During the 19th edition of the International Conference on Intelligent Autonomous Systems (IAS 19), Michela Spagnuolo, leader of RAISE’s Spoke 1, presented the evolution and key outcomes of the Ligurian innovation ecosystem, illustrating the project from its inception to its current stage of maturity. The presentation provided an opportunity to share reflections on the results achieved, the challenges faced, and the future trajectories of the program.
Since its launch, RAISE has aimed to strengthen the competitiveness of the Ligurian region by fostering deep integration between scientific research, technology transfer, and social impact. The synergy among public research institutions, universities, companies, and hospitals has enabled the creation of a robust and innovation-driven project infrastructure, generating measurable benefits both scientifically and economically.
Spagnuolo highlighted that in less than three years, RAISE has activated 295 research positions, with an average age of 34 and a significant international presence (18% from 22 foreign countries). Women make up 43% of the recruited personnel, demonstrating a concrete commitment to equity and inclusivity. The ecosystem has also developed 172 innovative technological solutions, many of which have already undergone validation and applied study in sectors ranging from robotics to digital health.
Among the most significant results, the launch of 11 new clinical studies was emphasized, 4 of which have already been presented to ethics committees, with another 4 in the operational startup phase. At the same time, numerous training and outreach initiatives were developed: over 3,300 people participated in training and update programs, including university students, researchers, and public administration staff.
The cascading call mechanism proved particularly effective, enabling the activation of projects aligned with RAISE’s objectives even by entities outside the ecosystem, especially in Southern Italy. Five calls were launched to finance experimental projects complementary to the activities of individual spokes, thus contributing to a wider dissemination of the program’s impact across the national territory.
In her speech, Michela Spagnuolo also outlined a future outlook, emphasizing the intention to continue the work through paths of technological consolidation, prototype industrialization, and internationalization of the developed solutions: “The RAISE project has achieved promising results, even in highly multidisciplinary fields where the integration of AI and robotics can truly make a difference. However, three years are too few to reach full technological maturity, especially for solutions born from RAISE: now it is necessary to consolidate and develop what has been done, to complete the innovation and transformation effort that RAISE has aimed to bring to the region.”
The IAS 19 conference, dedicated this year to the theme “Ethical, Responsible, and Inclusive Robotics”, provided an ideal setting to reaffirm the relevance and strategic coherence of the RAISE ecosystem with the main global challenges related to sustainability, digital transformation, and responsible technological progress.
