Technology and knowledge connecting university and business
Issue 18 | Year 8 | MARCH 2018

A laboratory of the University of Trento. Picture by Alessio Coser, University of Trento Photograph Collection.

FOCUS

RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION FOR THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE NATION

Eight projects in the University’s Strategic Plan for the period to 2021

Versione stampabile
Paola Fusi
is head of the Communications and Events Office of the University of Trento.
Multidisciplinary strategic projects that involve Departments and Centres and strengthen their capacity for skills transfer in the region. Among the areas of interest are additive technologies, renewable energies, data science, science communication and the automotive industry.

The Strategic Plan 2017-2021 has identified 4 major challenges that it intends to respond to through the implementation of strategic projects and of improvement actions in the Departments and Centres.
Of the 35 Projects presented in the University’s Strategic Plan, 8 are for “research and technological innovation for the competitiveness of the nation”. These are projects that came “from the bottom up”, and give consideration to the multidisciplinary nature of the skills required and to the competitiveness of the region. They are presented here very briefly. Further details are available on the website of the Strategic Plan 2017-2021.

Additive and Intelligent Manufacturing for Industry 4.0 (AIMI 4.0)
The project aims to make the University of Trento a centre of competence in the field of additive technologies and in Industry 4.0, integrating the research activity in the various departments involved and strengthening their capacity for skills transfer in the region, including through collaboration with the ProM Facility of the Mechatronics Hub in Rovereto. Another goal of the project is to highlight the skills and results achieved, strengthening technological transfer through targeted activities for training and for support for innovation in local industry.
Contact person: Dr Paolo Bosetti.

Interdepartmental area for research on renewable energy storage and solar fuels (ERICSol)
The objective of the project is to establish an interdepartmental coordination body for four departments and one research centre of the University for research on renewable energy and solar fuels, with the aim of making Trento a point of reference for research, development and professional training in this sector. In addition to research, the project aims to train new researchers in the field of renewable energies, with a focus on multidisciplinarity, involving physics, chemistry, surface science and catalysis, materials science, engineering and synthetic biology.
Contact person: Professor Antonio Miotello.

Data Science (DS)
The aim of this project is to establish a Master’s degree in Data Science, involving five departments, one university research centre and Fondazione Bruno Kessler. A graduate of this course will be a data scientist with skills in using techniques from information technology, as well as more general quantitative techniques used in data science, and will be able to combine these skills with a deep understanding of how data is acquired, handled and interpreted in the social sciences. The course will have a single degree programme, which is suitable both for students with a quantitative background and for students from the social sciences.
Contact person: Professor Andrea Caranti.

Leadership (LEAD)
The project aims to create a highly innovative training programme for students and company managers on the topic of leadership. The programme will integrate the managerial-organizational skills of management and leadership with skills in neuroscience and in language. This advanced training programme is a response to the inadequacy of current courses on the topic, which are heavily based on methods that are traditional, generalist, and lacking in innovation.
Contact person: Dr Fabio Zona.

Master in Communication of Science and Innovation (SCICOMM)
The objective of the project is to develop the content and syllabus for a Master in Communication of Science and Innovation, to be taught in English. This master’s degree will train professionals who can play a key role in defining strategies for communication, dialogue and public engagement within institutions involved in higher education, research and innovation (universities, research institutes and innovation centres), as well as new generation museums and science centres.
Contact person: Professor Massimiano Bucchi.

Modelling & Simulation (M&S)
The project aims to develop shared and cross-sector computing tools for modelling and simulation, and to train university staff and researchers in the efficient and effective management, configuration and use of these tools. The project will involve students, doctoral students, technicians and researchers through its teaching and training activities on cross-disciplinary techniques of modelling in mathematics and physics, and methodologies for the implementation and development of advanced computer codes, creating a new area of interdisciplinary research on the sharing and development of modelling methodologies that straddle physics, engineering and mathematics.
Contact person: Professor Paolo Scardi.

School of Innovation (SoI)
The objective of this project is the creation of an interdepartmental School of Innovation offering multidisciplinary education programmes that bring managerial and economic skills together with specific and technical skills in different disciplines. The project will collaborate with local organizations that promote entrepreneurship and the dissemination of innovation and act as a catalyst for initiatives in the area of social innovation. This interdepartmental School, similarly to US institutes of technology, will mainly involve master’s and doctoral students in the departments involved, with the aim of enriching the programmes offered to the students, and encouraging the development of new courses, including through new interactive teaching methods.
Contact person: Professor Sandro Trento

Digital vehicles on digital roads (VDSD)
The project aims to create an inter-departmental and inter-institutional laboratory, working in close synergy with businesses in the automotive industry. The lines of research currently envisaged are related to the development of connectivity, of advanced ADAS systems and autonomous vehicles, of cyber security, and of the application of new materials and technologies. The project will operate at three levels: teaching, research, and “innovation at the local level”, with a focus on collaboration with partners in industry.
Contact person: Professor Mauro Da Lio.