Nodes, Pnrr's innovation platform closes with 61 POC projects

Over 112 million committed to a network supporting applied research and innovation, involving eight universities, six innovation poles and six research centres, three incubators, an accelerator and a competence centre. Nodes is the name of the platform for the North-West regions, coordinated by Chiara Ferroni, director general, and dedicated to the development of new technologies in support of a digital and sustainable industry model, a development driver for the funds coming from the NRP. This is one of the platforms for nurturing applied research and collaboration between universities and companies desired by the Pnrr. The collaborative work developed over the past two years has involved 617 researchers and innovation professionals and generated 491 hires. Most of the resources have been used to support industrial doctorates - an area in which Italy lags far behind, for example, Germany - new entrepreneurial initiatives and innovative companies.

The fruit of this work, carried out by having the research departments of Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Lombardy universities work together, with an eye to technology transfer, were 61 Prof of Concepts (POC), born in the academic sphere, in 21 strategic sectors such as the New Space Economy, Sustainable Mobility and Digital Care Innovation.

The NODES' Tech Sharing Days took place at the Politecnico di Torino, with 160 exhibitors and over 300 participants including guests and visitors, dedicated to the theme of scientific knowledge and impact when it comes to innovation and new technologies. The initiative transformed the university's spaces into a live platform for exchange between universities, research centres, companies and stakeholders, with the aim of fostering digital and ecological transition and strengthening the link between knowledge and local development. Local enterprises, starting with SMEs, and venture companies were also involved in the event. All around the more than 60 academic Proof of Concepts (PoCs) developed within the Innovation Ecosystem.

'The Tech Sharing Days are a concrete opportunity to show what happens when academic research meets companies and investors,' Chiara Ferroni emphasises. 'It was important to see the potential of PoCs live, the direct involvement of stakeholders and the enthusiastic response of participants. These two days confirm that technology transfer is a strategic lever for the future of our territory and that the synergy between universities, institutions and companies is fundamental for generating concrete impact'.

The model promoted by Nodes is concrete and inclusive, the operators emphasise. It is based on the synergy between research, enterprise and the territory, with the desire to build bridges and concrete connections between the world of research and those who can apply innovations Academic PoCs are in fact the main instrument of this vision; they are experimental projects, ready to be tested, adopted and scaled up, addressing decisive challenges in strategic sectors. The challenge for the future is to keep the platform and in general the tried and tested cooperation and applied research model active.