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It is online the ranking of companies that have expressed interest in co-financing doctoral positions for the XXXIX cycle, a.a. 2023-2024 for Spoke 5 - Health Industry and Silver Economy.  The call, published in May 2023, provided for the activation of 6 research doctoral positions of three years funded by the PNRR-NODES project and by companies interested in establishing collaborations with universities.    The project proposals received were examined by the Evalutation Commission, made up of 3 experts, passing thorugh various evaluation stages.  The impact of the projects on the career prospects and employability of doctoral students was one of the key evaluation criteria, in line with one of the main objectives of NODES project such as increasing youth employment.    The 4 eligible and funded projects are focused on the innovation needs of the Ecosystem's territory and they are aligned with the research and innovation themes of Spoke 5. PhD students will be employed in research based on experimental medicine and persolized therapies, territorial medicine, clinical and pre-clinical experimentation in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields (for both human and veterinary use).     Ranking

The doctor Simona Casarella, PhD student at the laboratory of Human Anatomy led by Professor Francesca Boccafoschi, together with the master student Federica Ferla, deal with the project ''Identification of laminin-binding oligopeptides in cardiac development: a possible use in functionalized dECM-based biomaterials to restore cardiac functionality in late phase of acute-Myocardial Infarction (MI)'', which aims to study cardiac functional regeneration after a heart attack through the use of innovative biomaterials.    Myocardial infarction affects approximately 3 million people worldwide and it is associated with modifiable risk factors (e.g. lifestyle habits, cigarette smoking, etc.) and non-modifiable factors (e.g. gender, family history, etc).  One of the main causes is atherosclerosis, which is the formation of atherosclerotic plaques that lead to vascular occlusion resulting in cellular death due to inadequate or absent vascularization of the tissue and necrosis of the damaged area.  The functional restoration of damaged tissue or its replacement is made complex also by the fact that cardiomyocytes (cardiac muscle cells) lack regenerative capabilities.      The main clinical therapies for heart attack include drug therapies and implantantion of the ventricular assistance device (VAD). However, none of these strategies is capable of restoring the cardiac phenotype of cells and avoiding the functional loss of the affectes area.  Due to the high incidence of the pathology and the inadequacy of current therapeutic solutions, cardiovascular engineering is a field of particular interest for basic and traslational research.  In this regard, biomaterials, composed of synthetic and/or natural materials, would represent a potential solution for cardiac regeneration.      

On Thursday, June 22, Spoke 1, Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility, showcased opportunities dedicated to southern Italian companies. The event was hosted by the Politecnico di Bari, with the participation of all Southern Italian Partners, namely the University of Catania and the Institute for Membrane Technology (CNR) of Rende (CS). Spoke representatives explained the different characteristics of the ecosystem, thematic areas and Spoke and the calls related to them. Raffella Di Nardo, research and innovation manager of the NODES ecosystem, illustrated the goals of the Ecosystem and the value of the Partners, as well as the structure of Ecosystem. Giuseppe Scellato, scientific coordinator of Spoke, described the three flagship projects of Spoke (Space4You, H2Mobility and Electro), with the support of the scientific leaders of the Southern Partners for the three projects. Giuseppe Pascazio, scientific leader for Politecnico di Bari for Space4You, illustrated PoliBa's work for NODES on thermodynamic design, autonomous planetary surface exploration systems, photonic systems and smart structures, and business models of the New Space Economy. Enrica Fontananova, scientific leader for H2Mobility, illustrated the work of CNR-ITM on the sustainability of membranes with regard to hydrogen for mobiility; these have a high environmental impact and their role for industrial innovation is crucial. Giacomo Scelba, scientific leader for University of Catania, presented the goal of his research group, which is dedicated to realizing ac/dc converters, made with high efficiencies and power intensity, to guarantee up to 800 volts.

The Higher Institute of Health estimates that by 2050, the percentage of elderly people will double increasing from 11% to 22%.  This means that health facilities may have to handle a number of people that we had never seen before.  In this context, every action aimed at preventing health problems, especially for the most vulnerable people such as the edlerlt, could avoid the congestion of health facilities.    Among the most frequent problems for this type of populatio, falls are a frequent concern, often leading to incomplete recovery of motricity and, in some cases, proving to be fatal.    Thanks to the use of wearable devices that constanlty monitor the hiking of the person wearing the device and the use of artificial intelligence algorithms, it is possible to evaluate the quality of a person's hiking and therefore try to predict a potential fall.    In fact, once the system detects that a situation is potentially dangerous (e.g. ''high probability of a fall in the next 1-5 days), the doctor can intervene, for example, by changing the therapy or prescribing specific visits in order to minimize the risk of a fall event.     

Today the National Clusters had the opportunity to learn about the cascading calls Linea A, Linea B and Linea A for Southern Italy, presented during a digital event organised by Spoke 2 - Green technologies and sustainable industry of the NODES Ecosystem. The meeting, expertly moderated by Susana Remotti of Proplast and Ilaria Schiavi of Environment Park, illustrated the interesting funding and training opportunities for companies and researchers. Chiara Ferroni presented the NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile project, while Prof. Cristina Prandi explained the functions of Spoke 2, focused on Green technologies and sustainable industry. Dr. Edoardo Braccio illustrated the cascade calls, expiring on 30 June, for research and innovation projects, and the training activities for companies. Dr. Marika Anzalone from Unioncamere provided valuable advice on how best to prepare applications for funding.   Prof. Cristina Prandi, Full Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Turin and Spoke 2 Coordinator, highlighted the importance of seizing these opportunities to support the green transition of the production system and the development of green skills. During the Q&A, participants delved into the details of the calls, how to apply and were able to ask questions to the organisers.  

I termini di presentazione per i Bandi PoC Accademici per gli Spoke 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 e 7 sono stati prorogati.   La nuova scadenza è il 30 Giugno 2023, ore 23:59.   Qui di seguito trovate i link agli avvisi: Bandi PoC Accademici Spoke 1 - Bandi PoC Accademici Spoke 2 - Bandi PoC Accademici Spoke 3 - Bandi PoC Accademici Spoke 4 - Bandi PoC Accademici Spoke 6 - Bandi PoC Accademici Spoke 7 - Bandi PoC Accademici  

Aggiornamento: I termini per la presentazione della domanda di selezione di Esperti di valutazione NODES sono stati prorogati al 26 Giugno 2023, h 12:00 Di seguito l'avviso di selezione. Con determina n. 17/2023 dello scorso 19 Maggio 2023, HUB NODES s.c.a.r.l. ha attivato la raccolta di candidature spontanee attraverso Manifestazione d’Interesse per l’iscrizione nell'Elenco degli Esperti di Valutazione.

 Attraverso l’Elenco verranno selezionati e nominati i membri delle Commissioni di Valutazione a presidio di tutte le attività connesse alla valutazione delle domande di finanziamento presentate, nonchè il monitoraggio e rendicontazione dei progetti/servizi finanziati nell’ambito dei bandi a cascata di competenza dell’Ecosistema dell’Innovazione NODES. 

   Possono manifestare il proprio interesse, esperti in materia di procedimenti amministrativi di gara e/o selezione della Pubblica Amministrazione. Maggiori info alla pagina del bando     

Dr. Giuseppe Cappellano, researcher at UPO-DISS in the Immunomics laboratory led by Professor Annalisa Chiocchetti, is responsible for the project entitled ''Autologous synovia-on-chip: a sustainable preclinical model for drug discovery and clinical trials on chip for Rheumatoid arthritis'', which aims to develop a synovial-on-chip for personalized medicine in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).    RA is an autoimmune disease (AD) in which the immune system, whose role is to defend us against pathogens, makes a mistake and attacks out joint, recognizing them as foreign. ADs are constantly increasing, and there is the necessity to identify specific therapies ad hoc for patients.  Organs-on-chip represent one of the news frontiers of modern medicine and are based on the idea of recreating a miniature human organ on a small chip.  The different tissues that constitute it are connected by a fluidic system made up of small tubes that allow the arrival of nutrients and drugs to the tissues. Despite the fact that today the drug portfolio for the treatment of autoimmune diseases is extensive, not all patients respond to therapies, and for clinicians it is not easy to identify the ''right'' one immediately.  Therefore, the patient who does not respond to drug ''1'' is treated with the drug ''2'', etc. Finding the right drug not only represents a stressful situation for the patient but also carries the risk of adverse reaction.  One solution could be to recreate in the laboratory on a small chip the tissue affected in the MA, constructed from the patient's cells (isolated from biopsies) and then treat it with various drugs: once the ''ideal'' candidate is identified, it can ben administered to the patient.    The project I'm working on, continues Dr. Cappellano, is to recreate a synovium on a chip that, once ''inflamed'', will be treated with the different drugs available for RA.  This project relies on the advice and collaboration with the start-up AI-TWIN (https://www.aitwin.it/) whose mission is to develop next generation clinical trials on chip.  

On Monday 12 June, at the University of Sannio in Benevento, the event for the presentation of cascade funding for Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry  (of which the University of Insubria is the leader) dedicated to companies in the South. After the initial greetings from the mayor, the Honorable Clemente Mastella, the "NODES- Digital and Sustainable North West" project was presented in detail, which will bring about 15 million euros for research activities and cascading tenders in favor of companies in the southern regions of the country. The University of Sannio, through the scientific responsibility of prof. Paolo Esposito, is the only university in Campania and in the South, together with the University of Salento, to be directly involved as a planning and scientific partner in the Nodes project. Also present at the meeting were the rector of the University of Sannio Gerardo Canfora, the director of Confindustria Benevento Anna Pezza and the president of ASI Benevento Luigi Barone.   Speakers: Raffaella Di Nardo, Research and Innovation manager of Nodes S.c.a.r.l, Barbara Pozzo, Research and Innovation manager of Spoke3, Piercarlo Rossi of the University of Turin, scientific director of the CIRIL project, and Luca Farfan, of the cascade funding Nodes Team of Unioncamere Piemonte which had the task of illustrating to the representatives of the companies present the procedures necessary to participate in the tenders. “Initially - explained Prof. Barbara Pozzo - the project envisaged a network of universities in the North but currently extends to universities in the South, including Unisannio. The initiative develops along two lines: that of research and that of development and support for small and medium-sized enterprises in the area; not only Samnite and Campanian, but of the entire South. A unique opportunity to participate in research projects and take advantage of the cascading tenders dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises that start now and end in September". Furthermore, during the day the CIRIL flagship project was presented which directly involves the University of Sannio as a partner of SPOKE 3. “CIRIL – clarified prof. Piercarlo Rossi – was created to apply emerging technologies such as augmented reality and mixed reality not only in the industrial sector but also in tourism and culture. In particular, a metaverse of culture declined alongside the territories can represent a valid contribution to the development of Italy". The CIRIL project will be conducted on a wider area, such as the Province of Benevento through the experience of the University of Sannio in competition with the development of the activities foreseen within the SHERIL Project (a project financed by the PNRR for the amount of 10 million Euros, of which UNISANNIO is the proponent and leader), reinterpreting the technological, green and digital transformation according to the enhancement of our heritage of art and culture, engine for the birth of new services and the establishment of an industry new generation culture in the South. "The activity - explained the Rector Gerardo Canfora - aims to investigate how to increase visitor attendance in lesser-known cultural areas through the adoption of ICT, as well as to implement new technological architectures that allow the construction of thematic and personalized itineraries, improving the design capacity of cultural sites through innovative tools for data collection and analysis”.  

On June 12, the last stop of the Spoke 2 tour in Southern Italy was held at the Conference Room of the Chamber of Commerce Industry Handicraft and Agriculture North Sardinia in Olbia. The event, organized in collaboration with the University of Basilicata, the University of Sannio of Benevento - Partner of the South - Confindustria Centro Nord Sardegna, CNA Gallura and Confapi Sardegna, was aimed at presenting the cascading calls Line A - Mezzogiorno. These calls for proposals, dedicated exclusively to the territory of Southern Italy, have a total budget of €1,630,000 financed by PNRR funds. The objective is to support the implementation of industrial research and experimental development projects in the field of green technologies and sustainable industry. Event schedule. The event featured presentations on NODES and Spoke 2 - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry projects, cascading calls for research and innovation, and training activities for companies, and concluded with a Q&A session dedicated to companies. During the Q&A session, the experts involved answered questions from interested companies, providing clarification on participation requirements, evaluation criteria, and timelines for implementation of the funded projects. Conclusions and next steps With the conclusion of the tour, interested companies are now asked to prepare and submit their project proposals to access funding under the calls for proposals. Companies are advised to consult the Calls section of Spoke 2 and carefully follow the guidelines for submitting proposals.  

The case of lab-grown "meat" (already approved and marketed outside Europe-for example, chicken meat in Singapore) is a hotly debated case in Italy, with strong opposition. Prof. Arlorio of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences - UPO and Spoke 2 Research Module Leader participated in the Thematic Table on Ingredients Obtained by "Precision Fermentation" as part of the 27th EFSA Colloquium scheduled on May 11-12 at the European Commission in Brussels. The EFSA Colloquia bring together by invitation international experts in the field of food safety, both in academia and industry, to set up working tables that enable the development of reference documents and guidelines that are used by EFSA or can be forwarded to the Commission, focusing on "hot" topics, just as in the case of this "new" type of food. "Considering the needs to address the new needs of mankind in terms of food sustainability, means considering the production and use of "novel foods" (novel foods, according to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283), always carefully evaluating the Risk Assessment process." began Prof. Arlorio. "The very definition of precision fermentations, to date without a regulatory cap," Arlorio continues, "is a globally accessed debate. For EFSA, precision fermentations would be ascribable to the use of genetically modified microorganisms; therefore, it becomes critical to define whether (and when) genetic material may remain in the finished product. These issues-including the risk analysis process-have long been widely considered in the pharmaceutical industry, where fermentations using genetically modified microorganisms are widely used for drug production. Certainly, "pharma" sector guidelines will be considered in the review of risk assessment processes typical of the food sector." Increasingly, therefore, EMA (the European Medicines Safety Authority) and EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) are finding points of contact in relation to these sensitive issues. For more information, you can consult the material published by EFSA.     

Dall'8 al 9 giugno, alla Fiera di Bologna si tiene la 18esima edizione del Salone internazionale della Ricerca e delle competenze per l’Innovazione - R2B Research to Business.  Ieri mattina, giovedì 8, presso il Corner Cluster Tecnologici Nazionali, NODES e il Direttore Generale dell'Ecosistema, Chiara Ferroni, hanno presentato i bandi per finanziare i progetti delle imprese nei 7 ambiti Spoke.  L’incontro è stato organizzato dal Cluster Tecnologico Nazionale SmartCommunitiesTech, una rete di oltre 200 tra città, enti di ricerca e imprese che collaborano e sviluppano progetti di innovazione per rispondere alle sfide sociali delle moderne comunità con l’obiettivo di promuovere modelli innovativi di collaborazione tra pubblico e privato per sviluppare soluzioni tecnologiche avanzate per la mobilità, l'amministrazione digitale, l'economia dei dati e i servizi al cittadino, la sicurezza del territorio e la sicurezza digitale.  Vai al sito dell'evento        

June 7, 2023, Catania - The second leg of the Spoke 2 - Green Technologies and Sustainable Industry tour was successfully held today at the Southeast Sicily Chamber of Commerce Industry, Crafts and Agriculture. The event, aimed at illustrating to companies the funding opportunities offered by the NODES Line A cascade calls dedicated to the South of Sicily, was organized under the patronage of the University of Catania, the Chamber of Commerce of Southeast Sicily and Confindustria Catania-in collaboration with the University of Basilicata and the University of Sannio, Partner of the South, and was attended by many companies interested in the issues of innovation and environmental sustainability. The Vice President of Confindustria Catania, Dr. Salvatore Gangi, stressed the importance of such opportunities for Southern Italy, as they contribute to innovative development and the creation of a favorable ecosystem for the next generations, who will thus be able to stay in Southern Italy and enhance local resources and territorial heritage. After introductory remarks by Prof. Romano of the University of Catania and Dr. Condorelli, Secretary General of the Southeast Sicily Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Raffaella Di Nardo of NODES presented the NODES Ecosystem to the entrepreneurs in attendance. Next, Prof. Pironti of the University of Turin explained the activities of Spoke 2, while Dr. Edoardo Braccio, Project Manager of the project, provided details on the funding and training opportunities available through the Line A calls, dedicated to businesses in Southern Italy. Finally, Dr. Sabrina Glionna, contact person for Unioncamere, explained to participants how to submit applications to access the 1.63 million euros made available by the NRP.

As life expectancy increases, so does the average age of the global population. In recent years, the research world has been looking for innovative solutions to design effective and sustainable care pathways for elderly patients suffering from neurological disorders.    Neurocognitive rehabilitation, essential for countering the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, is particularly effective when systematically repeated over time and for many months. But for elderly patients moving home-to-hospital can be an obstacle.  In this case, Telemedicine proves the be highly suitable but unfortunately, experts report a high drop-out rate (abandonment of the treatment protocol) among patients who follow at distance these protocols.  Drop-out if often linked to motivational or emotional factors: neuropsychological exercise can be challenging and frustrating, making it difficult for a patient it can be difficult to proceed in the rehabilitation path without the constant presentation of a therapist.      But what would happen if a standard therapeutic process were replaced with a game?    As suggested by other ongoing research, serious games could be used to encourage motivation and engagement.   These would be ad hoc video games created for the rehabilitation of specific cognitive function, playable from home and with a simplified interface designed for an elderly user.    Preliminary studies demonstrate high involvement and reduced drop-out rates among patients involved in this innovative therapeutic strategy, opening the perspective to the creation of real therapies based on games. 

L’Università di Palermo ospita l’evento che lancia i bandi per sostenere l’innovazione delle imprese dell’agroindustria secondaria L’Università di Palermo ha ospitato l’evento di lancio del programma di finanziamento per le imprese della filiera di origine animale e vegetale. Nel programma sono inclusi bandi a cascata, dottorati di ricerca in ottica industriale e iniziative di sostegno per l'innovazione e il trasferimento tecnologico della ricerca. All’incontro erano presenti la responsabile dell’hub NODES Chiara Ferroni, la responsabile scientifica dello spoke tematico sull’agroindustria secondaria Luisa Torri, Danilo Demarchi Data Manager dello Spoke 7, Dario Vallauri del polo AGRIFOOD – MIAC Scpa e Roberto Strocco di Unioncamere Piemonte. “Quest’occasione permetterà di collegare tramite il filo conduttore dell’agroindustria primaria e secondaria l’area produttiva del Nord Ovest con il Sud Italia e la Sicilia in particolare - ha dichiarato il Rettore dell’Università di Palermo, prof. Massimo Midiri - Siamo grati all’Ecosistema NODES per avere scelto il nostro Ateneo come partner per il Sud Italia e siamo onorati di presentare i bandi a cascata allo Steri, la nostra sede più importante. Ringrazio particolarmente Chiara Ferroni, responsabile dell’hub NODES, e Luisa Torri, responsabile scientifica dello Spoke tematico sull’agroindustria secondaria”. All’interno di NODES, il programma di bandi a cascata legato allo Spoke 7 destina 1,115 milioni di euro a imprese del settore agroalimentare – in particolare a PMI e start-up del Mezzogiorno, anche in collaborazione con le grandi imprese – per sostenere investimenti in innovazione tecnologica e sostenibilità alimentare. Tali aree sono infatti di fondamentale importanza per rafforzare e rendere più competitivo il tessuto imprenditoriale, contribuendo quindi a far crescere l’occupazione attraverso la valorizzazione del territorio e delle comunità produttive locali.  Luisa Torri ha spiegato che “le tematiche su cui potranno essere sviluppate le proposte progettuali da presentare riguardano: produzioni alimentari sicure, salutari e di alta qualità (healthy food), rese sostenibili grazie all'applicazione di principi dell’economia circolare (green food) e sistemi intelligenti, nuovi processi e strumenti per la trasformazione alimentare sostenuti dai nuovi paradigmi dell'industria 4.0 e 5.0 (smart food)”.  I bandi a cascata per le imprese vedono una collaborazione istituzionale con Unioncamere Piemonte volta ad aumentare la competitività delle imprese e a supportare la gestione ottimale dei bandi. I fondi destinati ai bandi per le imprese del solo settore agroalimentare secondario si dividono in iniziative per sostenere progetti di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale, l’accesso a servizi di innovazione nell'ambito del settore in cui operano le imprese e progetti di ricerca industriale e sviluppo sperimentale per le regioni del Mezzogiorno.