RAISE, selected among the 11 national innovation ecosystems by the Ministry of University and Research within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, is now approaching completion. Its results, impact, and outlook were showcased during the “RAISE CONNECTIONS” event at the Genoa Stock Exchange Palace.
The project, coordinated by the National Research Council, the University of Genoa, and the Italian Institute of Technology, with a broad network of affiliated partners including small and medium-sized enterprises and local institutions, aimed to consolidate the technological innovation and expertise already present in the Ligurian territory. This was intended to serve as a “driver” to fuel new industrial and production processes through Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, particularly in the fields of logistics and port operations, sustainable cities and territories, health, and the environment.
These sectors were explored in detail during the event held on Thursday, April 16, at the Genoa Palazzo della Borsa, creating a moment of synthesis and discussion on the scientific, technological, and systemic results achieved by the project, as well as an opportunity to outline future trajectories for Liguria’s innovation ecosystem.
The day opened with institutional greetings from the Municipality of Genoa, represented by City Councilor Fabio Gregorio; the Liguria Region’s Councillor for Economic Development, Alessio Piana; and Fabrizio Ferrari on behalf of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, demonstrating the strong commitment of the local territory to supporting research, technology transfer, and economic development. This was followed by a presentation from Cristina Battaglia, RAISE Programme Manager, who illustrated the project’s achievements and future prospects, focusing on scientific and technological milestones and the impact generated at both territorial and systemic levels.
The session titled “The RAISE ecosystem and the value of collaborations,” moderated by journalist Daniele Chieffi, featured contributions from Federico Delfino (Rector of the University of Genoa), Giorgio Metta (Scientific Director of the Italian Institute of Technology), and Emilio Fortunato Campana (Director of CNR-DIITET). They discussed the strategic value of integrating research, innovation, and technology transfer, highlighting challenges and opportunities for strengthening the ecosystem.
During the morning, Giorgio Gori, Vice-President of the ITRE Committee of the European Parliament, also spoke, focusing on the role of European policies in supporting innovation. Roberta Pinotti, President of the National Hub for the Underwater Dimension, presented the development of a national ecosystem for research and experimentation in the underwater domain.
The panel on “The value of innovation ecosystems for territorial socio-economic development” included contributions from Corrado Panzeri (TEHA Group) and Fabrizio Ferrari (President of Confindustria Genoa), who emphasized the role of ecosystems as engines of growth, competitiveness, and territorial attractiveness.
In the afternoon, significant attention was given to the communication of innovation, with speeches by Matteo Flora (AI expert, entrepreneur, and university lecturer) and Daniele Chieffi (journalist and president of NoaCom).
This was followed by an institutional speech by Fabrizio Cobis (Ministry of University and Research), who illustrated the network of PNRR projects progressively established at the national level, as well as system perspectives and synergies among various initiatives. This topic was also addressed in the session “Networking for innovation,” which initiated a discussion among national ecosystems with Chiara Ferroni (NODES), Marta Rapallini (FAIR) and Claudia Simoni (MOST).
It continued in the subsequent session “Visions and collaborations among PNRR projects,” featuring Barbara Alemanni (RAISE President), Massimo Labra (Scientific Director of NBFC), Michele Muccini (Coordinator of ECOSISTER Spokes), and Antonio Uccelli (MNESYS), offering an overview of experiences in managing large PNRR programs and collaboration models between projects.
The conclusions were delivered by Barbara Alemanni, President of RAISE, who emphasized the value of the RAISE ecosystem as a model for strengthening the territory’s competitiveness and innovation capacity.
“The future prospects for RAISE and the actions to be carried out in the coming years have been defined within the Strategic Plan for consolidating and enhancing the ecosystem’s results, which is already in the implementation phase: the goal is to generate impact and value thanks to the technologies and expertise developed by RAISE,” said Cristina Battaglia. “The plan is already underway: RAISE is coordinating two projects – one funded by the Ministry of University and Research focused on developing patient-oriented digital twins for personalized therapies for neurodegenerative diseases (GEMINI project), and another funded under the INTERREG Italy-France Maritime program for introducing robotics and AI technologies into the tourism and cultural business supply chain (ARTOUR project). RAISE also participates as co-proponent in the PASS project (also funded by the Ministry of University and Research), dedicated to sustainable territorial planning in a One Health perspective, and in the GLOW-CE project launched under the INTERREG Central Europe program aimed at supporting female entrepreneurship.”
The RAISE ecosystem is strengthening and continuing its activities by enhancing the national and international dimensions of its collaborations, while maintaining a very strong connection with the Ligurian territory and the region’s innovation system.
