Innovation services

A dynamic sector, ready to face the challenges of innovation and diversification. These are the findings of Comet’s report on the Friuli Venezia Giulia Metalworking Industry Observatory presented on 27 November in Valvasone Arzene, at the TreZero Winery. The meeting was divided into two round tables: in the first one, moderated by Cluster Comet director Saverio Maisto, the report was illustrated by Enrico Longato (Area Science Park), Anna Maria Moressa (Intesa Sanpaolo), Maria Chiarvesio (University of Udine), Guido Bortoluzzi (University of Trieste); the second round table, moderated by Michele Valerio (Eupragma), gave voice to businesses, with Stefano Picinich (Airworks Srl), Matteo Querini (Eurolls SpA), Elisa Quattrin (Meccanica Hi-Tech Srl), Alessandro Sist (Siom Srl SB). The event was organised in partnership with Area Science Park, University of Trieste, University of Udine, Intesa Sanpaolo. The meeting highlighted three main topics: – An international vocation The metalworking sector accounts for 46% of regional manufacturing, with an electro-mechanical specialisation (94% of metalworking sector). As of November 2024, the industry ‘held up’ better than predicted in the June flash report, with 5,114 businesses (-0.3% compared to November 2023, instead of -0.7%), while the rest of the manufacturing sector performed in line with expectations. The province of Udine accounts for 45% of the regional companies, the area that has recorded the most significant decrease since 2021 (-2.3%). The province of Pordenone remains stable, with 32% of the companies. The tendency towards internationalisation remains strong (41% of companies); exports are prevalent among medium and large companies, which are often innovative and certified. – Diversification and economic performance Intesa Sanpaolo’s internal survey regarding its commercial network shows that businesses in Friuli Venezia Giulia are increasing the geographical diversification of their outlet and supply markets, exceeding the Italian average. In 2023, revenue growth at current prices was 22.5%, with an improvement in profit margins (+2 points compared to 2019), driven by foreign operations (25.9% growth) and participation in the construction industry. – Business diversification strategies In a rapidly evolving market, businesses in Friuli Venezia Giulia interviewed by the Universities of Udine and Trieste are experimenting with new strategies: some focus on geographical or sectoral diversification to grow or to avoid crises, while others are strengthening their presence in current markets. However, diversification requires transversal skills and the ability to adapt to the rules of the new markets, which not all companies possess. ‘Over the years, the metalworking industry in Friuli Venezia Giulia has managed to acquire a role of excellence at the international level, thanks to its solid tradition of craftsmanship skills and technological innovation,’ commented COMET Cluster Director, Saverio Maisto. ‘However, today we face an even greater challenge: the world is changing at an exponential speed, global scenarios are complex, and what has made us strong so far may no longer be sufficient to guarantee continuing success. This is how we have always worked; it is no longer a security, quite the contrary. The ability to adapt and anticipate the future is crucial. We have to look beyond the boundaries of the traditional and historical sectors in which we have been, and perhaps still are, leaders, exploring new markets that, while initially presenting themselves as challenges, may turn out to be extraordinary opportunities. This is why it becomes essential to diversify, not only strategically but also in the immediate future. ‘Only by embracing new sectors and markets, continuing to collaborate with the territory, innovating and consolidating our skills, businesses in Friuli Venezia Giulia can continue to play a leading role in our history. “The future of the Friuli Venezia Giulia metalworking sector will depend on its ability to combine tradition and innovation, diversifying markets and sectors and integrating emerging technologies. The cooperation and support of COMET will be central to ensuring competitiveness and resilience in global markets,’ concluded Comet President, Sergio Barel. He emphasized how the Friuli Venezia Giulia metalworking sector is facing the challenges of a complex economic and geopolitical context through geographical and sectoral diversification. This key strategy reduces dependence on traditional markets, such as the German one, and opens up new opportunities in areas of higher growth (Northern Europe, Asia, the United States) thanks to niche technical skills and high-quality production), and regulated sectors (aerospace, medical, defence). As for artificial intelligence, which is transforming the sector by improving quality, supply chain and innovation, ‘it, requires investment in training and infrastructure’. The president closed his speech by inviting companies, industrial clusters, universities and institutions to build networks.

A robotic device that uses ultrasound technology to treat liver cancer, one of the world’s leading causes of death, with over 900,000 cases every year. The Pisa-based startup Soundsafe Care has won first prize in the 2024 Startup Marathon. The startup competition, promoted by Area Science Park, UniCredit and Fondazione Comunica, ended on Tuesday, 26 November, with an event hosted at the UniCredit headquarters in Milan. Ten finalists were selected by a jury of entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts, from a pool of over 60 startups and innovative SMEs, enrolled in the competition by incubators, accelerators, research centres and universities all over Italy. Awards for Startups Operating in the artificial intelligence, innovative materials, nutraceutical, agritech, healthcare, gaming, electric mobility and medical innovation sectors, the ten startups competed for access to the UniCredit Start Lab acceleration programme. The overall winner, Soundsafe Care, is a company supported by the Navacchio Technology Hub. Using focused ultrasound, the device developed by the startup provides a non-invasive and drug-free alternative for the treatment of liver cancer, reducing complications and hospital costs. Thanks to advanced imaging and automation technology, the device improves treatment precision and reduces intervention times. Soundsafe Care also received the award for the best predominantly female startup, guaranteeing participation in the BoostHerUp internationalisation programme, promoted by Area Science Park. In second place was another med-tech startup, Impavid from Turin, nominated for the contest by G-Factor, the Fondazione Golinelli business incubator. Impavid develops an innovative biodegradable cardiac patch to combat post-ischaemic heart failure. This biomimetic and bioresorbable patch recreates the structure of myocardial tissue, promoting cell recovery and adapting to the heart’s rhythm. Initially designed for bypass procedures, it offers a safer and less invasive solution to improve patients’ quality of life. With strong potential in the US and European markets, the product responds to the growing demand for advanced cardiology technologies. Ranked third, the Lecce-based BeadRoots – supported by Eatable Adventures – develops a natural and biodegradable hydrogel derived from algae. This hydrogel efficiently retains and releases water to improve agricultural productivity and reduce water wastage, especially in areas affected by drought. Unlike synthetic products, the gel is eco-friendly and supports soil microorganisms without negative impacts. The startups on the podium will have the opportunity to enjoy privileged access to the pre-selection stage for the national mission at CES in Las Vegas. Awards for support organisations The top three business support organisations that nominated startups for the event were also rewarded. Points were assigned based on the ranking of the startups, with a bonus for the placement of predominantly female startups. The first prize went to the Polo Tecnologico di Navacchio, followed by G-Factor in second place and Eatable Adventures in third place. All three were granted privileged access to the Executive MBA in Business Innovation created by the MIB Trieste School of Management. This same recognition was awarded individually to all 10 finalist startups. The 2024 edition also introduced the Open Innovation B2B competition, which challenged startups and innovative SMEs to respond to specific innovation needs indicated by corporate partners of the initiative. “We are very pleased with this fifth edition of Startup Marathon”, said Roberto Pillon, head of the Business Generation Office at Area Science Park. “The startups selected for the finals operate in very diverse sectors, showing how innovation is a cross-cutting element in every market and how initiatives like this can support its development. Today, the transformative capabilities of technology, with the even greater potential of the deep-tech sector, have an enormous impact on every industry: a scenario that can be expressed in full through close collaboration between producers of innovation and businesses capable of leveraging it.” Renzo Chervatin, head of Territorial Development for UniCredit North Est, stated: “There are many reasons to feel satisfied with the 2024 edition of Startup Marathon, particularly the creation of a virtuous ecosystem made up of corporate companies, investors and numerous accelerators and incubators at the national level. As UniCredit, we have made available the know-how gained in over a decade as pioneers and leaders supporting the world of Italian startups, with the intent of reaffirming, in practice, our commitment to work alongside those who want to invest in innovation, by proposing growth opportunities to businesses and jobs to young people.” Gianni Potti, President of Fondazione Comunica and founder of DIGITALmeet, added: “This is a brilliant demonstration of digital literacy, one of the biggest challenges for the country. In addition to this, there are also innovation and entrepreneurial skills, requirements that the Jury used for the 2024 edition of Startup Marathon: as of September, there were 16,500 innovative startups in Italy; at the same time, there were nearly 200 thousand in Europe, concentrated in the technology, sustainability, digital health and artificial intelligence sectors. Startups are a fundamental driving force for the future, thanks to their ability to innovate, adapt and transform entire sectors.” “This is yet another demonstration of an idea that turned out to be spot on”, commented Antonio Bassi and Maurizio Caradonna, founders of Startup Marathon, “The Startup Marathon final, attended by a high-profile audience, showcased entrepreneurial ventures with great opportunities for development and teams with high-level skills and technological knowledge, supported by organisations that aim to create high-potential businesses throughout the nation. We are proud to have contributed, even in a small way, to encouraging the growth of this innovation ecosystem”.  Startup Marathon was founded in 2020 and, over the years, it has selected and rewarded innovative companies operating in sectors such as artificial intelligence, diagnostics, IoT and sustainability. Winners of past editions include Katakem, a spin-off of the University of Catanzaro, that accelerates the development of new molecules, CAEmate, a company that has developed software for the predictive maintenance of infrastructures, Aisent, which provides services based on AI, machine learning and computer vision, and M2Test, a spin-off of the University of Trieste that has created an innovative method for diagnosing osteoporosis. Partners In addition to the three promoters, several partners support Startup Marathon, including Angel For Women, ASAC, Avvio Capital, Bando Easy, Camst Group, Carel, Chiesi, CRCLEX, DBA Group, Eatable Adventures, ELIS Innovation Hub, Eurotherm, Fastweb, FITT, Galdi, Giordano Controls, HiRef, Italian Angels for Growth, Italian Business Angels Network, LIFTT, Manni Group, Master Builders Solutions, Mastercard, Maxfone, MIB Trieste School of Management, MITO Tech Ventures, One Factory, San Marco Group, Star Tech Ventures, Step, Unicorn Trainers Club, Venture Factory and WDA.   The Finalist Startups and their Supporting Organisations BeadRoots, Lecce, supported by Eatable Adventures Cartesia Solutions, Pisa, supported by Digital Hub Impavid, Turin, supported by G-Factor InnoItaly, Codognè (Treviso), supported by Trentino Sviluppo Joule, Campodarsego (Padua), supported by Seedble Northern Light Composites, Monfalcone (Gorizia), supported by TEC4I FVG NuHpro, Rimini, supported by CesenaLab SoundSafe Care, Pisa, supported by Polo tecnologico di Navacchio Weabios, Pisa, supported by Polo tecnologico di Navacchio Witty Power, Bolzano, supported by NOI Techpark   Startup Marathon is a competition for innovative businesses, open to startups, innovative SMEs and university spin-offs nominated by business incubators and accelerators. Promoted by Area Science Park, UniCredit and Fondazione Comunica, it has been selecting the most significant innovative Italian companies since 2020, accelerating their go-to-market journey.

The Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium, CERIC-ERIC is calling for proposals for coordinated access to more than 60 instruments and support laboratories for research in all fields of materials, biomaterials and nanotechnology. The call is open to researchers from all over the world. In addition to the possibility to access several instruments through a single application, CERIC-ERIC offers support for mobility. To apply, use the link “Submit a new CERIC proposal” in the Virtual Unified Office – VUO, at https://vuo.elettra.trieste.it/ As usual, there will be two deadlines: September 2nd 2024, at 17:00 CEST, to have a pre-evaluation and the possibility to improve your proposal October 1st 2024, at 17:00 CEST (final submission), recommended only for users that are experts in all the techniques requested. What is new in this call? Over the last years, CERIC has been increasing its capacities in the field of Energy Materials. To this end, three energy storage facilities with state-of-the-art techniques in the field of fuel cells and batteries research, have been recently included in CERIC open access offer: European Commissions’s Joint Research Centre for Battery Energy Storage Testing Laboratory and the Fuel Cell and Electrolyser Testing laboratory in Petten, The Netherlands Hydrogen Technology Centre (HTC) at Charles University in Prague After almost a year, the Inelastic Ultraviolet Scattering with fixed-energy sources (IUVS-Offline) lab at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste is available again in the CERIC offer. The equipment of the laboratory has been enriched of the new Lab Model Deep UV Resonance Raman & Photoluminescence Spectrometer (excitation wavelength at 248 nm with microscopic imaging). CERIC continues to offer access to: AMS-IRMS Accelerator Mass Spectrometry for radiocarbon dating at the CEDAD laboratory of the University of Salento, Italy European Commission’s Joint Research Centre Nanobiotechnology Laboratory in Ispra, Italy Next Generation Sequencing at the Laboratory for Genomics and Epigenomics (LAGE) in Trieste, Italy For maintenance reasons, the ion beam facilty at the Ruđer Bošković Institute will not be offering access during the current Call for proposals to their laboratory, therefor the instruments IRRA, NMicro and ToF-ERDA will not be available, while RBSc and PIXE/RBS will be available at the CEDAD laboratory in Lecce. The Thermal Neutron Three-axis Spectometer (TAST) at the Budapest Neutron Centre is currently out of service and will not be available in the current Call for Proposals. For further information about the call, please visit the website https://www.ceric-eric.eu/users/call-for-proposals/

Science and training can effectively contribute to developing the strategic partnership between Italy and Africa, also in light of the new Mattei Plan for Africa promoted by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. This is demonstrated by Friuli Venezia Giulia, which, with the significant amount of experience gained and success stories, can play a central role in deepening the already fruitful collaborations. This is what emerged from the annual conference of SiS FVG, the Scientific and Innovation System of Friuli Venezia Giulia, held on Wednesday, 26 June, at Trieste’s Area Science Park and which explored the connections between international cooperation and scientific diplomacy. “The Scientific and Innovation System of Friuli Venezia Giulia has anticipated many of the topics in the Mattei Plan. The very topic of scientific diplomacy has gone hand in hand with the history of this territory, anticipating the debate we are facing at a national and European level”, declared Alessia Rosolen, Councilor for work, training, education, research, university and family of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. “Our added value has concerned, in particular, the training courses in support of research, in the relationship between new professional figures, in the construction of the higher education system and ITS (Higher Technical Institutes). In this area, among other things, we have two national excellences: The exchange programme of the “Malignani” Institute of Udine with Egypt and that of ITS “Alto Adriatico” of Pordenone with Ghana. During the conference, there were talks by numerous speakers, making contributions to and discussing the topic. Among these, Vincenzo Lorusso, in charge of the European Union’s Cooperation in Research and Innovation with the African Union at the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, spoke about the key role that Research & Innovation have in the development of the partnership between the European Union and Africa. Lorusso also confirmed the investment (equal to 150 billion euros), announced at the EU-AU summit last February, aiming to support Africa for a strong, inclusive, ecological and digital recovery and transformation. The role of science as an effective tool for consolidating transnational relations was already reiterated in the 2019 Trieste Declaration, signed by the ministers of 17 countries of the Central European Initiative (CEI), who designated as priorities themes such as scientific diplomacy, the mobility of researchers, the exchange of staff, and the promotion of transnational collaborative networks. Among the best practices presented are the MITS Academy/Egypt project and Alto Adriatico Confindustria’s training project with Ghana. The former, stemming from the collaboration between the ITS Academy of Udine and the Istituto Paritario Don Bosco of Cairo, and illustrated by Paola Perabò, Vice President of the MITS Malignani Istituto Tecnico Superiore Foundation of Udine, aims at reducing the misalignment between supply and demand of qualified personnel in the manufacturing sector and promoting cooperation between Italy and Egypt. The latter, presented by the President of the Alto Adriatico Confindustria, Michelangelo Agrusti, has the objective of training young Ghanaians, already enrolled in technical and professional schools in that country, to fill the labour shortage in the industrial system of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The President of Area Science Park, Caterina Petrillo, opened the meeting, focusing on the strategic importance of the topic of the Conference, shared by all the representatives of SiS FVG, “a fundamental theme for Trieste, a centre of excellence where numerous entities were created and operate and are active in research and higher education at an international level”. The President then remembered the G7 Research event on 2 October, organised in the context of the BSBF 2024, devoted to building skills and transferring knowledge in order to strengthen collaboration between Italy and Africa. Alessandro Garbellini – Office Manager of the Space, Multilateral Scientific Cooperation and Intellectual Property Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, then spoke, and affirmed: “The SiS FVG model certainly represents a lever for our foreign policy and is proof of how much a functioning infrastructure combined with proactivity of the institutions brings benefits to the nation’s system. Trieste has invented a new model of scientific cooperation: pooling skills, allowing access and ensuring that brains produce regardless of their origin. The Ministry is promoting the Trieste model around the world.” This was followed by a speech by Francesco Ciardiello, of the Technical Administrative Office of the General Directorate of Research at the Ministry of University and Research, who reiterated Trieste’s central position and the role that it can play in the development of international cooperation. The final part of the conference was dedicated to a round table moderated by Nico Pitrelli, director of the Master’s Programme in Science Communication of the “Franco Prattico” SISSA. The discussion focused on cases of scientific cooperation and diplomacy presented by various institutions of the SiS FVG. Speakers: Alessandro Lombardo, Senior Executive Officer CEI – Central European Initiative; Marianna Maculan, External Relations Manager for ICGEB – International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology; Atish Dabholkar, Director of ICTP – International Centre for Theoretical Physics; Tonya Blowers, Programme Coordinator of OWSD – Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World; Claudia Baracchini, Senior Project Manager of TEC4I FVG – Technologies for innovation FVG; Peter Mc Grath, Coordinator of the Scientific Diplomacy Unit for TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences; Mounir Ghribi – Director of International Cooperation and Research Promotion for OGS – National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics. Councilor Rosolen concluded the work. SiS FVG is an initiative of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of University and Research, to enhance the Scientific and Innovation System of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Italy is set to host the third edition of the Big Science Business Forum (BSBF2024) in the city of Trieste from October 1 to 4, 2024, at the Generali Convention Center in Porto Vecchio. Among the numerous scheduled initiatives, a packed program of meetings will culminate nearly two years of intense promotional activities between Italy and Europe. There will be over 150 stands representing institutional participants and companies from across Europe in the exhibition space. These significant numbers aim to surpass the success of previous editions in Copenhagen and Granada, which brought together about 1,000 delegates from 500 organizations and 30 countries to discuss the future of the Big Science market. BSBF2024 is organized by ten leading European Big Science Organizations (BSOs): CERN, ESA, ESO, ESS, ESRF, European XFEL, FAIR, F4E, ILL, and SKAO, with the support of PERIIA, the pan-European network of national Industry Liaison Officers (ILOs). The bid to host BSBF2024 in Trieste was supported by the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, in collaboration with ILO Network Italy, composed of representatives from CNR, ENEA, INAF, and INFN, as well as Area Science Park in Trieste and PromoTurismo FVG. Therefore, the Big Science Business Forum 2024 will be a business-focused event, bringing together Europe’s leading research infrastructures and international companies in high-tech and innovation sectors. The aim is to expand future prospects for creating a European Big Science market, including technological developments, economic investments, and facilitating entrepreneurial opportunities across the continent. To achieve this, BSBF2024 has launched a series of calls for proposals over the past months, published on its official website. These calls are the main tool for enabling European companies to connect and participate in the European Big Science market. This initiative has facilitated the involvement of new SMEs (26 selected from 14 different countries, including 2 from Italy) and the selection of other scientific organizations affiliated with BSBF (9 from 5 different countries, including 3 from Italy). Some calls are still open, such as the Technology Transfer Track Call (TTT Call, deadline June 30), which will highlight technology transfer experiences and proposals within the Big Science sector. Another call aims to select companies that have already had multiple contracts with various BSOs to outline proposals for building a common European market for Big Science, the so-called Big Science Common Market call (BSCM call, deadline June 18). BSBF2024 in Trieste this October represents a unique opportunity for live interaction among European companies and organizations to participate in a market valued at nearly €10 billion annually. These funds are managed through international public tenders directly by the BSOs according to specific rules and procedures, which participants will have the opportunity to explore in-depth during the four-day event. Following the handover to the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region at the previous edition in Granada, BSBF TRIESTE 2024 was officially presented in Rome on February 1, 2023, by Governor Massimiliano Fedriga, with regional councillors Alessia Rosolen and Sergio Emidio Bini. Alongside them, as speakers, were Minister for University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, Minister for Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, and the presidents of the National Research Council, Maria Chiara Carrozza, the National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Antonio Zoccoli, the National Institute for Astrophysics Marco Tavani, and Area Science Park Caterina Petrillo. Director of BSBF 2024 initiatives is Paolo Acunzo (ILO Network Italy, ENEA), in collaboration with Ketty Segatti, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Research of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. The Big Science Business Forum has conducted a real roadshow across Europe in recent months, in collaboration with the Central European Initiative (InCE), with institutional meetings in Belgrade (February 27, 2024), Bratislava (March 20, 2024), Prague (March 21, 2024), Warsaw (April 16, 2024), Budapest (May 7, 2024), Zagreb (June 13, 2024), and Ljubljana (June 14, 2024), in the presence of Italian ambassadors and numerous stakeholders. BSBF presentations have also been held in scientific, institutional, and entrepreneurial contexts throughout Italy and Friuli Venezia Giulia, including IOD’23 – Industrial Opportunity Days in Naples (June 2023), Trieste Next (September 2023), Barcolana Sea Summit (October 2023), Confindustria Alto Adriatico (November 2023), and Confindustria Udine (January 2024). Additional presentations took place at the University of Tuscia (January 2024), IUPAP Industry & Education Projects in Trieste (March 2024), and at the Italian-Belgian Chamber of Commerce in Brussels (April 11, 2024). The forum has also participated in international conferences such as EPS Forum in Berlin (March 26, 2024) and Deep Tech Atelier in Riga (May 17, 2024). Throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024, the BSBF2024 organizing team has provided hundreds of European entrepreneurs the opportunity to visit the major European Big Science Organizations, including Fusion for Energy (F4E) at ITER Organization (Saint-Paul-lez-Durance, France, October 2023), European XFEL (Schenefeld, Germany, January 2024), CERN (Geneva, Switzerland, February 2024), and ESA (Noordwijk, Netherlands, March 15, 2024). Online webinars are available, such as “Women in Big Science Projects”, focusing on female presence in Big Science. Registration for BSBF2024 is open on the official website, where more information is available: www.bsbf2024.org.  

Our ability to respond to future pandemics depends on a constant commitment to developing innovative and effective response strategies. This is the objective of the International Scientific Conference “Pandemic preparedness: Achievements, current challenges, and new frontiers” scheduled from 11 to 13 November 2024 at the Hotel Savoia Excelsior Palace in Trieste. The Conference is organised by the Area Science Park National Research Institute in conjunction with the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology – ICGEB, as part of the PRP@CERIC project, financed by PNRR Next Generation EU funds, dedicated to Research Infrastructures. The Conference will involve internationally renowned scientists to provide an overview of known and emerging viruses and their potential epidemic risk. It will also foster knowledge sharing and networking, encouraging the development of broad synergies and multidisciplinary cooperation. During the scientific event, diagnostics, epidemiology, monitoring, drug discovery, and preventive approaches will be discussed in the context of international cooperation to jointly address the challenges of (re)emerging infectious diseases. Speakers will include international experts in various disciplines applied to the study of pathogens, such as Artificial Intelligence, virology, structural biology, genomics, data management, clinical diagnostics, infectious diseases, and zoonoses. The Conference has a rich programme encompassing theme-related plenary sessions, oral presentations, and poster sessions. It is aimed at experienced researchers, university professors, doctors, healthcare personnel, and young researchers taking their first steps in pathogen research at various levels. To register for the Conference, early-bird registration is possible until August 31 and regular registration until October 31 via the project website. To participate as a speaker, you must send an abstract for an oral or poster presentation by June 15, 2024, using the same channel. Here the Conference brochure

The 20th CERIC-ERIC Call for Proposals, that will allow coordinated access to more than 60 instruments and support laboratories, is now open. As usual, in addition to the possibility to access several instruments and laboratories through a single application, CERIC-ERIC offers support for mobility. To apply, use the link “Submit a new CERIC proposal” in the VUO (https://vuo.elettra.trieste.it/) As usual, for the 20th call (the first of 2024) there will be two deadlines: March 4th 2024, at 17:00 CET, to have a pre-evaluation and the possibility to improve your proposal; April 2nd 2024, at 17:00 CEST (final submission), recommended only for users that are experts in all the techniques requested. What is new in this call? Over the last years CERIC has been increasing its capacities in the field of Energy Materials. To this end, three energy storage facilities with state-of-the-art techniques in the field of fuel cells and batteries research, have been recently included in CERIC open access offer: – European Commissions’s Joint Research Centre for Battery Energy Storage Testing Laboratory and the Fuel Cell and Electrolyser Testing laboratory in Petter, The Netherlands – Hydrogen Technology Centre (HTC) at Charles University in Prague Additional instruments available – AMS-IRMS Accelerator Mass Spectrometry for radiocarbon dating at the CEDAD laboratory of the University of Salento – Next Generation Sequencing at the Laboratory for Genomics and Epigenomics (LAGE) in Trieste CERIC continues to offer access to: – Holographic Electron Microscopy (HoloTem) at University of Salento in Lecce, Italy – Mass Spectrometry Laboratory (MSI) at University of Salerno, Italy For further information about the call, please visit the website: https://www.ceric-eric.eu/users/call-for-proposals/

The opening of the IMPRESS Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) Call for Tenders marks a significant milestone in advancing the frontiers of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The IMPRESS PCP process presents an extraordinary opportunity for innovative companies to collaborate in crafting a cutting-edge interoperable platform for TEM. The IMPRESS project, funded by the European Union, envisions a paradigm shift in TEM through the introduction of an innovative interoperable platform. This platform, characterized by standardized hardware and software interfaces and multifunctional components, aims to transcend current limitations in TEM. Based on a modular cartridge concept and open designs, it will create solutions that can be transferred interchangeably along the microscope column, between microscopes and across instruments. Bid Submission Technology providers keen on participating in the IMPRESS PCP Call for Tenders must register their companies on Subreport, accessible via the following link. Once registered, access to the Subreport platform allows for bid submission, document downloads, notifications and more via the following link. Key deadlines to note for bid submission: 30th January 2024 (13:00 hrs CET): Deadline to make comments on the IPR clauses 1st March 2024 (13:00 hrs CET): Deadline to submit questions 29th March 2024 (13:00 hrs CET): Bid submission deadline The contact address for any questions related to the content of the IMPRESS-PCP Call for Tenders is: impress-pcp@fz-juelich.de. In addition, Subreport has a helpdesk in case of questions or problems related to the use of the Subreport platform (oliver.mueller@subreport.de; oliver.schulze@subreport.de). For clarifications or queries regarding the PCP procedure, a comprehensive Q&A list addressing technical matters, open innovation and PCP issues is available on the IMPRESS website, here. To foster collaboration among companies and facilitate meeting the tender criteria, a Matchmaking Tool is available on the IMPRESS website, here. This tool enables interested parties to form partnerships, facilitating exchanges of expertise, skills and resources among potential partners whose needs align. Further details about the IMPRESS-PCP Call for Tenders and bid submission guidelines are provided at this link.   IMPRESS PCP: The Way Forward “The IMPRESS PCP Call for Tenders invites all interested parties to present their bids to develop an innovative interoperable platform based on correlative, adaptable and transferable cartridges with a standardized interface”, points out Regina Ciancio, the IMPRESS Project Coordinator. Once the PCP Call for Tenders concludes, selected companies with a diverse set of scientific and technological expertise will engage in a competitive three-phase development journey to develop the interoperable platform. The initial phase involves designing innovative solutions and verifying their technical and economic feasibility. The most promising prototypes will undergo development and testing at the lead procurer’s facilities during the second phase. The final phase will witness testing and validation of the chosen prototypes in operational environments. “The interoperable platform could be implemented on different transmission electron microscopes from different microscope manufacturers, other analytical instruments, and could be adapted by individual users to meet their unmet scientific needs to obtain innovative solutions”, says Rafal Dunin-Borkowski, the IMPRESS Project Scientific Coordinator. Collaborative endeavors between companies, scientists and end-users will culminate in establishing the IMPRESS innovation ecosystem. This Research & Innovation journey presents an exciting opportunity for companies to expand the horizons of TEM, unlocking business prospects and easing access to new sectors and markets. About IMPRESS IMPRESS (Interoperable electron Microscopy Platform for advanced RESearch and Services) is a cutting-edge Horizon Europe Research & Innovation project aimed at transforming the field of transmission electron microscopy. Bringing together 19 partners from 11 European countries, the project will develop a new generation of instrumentation that is flexible and adaptable. Based on open standards, interfaces, data formats and interchangeable components, the platform will allow for customized, interoperable arrangements. For more information about the IMPRESS project, visit the IMPRESS website and follow the project on LinkedIn.   IMPRESS-PCP LIST OF PROCURERS Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZ Jülich), Germany (Lead Procurer) Area di Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica di Trieste (AREA), Italy Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Italy Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) ERIC, Czech Republic Fundacio Institut Catala de Nanociencia i Nanotecnologia (ICN2), Spain Leibniz Institut für Festkörper und Werkstoffforschung Dresden EV (IFW), Germany Universiteit Antwerpen (UAntwerp), Belgium

The selected enterprises work on everything from mixed reality to simplify work during space walks, through to mouldable solid-state supercapacitors for high-performance electric vehicles, as well as the space “sunflower” that will enable orbiting structures to accumulate more energy with solar panels. Eleven Italian startups have been selected to participate on 4 December at the World Trade Centre in Seattle, in the US, in the Primo.Innovare. summit, an internationalisation programme created by Area Science Park and Serena–private operating foundation, giving Italian startups the opportunity to engage with some of the most important players in the US market. After the first edition in Seattle in 2022, and the following events in New York and Boston in 2023, this new event takes place in the state of Washington. The goal is to introduce 11 young, innovative Italian enterprises active in the sectors of artificial intelligence and aerospace to one of the most vibrant areas for these sectors in the US and in the world. The programme The event on 4 December will begin with a visit to the Boeing factory in Renton, in the metropolitan area of Seattle. The startups will be taken to the manufacturing heart of the aircraft giant, discussing their innovative solutions. In the afternoon, the main part of the event will take place at Seattle’s World Trade Centre. The summit will be introduced by the Deputy Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, Davide Corriero, before handing over to the startups, which will present to an audience of around one hundred investors and big companies from the area, including members of the Greater Seattle Partners, which numbers 900 local businesses in the aerospace sector alone (including the aforementioned Boeing and Blue Origin). Some of the most important will take part in the round-table session to be held during the event, with executives from Boeing, Microsoft, Amazon (Project Kuiper) and Google (NASA Project), as well as Umbra Group, an Italian industrial enterprise that is already a supplier of Boeing with operations in the state of Washington. The event will also see the participation of Eviation Aircraft – manufacturer of the first twin-engine electric plane, Alice – and analyst AIR-Aerospace Intelligence. Primo. Innovare. goes beyond the physical event. The pitches made by startups will be uploaded and remain available in the virtual expo created on the website primoinnovare.org, providing a further opportunity to cultivate business remotely over the coming months. Organisation The varied delegation of Italian startups was selected by the national research institution Area Science Park, which organised the event together with Serena. “With Primo. Innovare. we are creating an exclusive networking opportunity for innovative startups from various regions of Italy, offering them a unique platform to present their businesses to investors, venture-capital funds and leaders of some of the biggest US companies. Once again, innovation is a bridge between Italy and the US, common ground on which to strengthen relations between our countries and build new relationships”, stated Fabrizio Rovatti, technological director at Area Science Park.  “Historically, Italy has always been at the forefront of the aviation industry. Primo. Innovare. now introduces a delegation of new entrepreneurs to Seattle, with their innovative enterprises demonstrating recent advances in the aerospace sector. This acceleration is made even more exciting by the development of artificial intelligence systems, included as another central theme of this year’s summit. Following the excellent results of the 2022 edition, we continue to focus on synergies between Italy and the Pacific Northwest of the US, an area boasting 900 companies working in the sector offering employment to over 99,000 people in the Seattle area alone”, declared Davide Viganò cofounder and President of Serena Corp, a non-profit foundation focused on promoting all that is beautiful about Italy and its entrepreneurial culture, and, above all, generating value, collaborations and opportunities for innovation between Italy and the Pacific Northwest. The project is also supported by Innovit, the Italian Innovation and Culture Hub in San Francisco, a physical space combining activity fostering technological, scientific and innovative Italian ecosystems – through its Innovation Centre – with that of the Italian Institute of Culture, opened in 2022. The Centre has enhanced the range of innovation solutions offered by Primo. Innovare. bringing innovative enterprises to Seattle that participated in the Call4Innovit-Space Economy acceleration initiative in 2023. The selected startups Arca Dynamics | www.arcadynamics.space | Rome B4 Group | www.b4-group.it | Milan Blacks | www.blacks-composites.it | Ravenna Delta Space Leonis | www.deltaspaceleonis.com | Rome Geckoway | www.geckoway.com | Rome Involve Space | www.involvespace.it | Como Miprons | www.miprons.com | Rome Nano-Tech | www.italnanotech.com | Ascoli Piceno Nabu | www.nabu.ag | Turin Novac | www.novacsupercap.com | Modena Revolv Space | www.revolvspace.com | Turin

Area Science Park has joined the network of ELIXIR, an intergovernmental organisation pooling life-sciences resources from across Europe. This includes databases, software tools, training materials, cloud storage and supercomputers. ELIXIR’s aim is to coordinate these resources to form a unified infrastructure. ELIXIR makes it easier for scientists to find and share data, exchange expertise and agree on best practices, helping them to acquire knowledge on how living organisms function. Through the Technological Innovation Research Institute Area Science Park manages cutting-edge research infrastructure and performs pioneering research in the fields of life sciences, materials science and data science, with the use of its three pioneering laboratories: Genomics and Epigenomics Laboratory (LAGE), Electron Microscopy Laboratory (LAME) and Data Engineering Laboratory (LADE). The Italian Hub of ELIXIR, coordinated by the Italian National Research Council, currently includes 28 partners, including research institutes, universities and technology institutions. ELIXIR-IT aims to unite all Italian researchers in the field of bioinformatics, promoting sharing and development of expertise, integrating the various Italian bioinformatics resources recognised at international level and contributing to their integration into European infrastructure. The Technological Innovation Research Institute hosts and coordinates various laboratories dedicated to life sciences, including through the PRP@CERIC project, and the services of ORFEO, a datacentre optimised to handle computational biology workflows. Specifically, the ELIXIR-IT platform will see integration of DPCfam, a machine-learning method for automatically identifying protein families from large datasets, developed and managed by the Data Engineering Laboratory.

An automated, zero-emissions chemical reactor that will enable digitalisation of chemical processes, transforming them into files. This is the innovative technology from Katakem, a startup from Catanzaro, in Southern Italy, which won first place in Startup Marathon 2023. The contest run by Area Science Park, UniCredit and Fondazione Comunica ended on Tuesday 14 November, with an event hosted at the UniCredit offices in Verona. Ten finalists were selected by a panel of judges made up of entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts, from an initial pool of 61 innovative companies who entered the contest from 34 different incubators, accelerators and university research centres. Working in the sectors of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agritech, robotics and life sciences, the ten startups competed for access to the UniCredit Start Lab acceleration programme. The company that came out victorious was Katakem – put forward by the Calabrian innovation hub Entopan – which has developed technology capable of accelerating the development of new molecules and their time-to-market. The new technology is called OnePot, an automated, zero-emissions chemical reactor that digitalises a chemical process, transforming it into a file that can be sent anywhere in the world and instantaneously replicated. Also on the podium were Enphos from Verona, put forward by the INSTM consortium, and Rozes, a spin-off from the University of Padua. Enphos develops solutions for producing green and white hydrogen, which include high-efficiency electrolyzers to generate green hydrogen and artificial-photosynthesis materials and systems to produce white hydrogen and e-fuels. It is working on developing a system for long-term energy storage. Rozes is an innovative startup specialising in artificial intelligence that helps economic operators to anticipate the risk of entering business relationships with potentially dangerous and financially unstable companies. It has developed an index for measuring a company’s risk level by analysing accounting anomalies deriving from fraud, money laundering, false invoicing and fraudulent bankruptcy. The final of the 2023 edition was the first live event since the contest was first launched in 2020. For all the startups that reached the final stage, the event was an opportunity to meet and network with entrepreneurs and investors, participating as the audience for pitch sessions and then in one-to-one sessions with the finalist companies. The final also saw the participation of the best female-led startup of Startup Marathon 2023, already recognised during the Digital Day on 27 October – the online event during which the finalists were selected from the 35 shortlisted companies. This was Bioverse, which produces electromedical equipment designed for use in emergency settings and low-resource contexts. The company has developed Corax, a low-cost, transportable device capable of reproducing the characteristics of an intensive-care room for burns patients, enabling safe transport to hospital structures. Thanks to this success, the startup joined the shortlist for the international acceleration programme Prospera Women. Bioverse was nominated for the initiative, in its role as business accelerator, by Almacube, the innovation hub of Confindustria Emilia Area Centro and the University of Bologna. The event concluded with a presentation from the team Enacuts Polimi of the Politecnico di Milano University, winner of the Enacuts national competition. “We can confirm that the fourth edition of Startup Marathon has been a great success”, declared Roberto Pillon, Head of the Business Generation Unit at Area Science Park. “Not only from a quantitative perspective, with this edition having the highest ever number of participants, but above all in qualitative terms. The startups that took part are in fact a representative sample of the innovation potential of our country – potential that Startup Marathon is working to optimise”. “The final confirmed the value of the startups selected by a panel of judges that are highly competent in the area of innovation”, commented Renzo Chervatin, Head of Regional Development at UniCredit – North-East. “Here at UniCredit, we are very satisfied with the result of this fourth edition of Startup Marathon, which has held an in-person event for the first time at our offices in Verona, for the final. The project demonstrates how open innovation can be the key to generating value for the entire economic and social system: for businesses with clear goals for growth and positioning in the market, for startups on their own path to growth, and for the innovation ecosystem supporting these startups. At UniCredit, we want to play an active role in this process and we believe that participation as a partner of Startup Marathon clearly demonstrates this. Having established an ecosystem of such great value is very exciting.” “There are many startups competing, many businesses and investors participating and many different interests: a challenging but winning formula for those wishing to invest in innovation,” said Gianni Potti, Chair of Fondazione Comunica and founder of DIGITALmeet. “This was an unmissable occasion that has made Startup Marathon one of the leading Italian events in the sector, perfectly integrated with the places we find innovation: incubators, science and technology parks and universities, to promote and further the best Italian entrepreneurial ideas, and to strengthen and support many projects that would otherwise risk being lost without the support of solid innovation organisations.” Launched in 2020, over the years Startup Marathon has selected and recognised innovative companies operating in sectors such as artificial intelligence, diagnostics, IoT and sustainability. Winners of past editions include CAEmate, an enterprise that developed software for the predictive maintenance of infrastructure; Aisent, which provides services based on AI, machine learning and computer vision; and M2Test, a spin-off from the University of Trieste with an innovative method for diagnosing osteoporosis. Partners In addition to the three promoters, Startup Marathon is supported by a range of partners. These are: Unicorn Trainers Club, Elis Innovation Hub, Italian Angels for Growth, Italian Business Angel Network, Giordano Controls, Fastweb, Venture Factory, Start Tech Ventures, Liftt, Carel, Eatable Adventures, Chiesi, Manni Group, Maxfone, Dba Group, Angel for Women, Eurotherm and HiRef. The startups competing The ten startups in the final were: Agreen Biosolutions, Audio Innova, Biomeye, Cyber Evolution, Cyberneid, Enphos, Katakem, Lightscience, Robotizr and Rozes. Startup Marathon is a contest for innovative enterprises open to startups, innovative SMEs and university spin-offs put forward by incubators and business accelerators. Run by Area Science Park, UniCredit and Fondazione Comunica, since 2020, it has selected the most important innovative companies in Italy and accelerated their go-to-market strategy.

The European project POSIDON PCP (POlluted SIte DecontaminatiON Pre-Commercial Procurement) has led to development and testing of two new technologies for soil decontamination in polluted disused industrial areas. The results of experiments in the final phase of the competitive procedure, aimed at the procurement of research and development services, were presented during the final project event on 9 October in Bilbao, Spain. POSIDON, financed by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme and coordinated by Area Science Park, has the goal of driving development of new solutions currently unavailable on the market, from the public demand side. The project gathers five European procurers, owners and/or managers of polluted sites, with the common need to identify new soil-treatment technology (potentially also for groundwater treatment), preferably in situ, capable of decontaminating heterogeneous anthropic soils on brownfields with a mixture of industrial waste (such as soils polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals) and soils consisting of clays and sands, highly polluted by petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs and PAHs) and heavy metals (arsenic and lead). During the project, various suppliers (mixed research/enterprise consortiums) were invited to develop innovative solutions, in the context of a competition procedure. This included all steps from concept and design of new solutions through to prototyping, laboratory validation and original development of two prototypes for parallel testing in the field on two different sites in Trieste, Italy and Bilbao, Spain. The two technologies that reached the field experiment and comparison phase were those of the consortiums headed by companies TESECO BONIFICHE and HPC Italia. TESECO has developed the technology Soil-Omic® which uses integrated biological and chemical-physical processes aimed to decontaminate soils and groundwater from organic and inorganic pollutants, with biological formulations based on the integration of metagenomics and environmental engineering. The solution uses BIOflushing®, an in-situ decontamination technology that uses specialised hydraulic systems for bio-stimulation, bio-amplification and chemical washing of saturated and unsaturated soils. The results have confirmed the efficacy of the process and the system dedicated to breaking down oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as well as removing heavy metals from saturated and unsaturated soils. Specifically, in Bilbao, in around five months of operation of the system, a significant reduction in average inorganic contamination of unsaturated soil* was recorded, as well as in organic contamination**. Soil-Omic® is under commercialisation and will go to market at the end of 2023. Meanwhile, HPC ITALIA in cooperation with the Politecnico di Milano University, has developed the “Erase” (ElectRode-Aided Soil rEmediation) solution, a flexible, modular, in-situ platform that involves positioning of electrodes to reduce contamination both with organic and inorganic pollutants, through the transport inducted by the electrical field of the soil, in addition to chemical and biological treatment actions through injection of chemical products and nutrients. The modular nature of the technology enables use on contaminated water sources of various sizes and depths. The solution is still in the development phase, but Phase 3 testing has already provided evidence of an increase in the mobility of metals, with a reduction in the concentration of some of these in the soil, while monitoring data has also confirmed a decrease in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and hydrocarbons.   *Reduction in average inorganic contamination of unsaturated soil: Arsenic -97%, Cadmium -82%, Chromium -31%, Nickel -56%, Lead -95%, Copper -96% and Zinc -94%. **Reduction in organic contamination: Hydrocarbons (TPH) -85%, Dibenzo(a.h)anthracene -97%, Benzo(a)pyrene -97%, Indeno(1.2. 3-cd)pyrene -97%, Pyrene -97%, Benzo(a)anthracene -99%, Chrysene -97%, Benzo(b)fluoranthene -99%, Benzo(k)fluoranthene -96% and Sum PAH (EPA 16) -97%.   The POSIDON PCP project involves Area Science Park (coordinator and technical project partner), the group of five managers of polluted sites to be decontaminated: Port Network Authority of the Eastern Adriatic (Lead procurer of the joint pre-commercial contract) (IT), Bilbao City Council (ES) SpaQue (BE), CEA – Vitoria Gasteiz City Council (ES) and Baja do Tejo (PT), joined by the technical partners: Sara Bedin, expert in innovation contracts and pre-commercial procurement (IT); TECNALIA, Basque research centre (ES); IHOBE, Basque environment agency (ES) and MAS communications manager (ES). POSIDON has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, in the context of Grant Agreement No. 776838. The information contained in this press release reflects the authors’ views. The European Research Executive Agency (REA) is not responsible for any use made of the information contained herein.