TURIN. Almost 300 companies have responded to the call of the University of Turin on the Butterfly Area, the scientific and technological center dedicated to companies and research institutions, of over 50 thousand square meters, which will rise alongside the new City of Sciences and Environment of Grugliasco and which should be ready (the first stone was laid on the construction site in July) by 2024. The activities planned within the new hub will have an impact on all transversal levels of the green and digital transition with vertical actions on key sectors of the economy: clean energy and technologies, green chemistry and agrifood to name a few. Of the 300 candidate companies, 180 signed the memorandum of understanding, thus confirming their interest in the project and their availability for a more significant engagement and therefore for investment. In addition to the chemical laboratory of the Chamber of Commerce, the Zooprophylactic Institute will also transfer part of its activities within the campus.
The signatory companies
Among the companies that have already signed, in addition to Iren, Novamont and Lavazza, there are Petronas, Raspini, the cosmetic company Dottoressa Reynaldi, Sea Marconi, Pegaso, Reale Mutua, Skf and Sargomma.
Furthermore, a national contest is about to be launched with the participation of students, future inhabitants of Butterfly (chemists, biologists, agronomists) and students of engineering and architecture from all over Italy for a design of the Butterfly building, which will be inspired by the themes of environmental sustainability. and recycling. The contest is titled “The Butterfly that I would like”.
The project
The project was presented in Dubai, at the Expo, as part of a major internationalization effort that the university is carrying out. The UniTo delegation, in fact, has made contact with high-level High Tech Centers that could decide to invest in Turin: Food Tech Valley TBC, which seeks academic know-how with a high scientific and research profile which UniTo has precisely on the issues of agri-food, sustainable agriculture and the food of the future. “We also visited the Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation Park, which promotes the connection between research and development in the area, cultivating the business culture. Then the University of Sharjah, one of the most prestigious local universities in the country and emerging in the Middle East; ICBA, research center specializing in bio-saline agriculture, Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi and Emirates, College for Advanced Education (ECAE) “, comments Christopher Ceperinich, communications delegate. A way to also attract international companies to the Butterfly Area.