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Throughout the development process of the NODES project, many companies have approached the project, participating in events, training courses, challenges and other initiatives. A significant number of them have also benefited from the funds deriving from the cascade calls, for the development of innovative projects.   Spoke 3 provides, during the last phase of the project, a service that all NODES stakeholders can access, namely a help desk activated to explore opportunities at national and European level that allow companies to continue what they have undertaken in recent years or to realise what they have imagined but not yet implemented.   The help desk will operate in virtual mode, thanks to the collaboration between the Spoke 3 group of the University of Eastern Piedmont, led by Professor Stefania Cerutti, and the company Novareckon SrL, specialized in the programming of European funds.   Office opening hours: 03/24/2025 to 05/30/2025 Registration deadline: 05/23/2025 For information and registrations write to info@novareckon.it

In 2025, the NODES project will once again be featured at the TerraEnvision Conference, taking place at the University of Granada (Spain) from 8 to 11 July 2025. The NODES Session NH1: Innovative solutions for increasing resilience to water-related hazards and soil erosion in agricultural areas is coordinated by Valerio Vivaldi and Valentina Vaglia (Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia) and Chiara Toffanin and Fabio Dell’Acqua (Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia). This session aims to highlight the crucial role of Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) in mitigating hydrogeological risks in agro-ecosystems. The call for papers welcomes interdisciplinary contributions in the fields of agronomy, geology, engineering, and hydrogeology, with a specific focus on remote and proximal sensing for monitoring NbS in agro-ecosystems, as well as numerical and physical simulations, such as machine learning models, to analyse the effects of NbS and climate change. The objective is to provide practical tools for farmers and policymakers, showcasing how NbS can enhance resilience to hydrogeological hazards in agricultural areas. 🔹 Deadline for abstract submission: 15 April 2025 🔹 Call for Abstracts: terraenvision.eu/call-for-abstracts-2025 For further information, please contact Dr Valentina Vaglia: valentina.vaglia@unipv.it

On Wednesday, 18 March 2025, the Spoke Assembly of NODES Spoke 2 took place in Turin. It was an opportunity for all partners, the Spoke 2 team and the RM leaders of the flagship Project GRIP, to meet, catch up and plan together the next steps of the Spoke activities in the coming months. A big thank you to everyone who participated!

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.

Nel quadro delle attività formative promosse nell’ambito dell’Ecosistema dell’Innovazione Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile - Spoke 4 - Montagna digitale e sostenibile, il CAI Torino ed il Politecnico di Torino hanno promosso una sfida (Challenge) per gli studenti di ingegneria e architettura chiedendo di proporre e sviluppare soluzioni innovative per i rifugi alpini. All’invito hanno risposto numerosissimi studenti del Politecnico, molti dei quali già con la passione per la montagna ed altri con la forte volontà di avvicinarsi a questa realtà che in Piemonte ci accompagna da sempre con la splendida cerchia di montagne che ci circonda. Oltre 100 studenti hanno risposto alla call e 30 sono stati selezionati per partecipare alla sfida. Il percorso porterà gli studenti, suddivisi in gruppi di lavoro, a proporre soluzioni, metodi e tecnologie per rispondere alle complessità dettate dal contesto specifico dei rifugi alpini in particolare concentrandosi sull’acqua e sull’energia. Questi temi presentano problemi e sfide sia per l’immagazzinamento sia per l’approvvigionamento, anche nello scenario delineato dai cambiamenti climatici, che sono anche più evidenti in alta montagna. La sfida La proposta di soluzioni ingegneristiche innovative per l’immagazzinamento, il trattamento e il riuso dell’acqua e per la produzione e gestione dell’energia per una gestione dei rifugi più efficiente, sostenibile, e resiliente ai cambiamenti climatici. Il percorso Dopo una fase di formazione/informazione in cui docenti del Politecnico di Torino e esperti del CAI Torino hanno illustrato ed inquadrato le tematiche principali, gli studenti suddivisi in gruppi multidisciplinari e con il supporto di mentor qualificati, proporranno idee e soluzioni per la sfida che è stata lanciata. Nel percorso sono, anche, previste uscite didattiche presso un rifugio di bassa quota e un rifugio di alta quota, pensate e strutturate in modo da consentire agli studenti di prendere visione e “toccare con mano” gli aspetti che sono chiamati ad affrontare.  

Technological innovation, sustainability, and knowledge transfer are the pillars on which the NODES 2025 Spring Roadshow is built: a series of events focused on fostering collaboration between academia, businesses, and local stakeholders. From sustainable industry to healthcare, from aerospace to mobility, including agribusiness, tourism, and culture each stop is dedicated to a strategic sector, with the aim of highlighting the contribution of businesses and research to the digital and sustainable transition.   Organized as part of the NODES – North-West Digital and Sustainable project, the Roadshow offers a unique opportunity to explore the results of projects funded through cascade calls, get an up-close look at the developed Proofs of Concept (PoC), and delve into the solutions that are transforming key sectors for the economic and technological growth of the North-West.      

Auguri a tutte le donne dell'Ecosistema NODES! In occasione della Festa della Donna, vogliamo dedicare un pensiero speciale a tutte le donne che fanno parte del nostro Ecosistema e che, con il loro impregno, la loro passione e professionalità contribuiscono a renderlo un progetto innovativo, inclusivo e sostenibile. Siamo convinti che il futuro del Progetto si costruisca giorno per giorno grazie alla creatività, professionalità e determinazione di tutti quelli che ci lavorano, ma oggi, vogliamo sottolineare quanto l'apporto femminile possa dare un contributo fondamentale per affrontare le sfide globali e per costruire un domani migliore per tutti.   Un grazie di cuore quindi a tutte le donne che, con la loro visione, ispirano e rendono possibile il cambiamento.   Buona Festa della Donna da tutto il team NODES!

The energy of innovation filled the 2i3T - Innovative Companies Incubator of the University of Turin in Turin last 5 March, on the occasion of the second stage of the BioInvestIT 2025 Roadshow. An event that confirmed its role as a catalyst for start-ups, innovative SMEs and research projects in the circular bio-economy, offering them a concrete opportunity to get in touch with investors and key players in the sector.

Si è conclusa il 26 febbraio 2025 la prima edizione del corso di formazione "Cambiamenti climatici e montagna: impatti sulla disponibilità delle risorse idriche e sulla loro gestione", organizzato dall’Università degli Studi di Torino con il supporto di FORMONT. Il corso ha riscosso grande interesse, registrando il tutto esaurito in pochi giorni dall’apertura delle iscrizioni. Trenta professionisti tra ricercatori, tecnici e operatori del settore hanno partecipato al percorso formativo, suddiviso in due fasi: le lezioni teoriche si sono tenute il 24 e 25 febbraio presso l’Aula Zodiaco del Castello del Valentino (Torino), mentre il 26 febbraio i partecipanti hanno potuto mettere in pratica le conoscenze acquisite con un’uscita sul campo presso l’Istituto Scientifico Angelo Mosso (2.901 m s.l.m., Alagna Valsesia – Comprensorio Monterosa Ski). Il corso ha approfondito il tema degli impatti del cambiamento climatico sulle risorse idriche in ambiente montano, con particolare attenzione alla loro gestione sostenibile. La combinazione di teoria e pratica ha permesso ai partecipanti di confrontarsi con esperti del settore e di osservare da vicino le dinamiche di un ecosistema alpino in evoluzione. L’iniziativa si è rivelata un’importante opportunità di formazione e aggiornamento, confermando l’impegno dello Spoke 4 nella divulgazione scientifica e nella preparazione di professionisti capaci di affrontare le sfide ambientali future. In considerazione dell’elevato numero di richieste, è stata programmata una seconda edizione del corso a settembre 2025. Le iscrizioni apriranno a breve.      

How can telemedicine interventions help improve care for patients with heart failure and their caregivers?    Currently, it is estimated that more than 64 million people worldwide are affected by heart failure, a number that continues to grow. This increase is linked both to the aging population and to advances in disease management, which, however, are making the condition increasingly complex. As a result, individuals living with heart failure require daily support from a key figure: the caregiver. This role can be fulfilled by a partner, a child, a relative or someone close to the patient.    The link between patient and caregiver is so close that they become a single unit of analysis, defined as ''dyad'': any significant change - social, economic of health - that affects one of the two members inevitably ah an impact on the other. International guidelines have long emphasized the importance of a dyadic approach in the management of heart failure, a principle that also applies to telemedicine interventions.  In recent years, telemedicine has taken on an increasingly important role, proving to be a valuable ally in providing care and supporting caregivers, even in the context of heart failure. With the rapid development of new devices, delivery methods and field of application, it is essential to take stock of where we are and what scenarios lie ahead.  Within the Research Module 1 of the TINCARE flagship projects, Dr. Cristian Vairo and Dr. Ines Basso, under the supervision of Prof. Alberto Dal Molin, are conducting an in-depth study on the role of remote interventions in supporting the patient-caregiver with heart failure. The aim is to understand how telemedicine can improve disease management, optimise care and reduce caregiver burden.    

Spoke 1 represents the collaboration at the highest level of different entities, bringing their important and complementary expertise to the table – Spoke 1 introduces:   I3P Founded in 1999, Politecnico di Torino’s Incubator (I3P) supports the creation and development of innovative startups with high technological intensity and strong growth potential. It offers consulting services, mentoring, fundraising support, workspaces, and networking opportunities.