The Emilia-Romagna Region has announced the allocation of a grant of 52 million euros from funds of the ERDF program 2021-2027 to support 105 strategic industrial research projectswith the aim of promoting theinnovation and sustainable growth in the regional production system. This initiative marks a significant step towards integrating academia and business to address crucial challenges such as the circular economy, climate change and the digital transition.
Councilors Colla and Salomoni: “Applied research is an important driver of innovation and with this tender we finance projects in strategic sectors. This contributes to sustainable development with high added value, creating new jobs and improving people’s lives”.
A total investment of over 73.8 million euros, also considering the co-financing by the beneficiaries. The projects were presented by laboratories accredited to the High-tech networkuniversities and public and private research centres, in collaboration with companies that aim to transform research results into concrete industrial solutions.
Several strategic sectors are involved, all aligned with the objectives of the Regional smart specialization strategy 2021-2027. Among these are thematerial innovationthe mobility and the sustainable and innovative motoringthe technologies to address climate change and natural resource managementthe manufacturing 4.0l’clean, safe and affordable energyl’artificial intelligence and thebig data analysis. Crucial sectors such as health, territorial and cultural heritage, regional identity, smart cities and communities of the future are also taken into account.
This funding is in line with the Smart Specialization Strategy (S3) 2021-2027, which drives investment in research and innovation in the territories of the European Union. The S3 of the Emilia-Romagna Region identifies priority thematic areas and areas of strategic specialization, promoting sustainable economic growth and competitiveness on the global scene.