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On May 27 and 28, 2025, the NODES' Tech Sharing Days were held at the Polytechnic University of Turin. These two days were entirely dedicated to sustainable innovation and technology transfer, where academic research meets the business world and generates new opportunities for the Northwest.   The second day featured 30 academic Proofs of Concept (PoCs), developed within the NODES – Digital and Sustainable Northwest project and funded by the Ministry of University and Research through the PNRR – NextGenerationEU funds.   Spoke 3 was present with eight projects dedicated to the tourism and culture sectors; the University of Insubria, the University of Valle D'Aosta, the University of Turin, and the University of Eastern Piedmont had the opportunity to present their POCs to a large audience of businesses, industry professionals, and researchers.   Finally, the Spoke 3 teams had access to a large exhibition area set up in the Polytechnic's courtyard, where they could showcase materials and results and engage directly with investors, stakeholders, and businesses. Participants also had the opportunity to enjoy immersive experiences using 3D viewers.  

The NODES Tech Sharing Days, held on May 27–28, 2025 at Politecnico di Torino, confirmed the value of scientific knowledge when it translates into concrete, useful, and shared impact. The initiative transformed the university’s spaces into a vibrant platform for exchange among universities, research centers, businesses, and stakeholders, with the goal of promoting the digital and ecological transition and strengthening the link between knowledge and local development.   It was a two-day event filled with meetings, dialogue, and discussion among research, industry, and the region, featuring over 60 academic Proofs of Concept (PoCs) developed within the NODES Innovation Ecosystem – North-West Digital and Sustainable – which drew significant interest from attendees.

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.

A proposal to strengthen collaboration among universities in the North-West has been relaunched in the pages of La Stampa by the Rector of the Politecnico di Torino, Stefano Corgnati, who aims to establish a federation of universities to jointly address the great challenges of research, innovation, and education, with a cooperative and systemic approach.   The stated goal would be to build a new model of academic governance capable of coordinating educational paths and laboratories, sharing infrastructures and equipment, creating research hubs also open to businesses, attracting greater public and private funding, and enhancing the different territorial vocations.   «Today it no longer makes sense to talk about individual research, we need large infrastructures,» stated the Rector of the Politecnico, who has been appointed President of the NODES Ecosystem, coordinated by the university. «Let’s project ourselves twenty years into the future: those who will succeed will be those able to cover all phases of research, networking technological, humanistic, economic, and legal skills.»   A vision that is already partly a reality   The idea of an academic federation in the North-West could find in experiences like NODES a concrete operational reference. In this scenario, the NODES Innovation Ecosystem — funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) — represents an already active and concrete experience of inter-university cooperation, involving partner universities (including many of the institutions mentioned in the article) together with research centers, businesses, and local territories.   An ecosystem built on a logic of territorial alliance for innovation, capable of a shared governance structure, a common strategic vision, integration between academic skills and the needs of the production system, and the opening up of infrastructures to serve companies and local communities. The Ecosystem is demonstrating that networking people, resources, and skills is not only possible but effective: it accelerates processes, strengthens impact, and enhances each territory in its own uniqueness.   In this perspective, the initiative scheduled for May 27 and 28 at the Politecnico di Torino also fits in: the NODES' Tech Sharing Days, a meeting point between research and industry, during which more than 60 academic Proofs of Concept developed by local universities will be presented. Projects born in university laboratories and already ready to be transferred to the market or society.   These are concrete solutions that demonstrate the value of collaboration among universities, the strength of public research, and the ability to create living connections with the productive world. Discover the full program of the Tech Sharing Days

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.      

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

The session “Soil management practices and land degradation in vineyards”, held on 28–29 April during the European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2025 (EGU) in Vienna, featured active participation from researchers at the University of Pavia. Claudia Meisina chaired the session, guiding an international scientific dialogue on soil degradation and sustainable practices in viticulture.   The contributions presented stemmed from research activities carried out within the VINO flagship project, part of NODES – SPOKE 6 – Primary Agroindustry, and covered a broad range of topics. Massimiliano Bordoni, Valerio Vivaldi, and Claudia Meisina presented work on shallow landslide prediction models, hydrogeological characterisation, and vulnerability analysis on vineyard slopes. Fabio Dell’Acqua introduced an automated mapping approach for inter-row vineyard management using satellite imagery and Bézier curve analysis. Diego Ravazzolo discussed a surface runoff model applied to assess erosion in agricultural landscapes.   Among the on-site posters, Antonio Gambarani, Matteo Giganti, along with Bordoni, Vivaldi, and Meisina, showcased studies on the application of nature-based solutions, the quantification of soil degradation, and future land suitability for perennial crops. The event highlighted the quality and relevance of the outcomes generated by the VINO project, fostering an interdisciplinary exchange between geosciences, digital technologies, and sustainable farming practices. 🔗 Learn more about the session: https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU25/session/52887