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The 2023 edition of M&M Microscopy & MicroAnalysis  took place in Minneapolis (USA) on 23-27 July. The annual meeting of the Microscopy Society of America and the Microanalysis Society brings together scientists, technologists and researchers, with the aim of sharing knowledge, networking, and looking at scientific and technological innovations in the world of microscopy. Area Science Park attended the international event for the first time, represented by Regina Ciancio, Head of the Electron Microscopy Laboratory (LAME). Regina moderated the symposium entitled “Machine Intelligence in Action: Delivering Resilient, Sustainable, and Reconfigurable Microscope Ecosystems,” in which the new frontiers of microscopy in discovering and designing material, chemical and biological systems were discussed. During the congress, a special session was also held on the IMPRESS project, which Regina coordinates. Funded by the European Union and coordinated by CNR-IOM, the project aims to revolutionise the field of transmission electron microscopy by bringing together scientists, companies and industry experts to co-develop new interoperable prototypes. IMPRESS has 19 partners from some 11 European countries, and aims to develop an interoperable platform based on standardised modular components, designed to be flexible and adaptable to different microscopes and other types of equipment. The platform will be used to perform a wide range of multimodal correlative experiments using methodological options not currently accessible with commercially available electron microscopes, to meet the needs of a wide range of users. To achieve this, IMPRESS will make use of Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP): an innovative tool through which companies with different competences can compete to contribute, together with scientists, to designing and building prototypes for different innovative applications. The “IMPRESS Supplier” event provided the platform for announcing the PCP Open Market Consultation, inviting companies to become an integral part of the project. The event was attended by around 80 people and provided an opportunity to showcase the various aspects of the European project and the PCP process, and to answer numerous questions from the audience of international scientists and leading companies in the field of electron microscopy. The next IMPRESS and PCP meeting will be held on 1 September 2023 in Düsseldorf. See full details.

Can the three intelligences – human (research, skills), natural (materials) and artificial – work together to solve one of the most complex challenges of the digital and green transformation? This is the challenge that Area Science Park, in partnership with MEET Digital Culture Centre in Milan, is launching as part of the wider European project S+T+ARTS in the City. A new call has been launched to find an art project able to translate and interpret the paradox of “twin transformation”, i.e. the ever-increasing need for rare and critical materials and minerals for making microchips, batteries, and tools and tech for generating renewable energy (solar panels, photovoltaic installations, wind turbines, etc.). We walk and live in cities rich in these materials which can be mined (“urban mining”), only the recycling or extraction processes can have a significant impact on the environment. How can we escape this vicious cycle? Finding new extraction techniques or recycling methods which have less of an impact, or researching and identifying new materials that are easier to extract and in larger quantities are three possible ways forward that are being explored. The call represents an opportunity to reflect on the symbiotic processes between nature, artificial intelligence and human intelligence, as part of one greater form of “city intelligence”. It may give rise to a utopian scenario, in which human intelligence mediates and integrates the other two forms of intelligence (artificial and natural), or a dystopian one, whereby humans are sidelined by the other two forms of intelligence that operate autonomously. The artistic prototype should emerge from creative speculation surrounding the concepts of sustainability, circularity and generative IA, aligning with the New European Bauhaus initiative. The residency is organised in partnership with MEET Digital Culture Center, a partner in the European programme S+T+ARTS (Science + Technology + Arts), with Area Science Park Trieste acting as co-host. Area Science Park will provide the artist with access to open data, as well as technology resources and platforms focused around the materials, data and life sciences.  The artist will also receive invaluable scientific support and guidance from the Institution’s researchers and from researchers in the network it coordinates. The deadline for submitting a project is 25 August 2023. >> Apply now

The BLUEAIR project Final event was held in a hybrid format in Trieste on July 11th. The Project involves 31 strategic partners representing the 8 countries of the Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion. The Final event “Shaping together the sustainable Blue Economy on the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region”, was attended by 100 representatives coming from all the countries involved (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro and Greece). The event was opened by Salvatore La Rosa, Director of the Research and Innovation Division of Area Science Park, the project’s lead partner, while Alessia Rosolen, Regional Councillor for Labour, Training, Education, Research, University and Family of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia had opened the afternoon session. Four thematic panels (I-Innovation Community, II-Innovation strategy, III-Blue skills to feed jobs and IV- Technology Foresight) offered an overview of the Sustainable Blue Economy context in the Adriatic-Ionian area – both as regards EU countries and IPA ones – and of the role that BLUEAIR has acquired within it. More than 20 representatives of the quadruple helix (EU, national and regional institutions and bodies, university and research bodies, and companies) provided important insights into the state of the art of EU and national policies and EU projects, as well as on topics related to the development of S3 and the Blue Economy, such as blue skills and innovation strategies, with specific in-depth analyses on the topics of alternative fuels, robotics, aquaculture and waterborne transport. The event was also an opportunity to launch and present two of the main outcomes of the BLUEAIR project. Firstly, the creation of an Innovation Community, an operational platform open to all players, public and private, aiming at improving and simplifying the collaboration for innovation in order to promote a sustainable blue economy in the Adriatic-Ionian region, operating at the micro, meso and macro-regional level and promoting collective innovation actions to drive and increase the visibility of Blue Growth and build strong partnerships across sectors and disciplines, supporting the development of a macro-regional innovation system, promoting supportive policies and practices, strengthening and supporting the awareness of new generations to sustainability and development issues and engaging with innovation ecosystems in other sea basins. A special insight was also devoted to the Technology Foresight conducted between 2022 and 2023. Its results were highly appreciated by the participating experts for its scientific accuracy and concrete approach. As in the case of the Innovation Community, the results of the Technology Foresight of the BLUEAIR project represent a heritage to be maintained and expanded in the perspective of the development of the Blue Economy in the Adriatic-Ionian area. The BlueAir project is financed under the Interreg ADRION program, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the IPA II Fund. Read more  

Research published in the journal Nature Physics presents a new method for greater understanding of quantum materials. Employing an experimental technique using the synchrotron light source, an international team of researchers – including Italian organisations, the IOM Materials Foundry of the National Research Council of Trieste (CNR-IOM), University of Bologna, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and La Statale University of Milan – have succeeded in measuring the “winding” of electrons, a property that determines certain particular characteristics of materials, knowledge which will be essential for their possible use in future advanced applications. The study, conducted at Sincrotrone Elettra in Trieste, also involved academics from the University of Würzburg (Germany), the University of St. Andrews (UK), Boston College (US) and the University of Santa Barbara (US). “The quantum properties of materials determine the behaviour of electrons, including their ‘topological winding’, meaning the curvature of the space in which they move within matter,” explains Ivana Vobornik, a researcher at CNR-IOM in Trieste. “By studying this property, one can identify the quantum properties of a certain material, and this enables greater understanding for applications in various technological fields, from renewable energy to biomedicine, and from electronics to quantum computers.” Specifically, the team focused on a class of materials known as “kagome materials”, named for their close resemblance to woven bamboo threads in traditional Japanese baskets. “These materials are revolutionising quantum physics due to their magnetic, topological and superconducting properties. Understanding these properties is therefore key,” adds the researcher. “To measure the characteristic of electron winding, an experimental technique was employed that relies on a synchrotron light source. In this case, measurements were conducted at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste. Synergy with theoretical analysis and the use of powerful supercomputers was also key: theoretical simulations made it possible to guide the experiments to the specific area of the material in which the properties being studied manifest”. Rome, 12 June 2023 Image caption: Three perspectives of the surface on which electrons move, the Fermi surface. Left, the experimental result; centre and right, theoretical modelling. The colours red and blue represent a measure of electron speed. Both theory and experiment reflect the symmetry of the crystal, present in the Japanese “kagome” weave used to make traditional baskets. Summary Who: IOM Materials Foundry of the National Research Council of Trieste (CNR-IOM), University of Bologna, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and La Statale University of Milan, University of Würzburg (Germany), University of St. Andrews (UK), Boston College (US) and the University of Santa Barbara (US). What: “Flat band separation and robust spin Berry curvature in bilayer kagome metals”, Nature Physics (2023), DOI 10.1038/s41567-023-02053-z., link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-023-02053-z For information: Flavia Mancini, CNR-IOM, email: mancini@iom.cnr.it, mob.: +39 328 1230247, Giancarlo Panaccione, CNR-IOM, panaccione@iom.cnr.it, mob.: +39 335 5368898, Ivana Vobornik, CNR-Iom: vobornik@iom.cnr.it, mob.: +39 339 3967854 (contact details for professional use not to be published).

“Area Science Park is a hub for global, and above all Italian, knowledge, intelligence and expertise. It represents a concentration of our ability to excel. This area is the nucleus of a growing and ever stronger scientific community. A community that shows us again and again how powerful academic cooperation can be both for Italy’s innovation and as a diplomatic tool with international partners.” These were the words of the Minister for Universities and Research Anna Maria Bernini, during her visit to Area Science Park today, where she was welcomed by the President of the research institute, Prof. Caterina Petrillo, and General Manager Anna Sirica. Others present included the Regional Councillor for Research, Alessia Rosolen; the Mayor of Trieste, Roberto Di Piazza; the Prefect, Pietro Signoriello; and representatives of the scientific and technological institutions of SiS FVG, the Friuli Venezia Giulia Science and Innovation System. The President, Prof. Petrillo illustrated the core activities, strategic priorities and future development prospects of the research body to Minister Bernini, focusing on the investments that Area Science Park is making in the field of research and technological infrastructure. “We are very pleased that the Minister of Universities and Research has accepted our invitation to visit the institution and meet representatives of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region’s Scientific and Innovation System,” commented President Caterina Petrillo after the meeting with the ministerial delegation. “Area Science Park is a national research institution under the aegis of the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), with a unique profile and expertise developed over 45 years in the field of research and innovation serving the country. Today, thanks in part to funding from the MUR National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the institution is taking a further step forward, investing in new state-of-the-art equipment and attracting young talent. In fact, alongside two national partners, we are working on the finalisation of two research structures, one dedicated to the study of pathogens and another to the study of innovative materials.” Later, the Minister had the opportunity to visit some of the most important business and scientific entities at Area Science Park, starting with modefinance, a company with a technological and financial foundation, now part of the TeamSystem group. Modefinance is a native fintech company, founded in 2009 as a University of Trieste spin-off and incubated at Area Science Park, and develops artificial-intelligence and data-science solutions for credit risk assessment and management. Next was the ICGEB (International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology), an intergovernmental organisation with 45 cutting-edge laboratories across three continents. It forms an interactive network of 68 member states, with operations aligned with those of the United Nations System. It plays a key role in biotechnology by promoting research excellence, training and technology transfer to industry, making a tangible contribution to global sustainable development. At ICGEB, welcomed by centre Director-General Lawrence Banks, the Minister visited the Tumour Virology, Bacteriology, and Functional Cell Biology laboratories. In the afternoon, the ministerial delegation moved to the Basovizza campus, where Minister Bernini visited Area Science Park’s Laboratory of Genomics and Epigenomics (LAGE), a leading national centre in the field of genomics and epigenomics and a key element of the Life Sciences Platform, an open research structure providing expertise and services aimed at experimental testing, and applied and industrial research projects, and which will be further enhanced thanks to MUR National Recovery and Resilience Plan funds. The next stop was the R&D laboratories of Alifax, one of the most important Italian companies specialising in the development, production and distribution of clinical diagnostic tools for laboratory automation, with a strong focus on scientific research and technological innovation supported by a constant programme of investments. Before leaving Area Science Park, the Minister visited Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste,the third-generation Italian synchrotron radiation facility serving the national and international scientific and industrial community. Alongside Elettra, since 2010 there has been Free Electron Laser FERMI, one of the few laser facilities of this type operational in the world, capable of ultrashort, microscopic observations at the atomic and molecular level. The Minister’s busy day ended with a visit to the icebreaker ship “Laura Bassi” of the OGS – National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics.

PICOSATS today announced the signing of a contract with the space logistics transportation company D-Orbit for the In-Orbit Demonstration of the RADIOSAT Ka-band transponder and the BEAMSAT K/Ka band horn antenna aboard the ION Satellite Carrier. ION Satellite Carrier is a multipurpose vehicle capable of performing satellite transport, payload hosting and advanced edge computing services in orbit in a single mission. The mission is scheduled for October 2023 and the target orbit is SSO, at an altitude of 500 – 600 km. “This opportunity will enable PICOSATS to reach flight heritage and enter the SATCOM equipment market with flight proven products” said Arianna Cagliari, VP Business Development. Founded in 2014 as a spin-off of the University of Trieste, PICOSATS is a company committed to the research, development, and commercialization of cutting-edge telecommunications systems for the small satellite market and beyond. The increasing use of small satellites in low orbits for satellite communications and the spectrum congestion has demanded the development of high-frequency, miniaturized telecommunications systems, and PICOSATS has seized the opportunity to enter this rapidly expanding market. PICOSATS is currently testing in an operational environment two transponders designed for CubeSats and small satellites, one in K/Ka and one in Ku-band for applications in LEO and GEO. The development of these products makes use of the know-how acquired by the company through various opportunities provided by the European and Italian Space Agencies. Along with the transponders, PICOSATS has also developed K/Ka-band and Ku-band horn antennas, and a V-band double reflector antenna for small satellites.

The kick off meeting at the Area Science Park officially got the “Pathogen Readiness Platform for CERIC-ERIC Upgrade” PRP@CERIC underway, the national project funded by Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (Ministero dell’università e della ricerca — MUR) within the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza — PNRR) and coordinated by the research institute Area Science Park in partnership with the National Research Council (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche — CNR) (Institute of Materials [Istituto Officina dei Materiali] and Institute of Crystallography [Istituto di Cristallografia]), the University of Salerno, the University of Naples and the University of Salento. The project, which can count on funding of 41 million euro, aims to create a highly specialised research infrastructure, unique in Europe, which integrates instruments and expertise in biology, biochemistry, physics, bio-electronics, bio-informatics and data science to study pathogens of human, animal and plant origin and intervene quickly to prevent the spread of potential new outbreaks of diseases. A multidisciplinary approach is the key to achieving the fundamental and applied research objectives that the project aims to implement in compliance with the DNSH (Do No Significant Harm) principle, namely, not to cause significant harm to the environment. In line with practices already in place at the Area Science Park and Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste laboratories, both academic and industrial users will be provided open access to the new infrastructure for studies and analyses. PRP@CERIC provides for the construction of new laboratories, as well as the updating of existing instruments and services. In fact, the laboratories of Area Science Park, Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, CNR and ICGEB (institutes of scientific excellence collaborating to implement the project) will be potentiated. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to leverage solid scientific principles and interdisciplinary and international collaboration, which are all fundamental to successfully reducing the human, social and economic impact of potential future risks of epidemics. Research infrastructures can play a key role in understanding the fundamental aspects of pathogenicity and in the effective development of prevention and healthcare strategies. Cutting-edge instruments, methodologies and technologies on diverse and mutually integrated scales (from single molecules to whole organisms) have the potential to meet the sensitivity and selectivity requirements required by the study of complex biological systems, thus contributing to shedding new light on host-pathogen interaction mechanisms. “The PRP@CERIC project was developed based on the expertise in genomics and data science already present at the research institute, integrating these competencies with those of the Area Science Park system. I refer, for example, to the research excellence in the field of virology at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), as well as the experimental capabilities of the Electra synchrotron light source, a research centre of international importance”, commented the President of Area Science Park, Caterina Petrillo, during the project’s kick off meeting. “This consolidated scientific expertise is complemented by certain specialties at the universities of Naples, Salento and Salerno, partners with whom we have already developed projects of national importance. The integration of varied expertise and the networking of laboratories located in different geographical areas will create a unique infrastructure in Europe that will be at the service of the world of research and business, nationally and internationally”. The PRP@CERIC project, which will continue for 30 months, it also adheres to the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data guidelines, that is, the data produced will be processed in such a way as to be easily available, accessible, interoperable and reusable, in the spirit of open and collaborative science at an international level. Sustainability will also be extended to models of higher education, since the project involves the setting up of master’s course for graduates and training for the next generation of researchers. The “Pathogen Readiness Platform for CERIC-ERIC Upgrade” PRP@CERIC project is funded by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) under Mission 4 “Education and Research”, Component 2 “From Research to Enterprise”, Investment Line 3.1 “Fund for the creation of an integrated system of research and innovation infrastructures”, funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU.

An international research team led by Milan’s Institute of Photonics and Nanotechnologies – part of the National Research Council (Cnr-lfn) – has used an innovative approach to investigate the chirality of molecules, an essential property to develop technologically innovative solutions in the fields of materials science, pharmaceutics, and catalysis processes. The study was conducted at the laboratories of the Elettra Synchrotron Research Centre in Trieste, home to the FERMI free-electron laser. This is a last generation instrument that has enabled chirality at the level of individual atoms to be “photographed” during an ultrafast process. The results of the study have been published in the scientific journal Physical Review X. “A chiral molecule is not superimposable on its mirror image: in other words, it is a molecule that does not have mirror symmetry, and that exists in two different forms, called enantiomers, which cannot be superimposed by rotation or translation”, explained Caterina Vozzi, director of Cnr-lfn. “Understanding this property is important to many aspects of chemistry, biology and physics: the chemical reactivity and biological and pharmacological activity of chiral molecules can vary significantly depending on the configuration of the enantiomers. In applications with these complex molecules, it is therefore important to understand how each atom contributes to total chirality, especially during chemical reactions”. In the study, the variation of the chiral properties of a molecule were analysed over time using the radiation produced by a free electron laser (FEL), a cutting-edge technology that produces extremely intense and short pulses of light, lasting a few femtoseconds (1 femtosecond corresponds to a millionth of a billionth of a second). “The FERMI free electron laser is the only one in the world capable of producing pulses of circularly polarized light capable of exploring these phenomena. This type of light is able to provide detailed information on the structure and dynamics of molecules, opening up new perspectives in basic and applied research ”, added Oksana Plekan, researcher at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, co-author of the study. “In this study, we have shown how the chirality of a molecule changes during an ultrafast process when we observe it from the perspective of the atoms forming it. This ability to observe chirality from multiple points of view is similar to stereoscopic vision in humans, thanks to which we can perceive the depth and three-dimensionality of the world around us”, stated Davide Faccialà, researcher at Cnr-Ifn and first author of the study. “The technique we have demonstrated enables us to observe in real time how the chirality of a molecule changes at an unprecedented level of detail, opening up new avenues for understanding the chemical and physical properties of chiral molecules in chemical reactions”. The study demonstrated the importance of combining expertise in different scientific fields to achieve innovative results in research. ———– The Italian Institute for the Structure of Matter (Istituto di struttura della materia — Ism) of the National Research Council (Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche — Cnr), the French National Centre of Scientific Research (Centre national de la recherche scientifique) and the University of Bordeaux (France), the University of Nottingham (UK), the German Electron Synchrotron (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron) and the University of Hamburg (Germany), the Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) (Italy), the University of Nova Gorica (Slovenia), the Sincrotrone Soleil (France) and the University of Tokyo (Japan) contributed to the research.

“When we discuss the current Science and Innovation System of Trieste and, more generally, of Friuli Venezia Giulia, we cannot overlook the impact of history on the local area, determining an international vocation and the need to network, aspects that have now become key strengths”, explained Caterina Petrillo, President of Area Science Park, speaking at the Conference of Science and Space Experts held on 6 and 7 March 2023 at the University of Padua. The speech by President Petrillo, dedicated to the scientific hub in Trieste, was given in the session entitled “Research as a Driver of Competition in the National System” that took place on 7 March, with participants including Maria Chiara Carrozza, President of CNR; Francesco Ubertini, President of Cineca; and Marcella Panucci, Head of the MUR Council, replacing the head of the Italian delegation to the Board of Government Representatives of Einstein Telescope. “The Friuli Venezia Giulia Science and Innovation System is now an international venture, thanks to numerous scientific institutions that attract students, researchers and professors from all around the world every year,” the President continued, before adding, “Friuli Venezia Giulia is a highly innovative area that boasts 251 innovative start-ups (figure at 31 December 2022) and companies that are particularly active in R&D, and which, between 2011 and 2020, submitted 1,004 Italian patents and 875 European patents”. The 2023 Conference of Science and Space Experts, entitled “Scientific diplomacy supporting growth in Italy”, was organised in collaboration with APRE (Agency for the Promotion of European Research) and welcomed the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, and the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini.

A close collaboration between scientific institutes and companies in the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region has produced promising results in the treatment of difficult wounds. A new advanced therapy for the effective resolution of difficult wounds has been published in the Nature group journal npj Regenerative Medicine. The study has shown how certain fat cells, named Stromal Vascular Fraction or SVF, are able to promote the formation of new blood vessels at the wound level, with important acceleration of healing time. Difficult wounds are extremely painful skin lesions that do not heal, and in fact worsen over time. This is caused by the coexistence of underlying chronic diseases, primarily diabetes and peripheral arterial disease, which do not allow adequate vascularization of the wound, which is necessary to ensure sufficient oxygen and nutrient supply, and thus healing. This is a common condition in people over 60, at least as common as heart failure, with major limitations in daily activities. The economic implications are important. About 3 percent of the global health budget is spent on the care of difficult wounds, which require specialized and expensive therapies: in Italy, more than 3 billion euros per year. Added to this is the reduction in the patient’s ability to work and the sometimes constant need for health care. This research, led by Serena Zacchigna, head of the Cardiovascular Biology Laboratory at the ICGEB and professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Trieste, was made possible by the PREFER project-Development of a Biocompatible PRoduct for the tErapy of Difficult FERites, funded by the 2014-2020 European Regional Development Fund Operational Program of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. In addition to ICGEB and UniTS, two regional companies, Zeta Research and Vivabiocell, led the project. “Currently available therapies are based on the application of skin substitutes to promote wound healing,” Zacchigna explains, “However, their effectiveness is limited by the inadequate vascularization that usually underlies this disease. How does this new therapy work? We took cells derived from the patients’ adipose tissue and applied them to the wound bed. After a few days, we observed the formation of a new vascular network, functional and connected with the pre-existing vessels.” “Restoring adequate blood supply to the wound is critical to support healing of the skin lesion,” continues Giovanni Papa, UniTS professor and Director of the Plastic Surgery Unit of the Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Giuliano Isontina (ASUGI), which provided the cells and enabled validation of the efficacy. Collaboration between academia and business enabled this first milestone toward better care and quality of life for people with difficult wounds. Crucial to this journey was the participation of VivaBioCell, a leading manufacturer of bioreactors for cell therapies, which brought its industrial expertise and ability to transform research results into implementable solutions in a clinical reality. “The joint work between us academic researchers, hospital clinicians and the industrial research and development department was essential to define concrete goals that were compatible with the needs of the industrial scaling-up process,” says Roman Vuerich, first author of the paper and a doctoral student at UniTS and ICGEB. “This project was an example of how the synergy between academia and business can lead to concrete solutions to public health challenges.” “We are confident that this collaboration can continue in the future to bring an advanced therapy product to patients and serve as a beacon to promote other collaborative projects between research centers, hospitals and industry. Only through funding that supports the synergy between these entities will we be able to ensure that research results reach patients and that this can also happen in Italy,” Zacchigna and Papa concluded in unison. Link to the paper.

The European Commission has awarded its Seal of Excellence to the IP4FVG-EDIH project presented by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Regional Authority in the context of the “European Digital Innovation Hubs” (EDIHs) 2021–27 initiative. This recognition gives access to national funding from the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. IP4FVG is the regional Digital Innovation Hub supported by Argo, the industrial system based on innovation of processes and products to increase local competition, and depends on a partnership (coordinated by the national research body Area Science Park) involving representatives of various areas of interest active in Friuli Venezia Giulia: universities, research, industry and public institutions. There are 21 organisations involved in total, including the Regional Authority as an active partner, specifically managing planning work to identify training needs focused on the digital transformation of businesses and public administrations, and swift updating regarding regional funding opportunities. “Being a part of the European network,” stated regional councillor for work Alessia Rosolen, “is essential for our area, in order to be competitive internationally and strengthen support for transforming manufacturing processes of regional businesses in a wider context”. The project proposal that received the seal of excellence has a duration of 36 months and a total cost of € 5.5 million. It was formulated by assessing and improving the previous project, already submitted in the context of the 2021 edition of the initiative but not accepted for funding. Integrating the technological infrastructure and technical expertise of all partners, IP4FVG-EDIH can offer a series of advanced services to promote and support the digital and green transformation of businesses and public administrations in industrial, manufacturing, energy and environment, and agri-biotechnology sectors. To support the digital transformation of businesses, four living labs for technology have been created across the region, coordinated by Area Science Park, where companies can test technological solutions prior to implementing them in their production processes. These living labs, like the other technological infrastructures available from project partners, will offer businesses a point of access to the IP4FVG-EDIH ecosystem, as well as the entire European EDIH network and the network of national research centres.

The Clean Hydrogen Partnership Joint Undertaking, the unique public private partnership supporting research and innovation (R&I) activities in hydrogen technologies in Europe, has confirmed the preliminary results of the Horizon Europe call for Large Scale Hydrogen Valleys. The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project, the transnational project created by the alliance between Croatia, Slovenia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, has received a positive technical evaluation and is now eligible to move on to the grant negotiation phase. If all goes well the project will be eligible for a grant of up to €25 Million in direct funding. The results of the negotiation phase are expected by early February. The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” with the participation of the Slovenian and Croatian governments, and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia is the first transnational project aimed at developing a dedicated hydrogen valley. The project came about following an agreement between Croatia, Slovenia and the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the aim of establishing a framework for cooperation in developing environmentally friendly hydrogen-production technologies. This collaboration will not only contribute to transitioning to an integrated ecosystem involving the energy, industry and transport sectors, but will also allow cooperation in research and innovation, to develop a hydrogen supply chain. The partnership, led by Slovenian Utility company HSE, includes 34 organisations representing key actors from Government, Research and Business communities and covers the entire value chain from production through storage and distribution to final end use of Hydrogen as a key energy vector in multiple sectors. Key industry players from all three countries will develop pilot projects for the production of over 5000 tonnes per year of green hydrogen from renewable energy sources and its storage, distribution and usage for the decarbonisation of important industrial sectors such as steel and cement production as well as sustainable transport solutions. Massimiliano Fedriga, President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region “I welcome with great satisfaction the achievement of a result of the highest value which concerns the entire regional territorial system which has committed itself, with great conviction, to building the foundations for the construction of a hydrogen valley on a transnational scale with the aim to accelerate the energy transition process. The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” project was born thanks to the long standing collaboration between the research and innovation hubs of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Slovenia and Croatia which, providing a unique example on a macro-regional scale, have been able to pool knowledge and skills, and thanks also to the investments that industry in the three territories has already planned which require large-scale coordination capacity to produce significant effects in terms of employment and the well-being of our communities. I trust that the positive evaluation of the project at European level will lead in due course to a grant award and also bodes well for other opportunities that the Region intends to exploit in a synergistic way, starting with the investments envisaged by the Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan for the production and use of hydrogen”. Davor Filipović, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of the Republic of Croatia “The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” project is a logical first step in the implementation of Croatian Hydrogen Strategy until 2050. The importance of hydrogen in Croatia is increasing and numerous Croatian companies have started to develop hydrogen projects. The “North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley” will upraise hydrogen economy and mark all three territories as hydrogen friendly. The added value of the valley is the successful cooperation among the three territories that will ensure faster implementation of numerous projects and open new horizons for our companies and universities. We need to be aware that hydrogen, produced mostly in Europe, could become a significant source of energy and a strong tool for the decrease of energy import dependency as one of the most important issues for boosting EU economy. Our goal is clear: we aim to be an important global player based on clean and sustainable economy. Bojan Kumer, Ministry of Infrastructure of the Republic of Slovenia After a long period of joint efforts of all partners from Slovenia, Croatia and Friuli Venezia Giulia, we are very pleased that the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley was positively evaluated by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership Joint Undertaking. This is another step towards ensuring more sustainable and green-house gas emission-free economies in the North Adriatic basin. By developing hydrogen-based ecosystem, we will complement other solutions towards emission-free economy. All the analyses and research so far show that for the successful implementation of such a large and complex project, joining forces cross-border is very important. Not only that it makes the realisation of such a complex project possible, it also paves the way to new opportunities for future cooperation with our partners for Croatia and Italy and hopefully also the broader region. It is also worth mentioning that this project is a result of joint efforts by the state and regional administrations, industry, research institutions and the public, the so-called quadruple helix model. This broad collaboration is indeed a guarantee for the success of this project and for the further development of hydrogen-based solutions for broader use. Tomaž Štokelj, CEO of Holding Slovenske elektrarne d.o.o – HSE, Lead Partner Holding Slovenske elektrarne (HSE), the largest Slovenian power producer and the main producer of renewable electrical energy, is proud to be one of the leading partners in The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project, an industry driven initiative which has resulted as common effort of institutional, industry and research partners from the territory of Friuli Venezia Giulia Region in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia. Company ECUBES has had a vison of hydrogen ecosystem in year 2015, which has been developed to Zero Emission Mobility Corridor Slovenia project in 2018 and which was also a basis for RESHUB project concept in sector of defence. Ministry of Infrastructure and Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Republic of Slovenia have declared their support to Zero Emission Mobility Corridor Slovenia in 2020 with an aim to develop a national hydrogen ecosystem. Development of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project initiative has been accelerated through the first Hydrogen Ecosystem North Adriatic conferences held in Nova Gorica in November 2021. Letter of intent signed by State secretaries of Slovenia and Croatia and the President of Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region in early 2022 has formed joint working group at the institutional level. This has enabled main framework for successful fusion of partial and local activities in hydrogen technologies of the territory into one common project of 34 partners. HSE has taken a role of the leading partner in the project with honour. Development of hydrogen-based solutions is important for energy sector and its green transformation, as energy storage is a prerequisite for decarbonization and large-scale employment of renewables. The North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley project also represents a tight cooperation between institutional, industry and research partners, which will result in accelerated development of the territory and faster transition into energy resilient and carbon dioxide emission neutral society, in line with HSE’s mission and vision. Caterina Petrillo, Area Science Park President “The project is the result of formidable teamwork where the contributions provided by each of the partners, based on their respective skills and experience, have been integrated and harmonized to imagine the future of the so-called “Hydrogen Economy”. The development of the North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley concept saw a marked acceleration in 2021 when the University of Trieste drove the addition of research institutions to the growing partnership which already included companies and government institutions from Slovenia and Croatia as well as Friuli Venezia Giulia. Area Science Park made available to the project its many years of consolidated experience in scientific cooperation, in particular in South-eastern Europe, as well as its ability to build public-private partnerships between research centres and innovative companies with production in strategic sectors for growth. Furthermore, this project represents a great opportunity for the institution to further develop applied skills in the sector of innovative materials.”