The GEMINI – GENESI project launches: a network of excellence for research, innovation and competitiveness in the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system disorders in Southern Italy

The GEMINI – GENESI project was presented today. It is funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research under the National Programme for Research, Innovation and Competitiveness (NPRIC) for the Green and Digital Transition 2021–2027.

The project involves the creation of an Innovation Hub GENESI, and the implementation of the GEMINI scientific programme, focused on patient-centred digital and experimental technologies for the development of personalised therapies for diseases of the central nervous system.

Coordinated by the Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Lecce, the project involves 18 partners and a total investment of more than €18 million over two years.

The launch event took place this morning in the prestigious Council Chamber of Palazzo dei Celestini, headquarters of the Province of Lecce. Speakers included the President of the Province, Fabio Tarantino, the Deputy Mayor of Lecce, Roberto Giordano Anguilla, the Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Salento, Prof. Giuseppe Ciccarella, and the Scientific Director of the Italian Institute of Technology, Giorgio Metta.

The GEMINI – GENESI project was presented by its two co-coordinators: Ferruccio Pisanello, Director of the Centre for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies at the Italian Institute of Technology and Scientific Coordinator of the GEMINI project, and Cristina Battaglia, Programme Manager of the RAISE Innovation Ecosystem, funded by the Ministry of University and Research under Mission 4 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

The GEMINI – GENESI initiative stems from the integration and valorisation of scientific and technological results developed within two projects funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan: RAISE (Robotics and AI for Socio-economic Empowerment), dedicated to the development of robotics and artificial intelligence technologies in healthcare, predictive medicine and personalised care; and Mnesys, focused on new approaches in experimental and clinical neuroscience.

RAISE, the proposing hub for the GEMINI–GENESI project, is also the managing body of the Innovation Hub, with coordination and monitoring functions. It therefore represents the entry point to GENESI for companies and research organisations wishing to access the Hub’s infrastructure and services.

RAISE, in collaboration with the co-proposing hub Mnesys, will also coordinate communication and marketing activities and provide support for the governance of the HUB during the start-up and operational phases of GENESI.

The GEMINI scientific programme will focus on one of the main challenges in health technologies: the development of digital twins as tools to understand, monitor and predict an individual’s health status, thereby supporting early diagnosis, personalised therapies and preventive interventions.

The project aims to develop patient-centred digital and experimental twins for personalised therapies targeting central nervous system disorders, including acquired brain injuries (stroke, head trauma and anoxia) and neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease).

Research activities will be accompanied by the establishment and consolidation of the GENESI Innovation Hub, with its main headquarters in the Province of Lecce and offices in various cities across Southern Italy (Bari, Naples, Cagliari, Caserta, Pozzilli and Palermo), as well as in Genoa. The Hub will enable companies to test, validate and industrialise these technologies, supporting their development and competitiveness.

Through the GEMINI – GENESI dual programme, Southern Italy will be able to draw on new expertise and infrastructure, supported by a scientific and industrial partnership entirely based in the region.

In this sense, GEMINI – GENESI represents a genuine model of development, bringing together research organisations, universities, IRCCS institutes and businesses located in the regions of Puglia, Campania, Molise, Sicily and Sardinia. The initiative aims to attract new investment, foster the creation of start-ups, strengthen skills and develop world-class technological infrastructure.

The project will also support an investment of approximately €1.5 million to consolidate positions held by young researchers recruited through the PNRR, helping to prevent the loss of skills that are fundamental to the competitiveness of Southern Italy in the strategic field of health technologies.

During the meeting, activities were defined to enable the immediate launch of GEMINI’s research lines and the implementation of the GENESI Innovation Hub’s services. In the afternoon, proceedings continued at the Rectorate of the University of Salento, where a technical session will be held with project partners to share work plans and implementation strategies for the research and development programme.

“GEMINI–GENESI aims,” says Cristina Battaglia, Programme Manager of the RAISE Innovation Ecosystem, “to complement research and technological development with tools, infrastructure and expertise to support and enhance the competitiveness of healthcare companies in Southern Italy. With this project, we have seized the extraordinary opportunity to systematise the results achieved by RAISE and Mnesys through their respective PNRR projects, making them structural and sustainable over time.”

“GEMINI–GENESI represents an extraordinary opportunity,” explains Ferruccio Pisanello, Scientific Coordinator of the project and Director of the Center for Biomolecular Nanotechnologies at IIT, “to create, in Southern Italy, a truly cutting-edge ecosystem in health technologies, by bringing together centres of excellence across the participating regions and building on the achievements of recent years under the PNRR, while expanding opportunities for research, innovation and technology transfer.”