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From 22 to 24 April 2025, students from the Master’s Degree Programme in Agri-Food Sustainability at the University of Pavia took part in an intensive learning experience as part of the course “Sustainable Grass Crops, Integrated Production, Organic Farming” (9 ECTS), offered within the activities of Spoke 6.   Coordinated by Professor Valentina Vaglia (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences), the course featured visiting professor Anna Peterson from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), providing students with a valuable opportunity to engage with international academic and practical perspectives on agroecology and the sustainability of agricultural landscapes.   The programme included field visits to the “I Doria” farm in Montalto Pavese (PV) and group work focused on real-world challenges such as agrivoltaics, soil and forest management, and crop diversification. Thanks to collaboration with European researchers and practitioners, students tackled complex issues through an interdisciplinary and project-based approach. Drawing inspiration from historical references such as Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good and Bad Government, participants were asked to envision sustainable transformation scenarios for the farm by 2050, rooted in the local context and grounded in the principles of environmental justice and resilience.

Una tappa significativa e densa di idee, ispirazione e concretezza ha animato il Rettorato dell’Università del Piemonte Orientale il 14 aprile, in occasione dell’evento “Impresa e Innovazione: la Primavera della Salute e della Silver Economy”, organizzato dallo Spoke 5 del progetto NODES nell’ambito del Roadshow dedicato alle imprese finanziate dai bandi a cascata.   L'iniziativa, finanziata dal MUR attraverso il PNRR e i fondi NextGenerationEU, ha acceso i riflettori sulle soluzioni innovative e sviluppate da imprese e ricercatori per affrontare le sfide della sanità moderna con un focus su digitalizzazione, intelligenza artificiale, tecnologie biomedicali e medicina personalizzata.    Dopo i saluti istituzionali del Magnifico Rettore Prof. Menico Rizzi e del Prof. Marco Invernizzi, Project Manager dello Spoke 5, il pubblico ha potuto conoscere i primi risultati dei flagship projects INNDIANA e TINCARE, rispettivamente illustrati dalle ricercatrici dott.ssa Elena Canciani e dott.ssa Ines Basso e una panoramica sui bandi a cascata, strumenti fondamentali per il sostegno all’innovazione nelle imprese presentata dalla dott.ssa Chiara Caucino, Junior Innovation Manager & Business Development del BioIndustryPark.   Grande attenzione è stata riservata ai progetti finanziati dai bandi a cascata: in pitch di 4 minuti ciascuno, le imprese hanno presentato con entusiasmo i loro risultati e prototipi, spaziando dalla robotica assistiva alla telemedicina, dalla nutraceutica per la longevità fino alle nanotecnologie applicate all'oncologia.    L'evento ha confermato la forza dell'ecosistema NODES nel creare sinergie tra mondo accademico, impresa e territorio, e nel sostenere lo sviluppo di tecnologie al servizio della persona, della prevenzione e della qualità della vita.    Continuate a seguire il progetto NODES e lo Spoke 5 per scoprire le prossime novità sul fronte della salute e dell'innovazione.   

Three agricultural businesses from the province of Pavia have been selected to take an active role in the project within Spoke 6, which is focused on sustainability and the digitalisation of agricultural and livestock production intended for industrial processing. The participating companies are:   Il Sabbione, run by Alice Zanaboni, based in Robecco Pavese (PV) Azienda Agricola Frigerio Anna Maria, located in Voghera (PV) Azienda Agricola Luca Bonizzoni, based in Casteggio (PV)   The challenges proposed by these companies were presented to students on 14 March during the Advanced Digital Marketing course, part of the Master’s Degree Programme in Digital Communication. This marked the beginning of an innovative educational journey based on the “learning by doing” method. The students, organised into multidisciplinary teams and guided by Professor Elisa Conz, will develop ideas, projects, and innovative solutions in response to the companies' real-world needs.   The initiative has a dual aim: To provide students with the opportunity to work on real business cases, gaining practical and project-based skills in a dynamic and authentic environment. To enable companies to connect with young talent and discover innovative, applicable solutions for their production and communication strategies.   Students will have until June to develop digital marketing plans designed to enhance brand awareness and engagement for the selected businesses. Particular attention will be given to competitiveness on both national and international levels: the marketing strategies must highlight the authenticity and quality of local products, helping to position these brands in a distinctive way within Italian and global markets.

The "Networking and Acceleration on the Digital and Sustainable Mountain" meeting, held on January 16 at the LINKS Foundation headquarters, was an important moment of progress for NODES Spoke 4. This is demonstrated by the data, such as: 68 registered attendees 22 participating companies and startups 8 meetings between companies/startups and investors 25 B2B meetings between companies/startups The average rating of the event by the participating funded companies, collected at the end of the meeting, was 8.75/10. An event that is only the first of a 2025 full of activities and initiatives.

I comitati etici di Ospedale Maggiore della Carità di Novara (centro coordinatore), Auxologico di Piancavallo (VB), Ospedale Molinette di Torino, Ospedale San Luigi Gonzaga di Orbassano (TO) e Politecnico di Torino hanno espresso parere favorevole per la conduzione dello studio MOVEWISE in ciascun centro.     I Comitati Etici sono organismi indipendenti che garantiscono la tutela dei diritti, della sicurezza e del benessere delle persone coinvolte nella ricerca scientifica. In Italia, ogni studio che prevede la partecipazione di esseri umani deve essere valutato per assicurare il rispetto di principi fondamentali come quelli stabiliti alla Dichiarazione di Helsinki e dalla Convenzione di Oviedo sui diritti umani e la biomedicina. Questo processo serve a garantire che la ricerca sia condotta in modo etico, trasparente e sicuro per tutti i partecipanti.  I Comitati Etici Territoriali delle cinque sedi in cui è previsto lo svolgimento del progetto MOVEWISE hanno approvato il protocollo dello studio volto a sviluppare un sistema indossabile di monitoraggio dei parametri di mobilità più legati al rischio di caduta nella vita di tutti i giorni. Lo studio prevede la registrazione di segnali dei sensori indossabili nelle coorti di sessanta pazienti affetti da sclerosi multipla (Ospedali Maggiore della Carità e San Luigi Gonzaga), malattia di Parkinson (Auxologico di Piancavallo) e disturbi vestibolari (Ospedale Molinette) oltre che da venti controlli sani (Politecnico di Torino).     

On 4 April, the Spring Roadshow of Spoke 6 took place, promoted by the University of Pavia in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona-Mantua-Pavia, dedicated to sustainability and digitalisation in the primary agri-food sector. Over 100 participants and 26 exhibiting companies had the opportunity to showcase and learn about the progress made in the sector, with a wide display of technologies and developed prototypes (proofs of concept), and to take part in open discussions on the latest research developments, industrial PhD results, and in-depth one-to-one meetings.   The event was opened by Rector Francesco Svelto: "Our University is committed to the local ecosystem and the agri-food sector, despite never having had a Faculty of Agriculture or a dedicated departmental area. We are part of a broader ecosystem that includes the University of Turin, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Forestry Services, the University of Sassari, and the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change, recognising the agricultural value of the region. We have invested around €4.5 million, including support for businesses in the Oltrepò area. It is the right path to follow."   Also in attendance was Gian Marco Centinaio, Deputy President of the Senate: "The province of Pavia has a strong agricultural vocation: Lomellina with rice, Oltrepò with vineyards, innovations in olive oil and olive trees, and livestock farming for Grana Padano. The University of Pavia, already a leader in healthcare, has accepted the challenge of agriculture. This project is important for the region and for Italy as a whole. In Lomellina, we have the first experimental field for TEAs – techniques that will improve plant genetics in line with European Union goals."   Hermes Giberti, professor at the University of Pavia and project manager of NODES - Spoke 6, highlighted: "Primary agri-food industry is complex. With the VINO and FORMIDABILÆ projects, we aim for innovations to tackle climate change in viticulture and to promote smart, resilient dairy farms. With the NODES Spoke 6 fair, we are presenting 18 research and development projects, 3 innovation services, 2 industrial PhDs, 2 prototypes, and a new start-up. We have allocated nearly €4 million for business tenders and almost €1 million to academic proofs of concept for the creation of new enterprises."   Enrico Ciabatti, Deputy Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona-Mantua-Pavia, added: "We have supported the initiative with over €6.5 million through Pavia Sviluppo. €1.65 million was allocated to the Innovation Call, and over €1 million to interest rate subsidy contributions. We are also pursuing two PID initiatives: the Digital Enterprise Point, for business digitalisation, and the Pavia Innovation District, to support SMEs in development and networking."

Grande partecipazione e dialogo concreto tra ricerca e impresa all’evento Spoke 1 su Aerospazio e Mobilità Sostenibile Il 3 aprile si è concluso con successo l’evento dedicato ai risultati dello Spoke 1 - Aerospazio e Mobilità Sostenibile, organizzato presso Environment Park nell’ambito del Roadshow 2025 di Ecosistema. Tanti i momenti di confronto e networking, per promuovere l’innovazione e la transizione tecnologica e sostenibile. Ottima affluenza di imprese, ricercatori e stakeholder di Spoke 1 e del territorio. Gli interventi delle imprese coinvolte nello Spoke hanno dato una panoramica concreta sui risultati progettuali ottenuti grazie ai bandi a cascata di Spoke 1, nati per supportare soluzioni ad alto contenuto tecnologico per le filiere di Aerospazio e Mobilità sostenibile.  

Il 31 marzo 2025 si è tenuto presso l'Università degli Studi di Torino, partner di Spoke 3 - Industria del Turismo e cultura, l'evento: "Turismo e cultura: l'innovazione per il Nord Ovest", organizzato nell'ambito dell'iniziativa Roadshow di Primavera Nodes.   Nel corso dell'evento, sono intervenute diverse aziende operanti nel Nord Ovest le quali hanno avuto modo di aggiudicarsi i fondi dei bandi a cascata.   Tramite i fondi ricevuti le imprese hanno potuto avviare interessanti progetti di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale che sono stati presentati nel corso della giornata. Prototipi di applicazioni da impiegare nel campo del turismo, della cultura ma anche della moda sostenibile hanno catalizzato l'attenzione dei presenti i quali hanno rivolto diverse domande ai rappresentanti delle aziende.   Infine, il Prof. Piercarlo Rossi dell'Università degli Studi di Torino e la Prof.ssa Stefania Cerutti dell'Università del Piemonte Orientale hanno presentato i risultati ottenuti fino a oggi con i due flagship project CIRIL e TOEP.        

Mercoledì 26 marzo, presso l’aula Magna Campus SAA dell’Università degli studi di Torino è stato presentato il podcast: Turismo, tra precarietà e precariato. L’evento, ricco di spunti per i professionisti del settore, è stato introdotto da Davide Caregnato, Direttore della SAA, da Marcella Costa, Direttrice del Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature Straniere e Culture Moderne, e da Rossi Piercarlo, ordinario di Diritto Amministrativo e Flagship Manager del progetto NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile. Il turismo è uno dei settori strategici del nostro sistema Paese. Gode di buona salute, ma continua a mostrare forti criticità strutturali: in Italia è ancora dominato da imprese individuali, spesso sottopatrimonializzate e lontane da una gestione manageriale. Una fragilità che, complice anche la stagionalità dell’offerta, influenza negativamente le scelte professionali delle nuove generazioni, sempre più orientate a considerare il turismo come un’occupazione transitoria. Questi sono alcuni temi trattati nel nuovo podcast di Filippo Monge, docente di Economia e Gestione delle Imprese e Economia dell’Innovazione all’Università di Torino, nonché direttore dei master SAA-COREP dedicati al management dei sistemi territoriali e all’agricoltura sostenibile. Il podcast è frutto di due anni di ricerca in Italia e all’estero, con dati primari tratti da banche dati finanziarie e previdenziali. Il testo è stato scritto in collaborazione con Paolo Gerbaldo, storico del turismo, e Robin Vanzolini, ricercatore. La regia è di Massimo Pasquale, negli studi di Radio 110 – la Web Radio dell’Università degli Studi di Torino. In aula e online, oltre 250 partecipanti tra studenti, professionisti e stakeholder del settore. Tra gli ospiti: – Federico De Giuli, top manager ed ex presidente del Gruppo Turistico dell’Unione Industriale di Torino – Riccardo Staglianò, giornalista e autore del libro “Hanno vinto i ricchi” (Einaudi, 2024), presentato durante l’incontro – Marco Novarese, economista dell’Università del Piemonte Orientale, che ha arricchito il confronto con interessanti suggestioni sulla ricerca. Un dialogo necessario per comprendere le trasformazioni del settore turistico e valorizzare il ruolo della formazione e dell’innovazione.

  In recent days, a group of students from the IBE and FIMIF-FIMEDIS Master's Degree courses in Economics at the University of Insubria had the opportunity to visit the company Novello Case srl in Oggiona con Santo Stefano (VA) as part of the Challenges of the Nodes project.   The aim of the visit was to experiment with collaboration between students from Master's Degree courses characterized by different educational objectives, offering them the opportunity to interact with local business realities and work together on topics of innovation and sustainability.   The contamination of ideas between students with different backgrounds, and between the academic world and business are essential to enhance the talent of young people.

Oriana Benfatto, a third-year PhD candidate within the NODES program in the PhD course in Electronic, Computer, and Electrical Engineering (Cycle 38), talks to us about her research project, "Sustainable services for agricultural areas: renewable energy communities and micro-grids." The project, supervised by Professor Norma Anglani from the Department of Industrial and Information Engineering at the University of Pavia, is developed within the flagship project FORMIDABILAE. It focuses on integrating renewable energy and energy communities to enhance sustainability in agricultural areas. NB: Renewable energy communities represent an opportunity to make the agricultural sector more sustainable and efficient. In your opinion, what are the main obstacles to their large-scale adoption? OB: Energy communities offer a great opportunity to make agriculture more sustainable, but they also face several challenges. One of the main issues is the stability of the electrical grid: while renewables are essential, they are also variable, requiring storage systems and advanced strategies. Moreover, a lack of awareness among farmers and citizens limits participation, highlighting the need for greater outreach and education. Bureaucratic complexity also slows development, with intricate procedures and uncertainties regarding incentives. Overcoming these challenges requires clearer regulations, targeted incentives, and advanced energy storage and smart management technologies to ensure a sustainable and inclusive transition. *** NB: The FORMIDABILAE project aims to develop innovative solutions to improve energy efficiency in the agri-food sector. What is the specific contribution of your research in this context, and what promising technologies are you working on? OB: Within the FORMIDABILAE project, my research focuses on a case study involving a dairy farm, evaluating electrical loads and converters to make it as self-sufficient as possible and less dependent on the power grid. Specifically, I study the control of grid-forming and grid-following inverters to ensure system stability while optimizing energy flow between renewable sources, battery storage, and critical loads such as milking and milk cooling systems. In parallel, we analyze municipalities served by the same primary substation, assessing the potential for rooftop photovoltaic installations using geospatial analysis techniques and comparing estimated energy production with consumption data from national databases. This allows us to estimate the community's self-sufficiency level and optimize system sizing. The ultimate goal is to develop a replicable model for creating self-sufficient energy communities, promoting the adoption of advanced energy efficiency technologies and renewable energy integration in the agri-food sector. *** NB: Being part of the NODES ecosystem and a flagship project like FORMIDABILAE, has this experience provided you with new perspectives or collaborations that have enriched your research journey? What results have you achieved so far? OB: Being involved in the NODES project has allowed me to collaborate with the AUDE laboratory at the University of Pavia, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue. This experience has enriched my journey, enabling me to analyze energy communities from technical, architectural, and urban planning perspectives. I have visited research centers and agri-food companies, gaining firsthand insight into renewable energy technologies and practical challenges. I developed a simulation model to assess the energy self-sufficiency of a dairy farm and its connected community, combining load analysis with photovoltaic potential evaluation.Additionally, I have deepened my study of grid-forming and grid-following inverter control to enhance local grid stability, proposing scalable solutions for the agri-food sector.

On March 24, 2024, the Spoke 5 Stakeholder Committee met virtually to review the progress of the project and discuss key agenda items.  The project manager of Spoke 5, Professor Marco Invernizzi, introduced the NODES project, emphasing the importance of the Stakeholder Committee presence in guiding the project's objectives and purposes. On this occasion, the latest partner to join, called Associazione Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale Scienze della Vita - ALISEI, was introduced.     The meeting continued with the presentation of the first results of the cascade calls (both aimed at companies and researchers) and the progress of Spoke 5's flagship project, INNDIANA and TINCARE, highlighting the successes achieved and the scientific results obtained.  Finally, the training activities implemented by the NODES project, including the funding of industrial PhD and Lifelong Learning initiatives, were presented.    Soon after, a discussion among the attendees to discuss the new themes of the Roadmap, with particular emphasis on internalization and entrepreneurial development.  The next meeting has been scheduled for the end of 2024 to discuss the project's progress.