The report of the workshop 2.2
ITA | ENG
Safer technologies, more democratic societies, new opportunities for businesses and more sustainable economies are some of the goals that, according to the European Commission, can be achieved by promoting digital transformation in society through measures ranging from strengthening cybersecurity infrastructures to enhancing digital skills. Digital transformation, particularly its relationship with universities and businesses, was the theme of the “Supporting the Digital Transition” workshop, held as part of the NOP Research and Innovation annual event that took place on 22 and 23 February 2022 in collaboration with the European Commission’s University Business Forum.
“We are seeing an incredible growth of digitization in our society, and companies play a key role in this transition to the digital era,” said Paola Inverardi, University of L’Aquila, workshop moderator. The workshop presented projects and experiences of excellence in the field of digital transformation.
The European DIFME project, presented by Marika Huber, provides financial and digital training for micro-entrepreneurs through a multi-language e-learning platform, characterized by high quality content, ease of use and accessibility. The project, co-funded by the European Erasmus+ programme, involves a total of 11 partners, including 5 universities and 6 companies, and helps small and medium-sized enterprises to develop innovative digital strategies to internationalize their businesses and be more competitive on the market.
Digital Innovation Hubs, which are increasingly widespread across Europe, also promote digital innovation in companies through networking and intermediation. The importance of these hubs was underlined by Katharina Engel, Senior Desk Officer Digital Internationalization & European at German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), which promotes scientific-academic exchange between students and institutions in Germany. Since its foundation, the DAAD has supported more than 1.9 million academics in Germany and all over the world. It supports programmes that include university-business partnerships with a focus on digitization.
Innovation in the digital sector, however, is also an important lever to promote green and sustainable transition. One example is the SIRIMAP project, funded by the NOP Research and Innovation 2014-2020 and presented by Pietro Ferraro, National Research Council. The project aims to exploit digital technologies to detect microplastics in the environment and develop appropriate recovery and recycling strategies. An important result achieved by the project is the development of an innovative Artificial Intelligence method that, combined with a holographic sensor, allows the detection of the presence of microplastics in marine samples, distinguishing them from the microplankton: an extremely important achievement published in Advanced Intelligent Systems.
The workshop ended with the presentation of another project funded by the NOP Research and Innovation 2014-2020, Adam’s Hand, the bionic hand developed by BionIT Labs, a startup based in Soleto, near Lecce. As explained by Giovanni Zappatore, mechanical engineer and founder of the startup, only 40% of people with upper limb loss use prostheses, partly because of the negative aspects associated with the current models on the market. Adam’s Hand intends to be an innovative solution characterized by high dexterity and capacity to adapt to grasped objects, ease of use, low weight and high autonomy. This innovative medical device will reach the Italian market in 2022 and will then be launched in major European countries and in the United States.