News

The Students‘ Green Challenge is an initiative promoted by NODES Spoke 2, in collaboration with the University of Turin, with the aim of stimulating students’ creativity and entrepreneurship through innovative challenges in the field of environmental sustainability and green technologies. This initiative represents a unique opportunity for participants to work in interdisciplinary teams, develop concrete solutions for real problems and interact with companies and professionals in the field.   The Challenge Structure 1. Kick-off Day Inaugural event during which the theme of the challenge, the partners involved and how to participate are presented. Matchmaking sessions to enable participants to form interdisciplinary teams. Presentation of the partner company and the concrete challenges the teams will have to work on. 2. Mentors' Day A full day of mentorship, with industry experts providing support on various aspects of the project, including scientific research, market strategy, business model and technology development. Opportunity to receive feedback and refine your ideas for the final presentation. 3. Pitch Day Closing event where the teams present their projects in front of a panel of experts consisting of representatives from the university, the partner company and NODES Spoke 2. Award ceremony for the idea considered most innovative and promising by the evaluation panel. Possibility of access to pre-incubation and professional development opportunities offered by the challenge partners.

  On 24 January 2025, the second edition of the advanced training course "Innovations in Precision Livestock Farming with a Sustainability Perspective", organised by Spoke 6, commenced. The 72-hour course will run until 7 March 2025 at the Santa Monica campus of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Cremona.   The 22 participants, primarily from the agro-livestock sector, include feed industry technicians, veterinarians, and consultants for agro-livestock businesses. The programme features thematic modules addressing current challenges faced by agricultural enterprises, with the aim of providing advanced skills in physiology, nutrition and animal welfare, adaptation to climate change, and improvements in economic and environmental sustainability.   During the Spoke 6 Assembly on 27 January 2025, Alessandra Todisco, Director of CAI Nutrizione, shared positive feedback on the course:   "I had the opportunity to see my colleagues apply in their daily work what they had learned just days earlier while attending the course."   The course represents an important opportunity for discussion and professional development for sector specialists, encouraging the adoption of innovative and sustainable practices in precision livestock farming.

On Monday, February 3rd, at the Red Hall of the prestigious University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, located between Langhe and Roero, the General Assembly of the NODES Innovation Ecosystem took place. Now in its fifth edition, the event demonstrated the strong response from the NODES community to the invitation, with a large and enthusiastic participation. Over a hundred attendees were present, including representatives from universities, innovation hubs, research centers, incubators, and competence centers, who engaged in discussions on an increasingly crucial topic: the results achieved and their impact on the future. The project, initially set to conclude in September 2025, is now in its 27th month and has received an extension from the Ministry of University and Research until December 31, 2025. What, then, are the expectations for the final year of activities, and what vision is there for the future, even beyond 2025? The Rector of the University of Gastronomic Sciences, Prof. Nicola Perullo, welcomed the Assembly, emphasizing how NODES – North-West Digital and Sustainable – represents a highly significant project for the University, "a long journey that we hope will bear fruit even beyond the NRRP, paving the way for new and exciting collaborations."

From Sunday 9 February to Tuesday 11 February 2025, Rho - Milano Fiera hosts the 45th edition of BIT - Borsa Internazionale del Turismo, one of the most important Italian events dedicated to Tourism.   Spoke 3 - Tourism Industry and Culture participates in this edition by promoting research and innovation of the ecosystem and the University of Insubria, giving visibility to innovative projects in the field of tourism and culture in order to create new synergies with exhibitors and visitors interested in the enhancement and promotion of tourism and culture; factors widely present in the North West through the use of new technologies.   At booth H07 - Hall 9, NODES Spoke 3 will present innovative prototypes and research materials, showcasing NODES projects including the flagship projects TOEP (Tourism Open-ended Experimentation Platform) and CIRIL (CULTURAL-INDUSTRY REGENERATION IMMERSIVE LAB) and academic POCs in the field of Tourism and Culture. Academic POCs include: DIGITALMM (Digital Muse for Museums), PLANET (Planner Leisure App for Natural & Experiential Tourism), AIACE (Artificial Intelligence Assistant for Cultural Tourism Enhancement), HISTORYGRAPHIA, ITM (Immersive textile museum), CERR (Cultural Extended Reality Routes).   Finally, some researchers will be present to illustrate their innovations to the public; Among them there will be some representatives of the University of Insubria, the University of Turin, the University of Eastern Piedmont and the University of Valle D'Aosta.  

Favorable opinion obtained from the Territorial Ethics Committee (CET) of the Ospedale Maggiore della Carità in Novara on the protocol for the clinical study focused on the potential beneficial effects of the new Class I Medical Device, DZero.    On December 20th, 2024, Research Module 2 of the TINCARE flagship project achieved a significant milestone to move forward with research activities related to the new wearable device, DZero. This important step marks the beginning of an innovative project aimed at exploring the effectiveness of a smart fabric containing nanoceramic particles to improve the quality of life of patients suffering from musculoskeletal pain.   The pre-post study design aims to evaluate the impact of the DZero T-shirt on patients' quality of life, focusing on musculoskeletal pain in the lumbar and cervical area before and after wearing DZero. Among the secondary objectives, the study will examine perceived well-being, comfort and pain reduction during normal daily activities.    DZero represents a significant innovation in the field of medical devices. Utilizing FIR (Far Infrared Radiation) technology, this intelligent tissue uses nano-ceramic particles to improve microcirculation, reduce inflammation and promote muscle relaxation. It is a non-invasive solution that potentially offers an effective alternative for the management of musculoskeletal pain, assuming an improvement in patients' quality of life without the use of medication.  The project will be carried out in a single-centre mode at the SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo University Hospital of Alessandria. data collection will take place in multiple phases, monitoring the effectiveness of the device over time.     The DZero study offers new perspectives for the treatment of musculoskeletal pain, representing a step forward in the search for innovative and sustainable solutions for human well-being.

The tenth edition off Meet in Italy for Life Sciences (MIT4LS), the reference event for networking between research, innovation and enterprise, organized by the National Technological Cluster Life Sciences ALISEI at Palazzo Lombardia, Milan, ha concluded. This year the focus was on the opportunities offered by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), a crucial instrument for supporting investments in research and development and for strengthening skills in the life sciences sector.     From research to Business: the state of art  To date, €9 billion have been allocated to accelerate innovation and technology transfer. These resources have enabled the creation of: 5 National Research Centers, focused on gene therapies, supercomputing and big data, agritech, biodiversity and sustainable mobility;  11 Innovation Ecosystem, which promote technology transfer on a regional scale;  14 Partenariati di Ricerca at national level;  6.500 researchers recruited (9.000 including research fellow).  Advantages, Challenges and future prospects were the focus of round table and in-depth discussion, to which they contributes for the NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile:  Marco Invernizzi, PM Spoke 5 and Francesca Boccafoschi, TTO manager and coordinator of the flagship project INNDIANA Vittorio Trifari, Daniele Conti e Giuseppe Isu, representatives of the companies benefiting from PNRR cascade funding.  The real challenge now is to give continuity and tangible results from the progress made. The innovation in the Life Sciences sector is a strategic asset for the country's future. The future of building now.  Press release

On Monday, January 27th, the University of Pavia successfully hosted the Spoke 6 Assembly online. The event was attended by 50 people, including researchers involved in the flagship projects and Academic PoCs, and staff from some of the SMEs involved.  After a presentation on the state-of-the-art of Spoke, which highlighted how the Spoke has already achieved several KPIs, guests from companies told their “Success Stories” in the framework of NODES Spoke 6.    The 9 “Success Stories” involved: 1) Francesco Biale (Calatroni Vnini) and Elisabetta Tumminelli (University of Pavia – NODES PhD candidate), who talked about the research they are carrying out on the flagship project VINO ("don't waste the waste") and the training course for professionals working in businesses titled “Vegetable Extracts and Health”, held in February 2024 2) Paolo Bazzano (Eco srl) and Graziano Rossi (University of Pavia), who talked about how they are collaborating on the OLIOP project, funded by a NODES cascade call, and about the successful course on frontier olive growing in Oltrepò Pavese, which is part of the training programme for businesses proposed by Spoke 6 3) Paolo Landolfo (ProLogic Inofrmatica) and Simone Allasia (AlpiRobot), who talked about early detection of vine diseases and machines for harvesting plums, describing the status of the projects DIVINE and EVA, respectively, funded by the NODES cascade call 4) Mattia Masseroni (Veronesi-AIA), who is managing the DIGIFARM project on behalf of Azienda Agricole le Colombaie, and spoke about digital and efficient farms 5) Alberto Lasagna (Confagricoltura) and Valentina Vaglia (University of Pavia – NODES researcher), who spoke about the industrial doctorate they are supervising together, to understand how to mitigate the effects of climate change and manage the cultivated areas of Oltrepò Pavese 6) Paolo Monti (Api dei Monti) and Elisa Conz (University of Pavia – head of the Advanced Digital Marketing course), who highlighted the benefits of the Students Challenges organized by Spoke 6 both for local micro-businesses and for the students involved 7) Alessandra Todisco (CAI Nutrizione) and Antonio Gallo (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), who spoke about the success of the NODES Spoke 6 training courses for companies operating in the livestock sector 8) Sara Lucca and Marina Fabre (ComoNext), who talked about the academies organized within Spoke 6 to introduce researchers to entrepreneurship 9) Nicola Giulietti (University of Pavia), who talked about his new startup RDKore, established following the participation in UNIVENTURE 2023 where he obtained a prize funded by NODES Spoke 6 to finalize his technology The Spoke 6 Assembly proved to be a crucial opportunity to showcase many of the activities carried out so far and those that will take place between now and the end of the project.  Participants also showed a lot of interest for the Spoke 6 NODES Roadshow that will take place in March 2025 in Pavia. Keep following us to know more!

On January 23 and 24, the ninth edition of the Business Systems Laboratory International Symposium was held in Varese, at the University of Insubria, entitled Technology and society: Boon or Bane?   The focus of the conference was to highlight how technology has unequivocally transformed the dynamics of interactions, lifestyles, work environments, social relationships and business operations. Playing a fundamental role in society, technology continues to evolve, promising new advances that will reshape our lives and professional scenarios.   The event, organized by Prof. Patrizia Gazzola (University of Insubria) and Prof. Gandolfo Dominici (Business Systems Laboratory and University of Palermo), with the collaboration of Drs. Stefano Amelio, Daniele Grechi, Iulia Iliashenko and Francesco Gentile; brought together international experts to reflect on the role of technology in society, between progress and complexity, offering crucial insights for European and global policies.   Among the most significant moments, the speech by Prof. Eka Sapashvili (Tbilisi State University, Georgian Parliament), who presented the research "The Current Global Migration and Technological Challenges: Advantages or Threat to the European Union Social Security". The study analyzes global migratory phenomena and their demographic impact in the EU, exploring the technological and social security implications through the SDGs. An innovative perspective that highlights challenges and opportunities for the future of Europe.  

Yesterday, Spoke 6 presented its Students Challenges 2025 call and the winners of the Students Challenges 2024.   During the event Students Challenges NODES Spoke 6: an opportunity for local SMEs held on Thursday 16 January 2025, at University of Pavia, Spoke 6 presented its second Students Challenges aimed at SMEs operating in Business to Consumer (B2C) in the primary agro-industry sector (micro-small-medium enterprises in the area). The challenges will involve the students of the Advanced Digital Marketing course at the University of Pavia, who will be asked to develep tailored digital marketing plans for the selected companies aiming at improving brand awareness and engagement, focusing on competitiveness at a national and international level.   The finalists and winners of the last edition were then awarded. Between March and June 2024, 117 students of the Advanced Digital Marketing course at the University of Pavia, led by Dr Elisa Conz, divided into groups of 3, worked on tailor-made solutions for the challenges proposed by the three companies Api dei Monti, La Costaiola (Rossetti e Scrivani) and Calatroni Vini, selected by the 2024 call.   In the following, the 2024 winners: Marketing Challenge Api dei Monti FINALISTS •    Arianna Lapenna, Erika Adriomi, Matteo Rossi •    Noemi Pellizzaro, Maria Larovere WINNERS Francesca Bocca, Jana Di Pauli, Susanna Sforza    Marketing Challenge La Costaiola FINALISTS •    Anastasia Bastonero, Martina Catino, Arianna Gervasutti Pietrobon WINNERS Giulia Rossetti, Teresa Orefice, Susanna Sassi Giulia Membri, Michela Pisanello, Matteo Rossi   Marketing Challenge Calatroni  FINALISTS •    Alessia Paola Di Bello, Martina Lucchiari, Stefania Daffonchio •    Dylan Bettoni, Maryam Aboumar, Nicole Vinelli WINNERS Erica Dornetti, Domenica Fontana, Alessandra Onofri   The 2024 challenges were a success. Companies were happy with the presented solutions. The winning group of the challenge proposed by the Calatroni Vini company was offered an internship by the company itself, while Paolo Monti of Api dei Monti commented: “For a small company like ours, this initiative has proven to be extremely helpful. We have opened our doors to 35 students in the past months. The winning group has proposed such a complete and valuable digital marketing plan, that we will continue the collaboration in order to put it into practice”.    Congratulations to all the companies that participated in the NODES Spoke 6 Students Challenges 2024 and to the winning students!   Present your challenge to the Advanced Digital Marketing students of the University of Pavia!  Just fill out a short Challenge Proposal and send it to servizi_imprese_nodes_spoke6@unipv.it by February 18, 2025.  Further information is available on the call page.

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.

Eye tracking is a technology that records eye movements to analyze where and how a person focuses their visual attention.    Eye tracking is a cutting-edge technology with applications across multiple fields and proves particularly valuable for enhancing user interaction in applications designed for congitive testing. By tracking eye movements - such as fixations (moments when the eye pauses at the specific point) and saccades (rapid movement of the eye between two points) - eye tracking enables the collection of detailed data on users' visual behavior.  In the context of cognitive test applications, this data helps assess key aspects such as attention level, distribution of visual focus, cognitive load, and emotional engagement during task execution. These insights are crucial to understanding how users interact with the test and to identify any difficulties or distractions the could affect their performance.     The integration of eye tracking in cognitive applications offers numerous advantages. For instance, the technology can be used to dynamically adapt test content based on the user's observed visual behavior. If the user shows signs of cognitive overload - such as increased pupil dilation or erratic eye movement - the application could reduce task complexity or suggest breaks to support recovery. Conversely, if the look indicates low interaction or inattention, the system can introduce more stimulating elements to help maintain focus. In addition, the data collected can be used to build personalized cognitive profiles, enabling the monitoring of changes in cognitive abilities over time and comparing individual performance with standardized benchmarks.    From the user's perspectives, the eye tracking integration helps make the overall experience more intuitive and natural. Users no longer need to provide explicit input via mouse or keyboard, as the application can respond directly to their eye movements. This feature is especiallly important for individuals with motor disabilities, for whom eye tracking an effective means of interacting with digital environments. In addition, the automation and real-time analysis of visual data improve the fluidity of the experience, reducing frustration and icreasing confidence in the use of the tool.  

In vista dell’aggiornamento del Piano Triennale di Prevenzione della Corruzione e della Trasparenza (PTPCT) per il triennio 2025-2027, da approvarsi entro il 31 gennaio 2025, NODES S.c.a.r.l. avvia una consultazione pubblica per raccogliere osservazioni e proposte sul vigente Piano, reperibile sul sito alla seguente pagina:   https://ecs-nodes.eu/trasparenza/altri-contenuti/prevenzione-corruzione/piano-triennale-2024-2026   Tutti gli stakeholder sono pertanto invitati a far pervenire – entro il prossimo 22 gennaio 2025 – le rispettive proposte di modifiche e/o integrazioni, delle quali si terrà conto nel percorso di predisposizione e adozione interna. Per formulare le suddette proposte è possibile scrivere al RPCT all’indirizzo info@ecs-nodes.eu inserendo quale oggetto della e-mail: "CONSULTAZIONE PUBBLICA – AGGIORNAMENTO PTPCT 2025 – 2027”.  

NODES continues to support the SMEs receiving funding (Line A and Line B) by offering tailored strategic guidance in the fields of health and ageing, thorugh a direct dialogue with experts from the BioPmed cluster.   Results of the third session Following previous reports which highlighted projects distinguished by their interest in end-user research and internationalisation, this third session supported four new projects:  YOGA  DPLaBs IAMSH DCAre During the meetings, particular attention was given to: Networking: the projects worked to create strategic networks, identifying industrial and commercial partners to initiate collaborations for pilot projects. This process of research and engagement aimed to promote the practical application of the proposed solutions and their market positioning.  Fundraising: the companies were supported in exploring public and private funding opportunities, essential for supporting technological development, project validation and marker entry.  Looking ahead  These meetings have provided companies with concrete tools to face market challenges, enhancing their capacity to innovate and grow. 

Segnaliamo che gli uffici HUB NODES resteranno chiusi dal 23 Dicembre al 6 Gennaio 2025 per le vacanze natalizie.  L'Ecosistema augura a tutti Buone Feste e un felice anno nuovo!

NODES continues its efforts to support SMEs that received funding through the cut-offs by offering personalised 1to1 consulting services. These sessions provides a unique opportunity for companies to engage directly with experts from the BioPmed cluster and receive tailored strategic guidance.    Results of the second session After the first report (available at the following link) which explored the interest of certain projects towards end-user research, this second session covered four other innovative projects: Pocus AI ROBO-HOSPITAL REMEDIO CaReMaM During the 1to1, the following topics were explored in depth:  Internationalisation: the session helped companies to define targeted strategies for strengthening their presence at trade frais, establishing contacts with international partenrs and expanding their global network.  Fundraising: with the support of experts, beneficiaries are exploring opportunities for both public and private funding, which is crucial to project scalability and growth.  These actions represent significant steps towards ensuring the success of projects in highly competitive contexts, offering innovative solutions in their respective fields of application and NODES will continue to share the outcomes of these initiatives, highlighting the contribution of each projects and promoting collaboration among its beneficiaries.    Next news:  The report of 1to1 activities will continue with a last dedicated news, in which further projects and the results of the last session will be highlighted.   Stay tuned to find out how NODES continues to value innovation and to promote collaboration among its beneficiaries.