Circular economy and clean energymanufacturing sector and sustainable and innovative motor industry, recruitment of researchers, scientific collaborations with the laboratories of the High tech network. They are the main themes of the 61 projects approved (out of 72 presented) from Emilia Romagna region under a tryingwith ERDF resources, dedicated to research and experimental development.
Contribution of 14 million
The objective of the tender is to support projects capable of better interpreting the challenges defined by the Smart specialization strategy and affect the production chains to which they belong. Overall, the Region has made available a contribution of approximately 14 million eurosfor a total investment of 30.8 million euros.
“The outcome of the call testifies to a good response from the productive fabric of the region – comments the regional councilor for economic development and green economy, Vincenzo Colla-. And it confirms the propensity to invest in sectors related to research, culture and innovation to create new products and services and create good employment”.
The projects
Among the most significant ideas are the scientific applications of millimeter waves in industrial automation; the development of one automatic machine in the production lines for PVC windows, with the aim of reducing waste in cutting metal bars; the making of first micro-gas chromatograph based on MEMS microfluidics (devices consisting of mechanical structures and electronic circuits on the same silicon chip) for measuring the calorific value of natural gas supplemented with hydrogen.
More circular economy and clean energy projects
High participation of companies fromcultural and creative industry. There are 19 applications financed for a total investment of around 7 million and a contribution of 3.5 million. Among the main sectors thecircular economy with 17% of projects, theclean energy and sure with 16%, always 17% for one of the traditional vocations of the region – the manufacturing – and 14.5% for the motoring.
Present in numerous projects the high-tech regional network and gods innovation centers accredited. Another important aspect of the call is the strengthening of the research offer, col recruitment of new researchers and the qualification of the regional production chains, through a high patent capacity, the development of frontier technologies and the social impact and on the territories.
Among the most represented provinces Bologna with 21 projects (some with a network of companies), Modena (13), then Reggio Emilia (8) Parma (3), Piacenza (6), Ravenna (2), Ferrara (2), Forlì- Cesena (5), Rimini (3).
Nine have come from disadvantaged areas, inland and in the mountains.
40% of projects dedicated to environmental issues
As for the financial value, 49 projects exceed the threshold of 350 thousand eurosthus determining a high average threshold compared to the minimum investment envisaged equal to 250 thousand.
The weight of research projects on environmental topics, a good 24, i.e. 40% of the financed projects, decidedly higher than the resources initially dedicated to these issues and equal to 1/3 of the resources initially assigned. On the other hand, 46 projects envisage the hiring of a young researcher, therefore 75.4%, confirming the great predisposition of the industrial fabric to create new employment even highly skilled.
There are 53, therefore 86.8%, the projects that include scientific collaborations with the laboratories of the Emilia-Romagna high-tech network, a complex structure financed and supported directly by the Region.