with an unprecedented level of precision and modularity. A technology designed to revolutionise the Agritech sector, but also applicable in industrial and urban contexts, up to carbon capture and air remediation from VOCs and pollutants.   Plant Flow Solutions is a virtuous example of technology transfer and sustainable innovation, perfectly in line with the objectives of NODES.   Get to know more