Emilia-Romagna, funding for Innovation and Higher Education: 2,5 million euros for projects in the Region.

Artificial intelligence, telemedicine, smart cities. These are just some of the areas of intervention of the projects curated by universities and training institutions, financed by the Emilia-Romagna Region with 2,2 million euros. Projects that do not neglect the leading sectors of the regional economy, such as those of motors and packaging. In addition, a second resolution allocates an additional 300 thousand euros to higher education in the musical field.

The two tenders have the aim of supporting and increasing the capacity to attract talent and valuable ideas, strengthening collaboration between public and private sectors, as well as the integration between European, national, regional and territorial strategies. The entry requirements vary depending on the courses: in most cases they are aimed at people who have already graduated or are engaged in an academic path. The courses will start in the next few months and will end in 2026.

The recipients of the funding from the first call are: Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (154 thousand euros for the Piacenza campus), University of Parma (642 thousand euros), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (500 thousand euros), University of Ferrara (147 thousand euros), University of Bologna (592 thousand euros), Biagi Foundation (154 thousand euros).

33 high-level training courses will be organised which, by valorising excellence, experiences and specificities and strengthening the networks of collaboration between Universities, AFAM Institutes and higher education institutions, will make available a wide range of opportunities. to enable people to enrich and/or complete their university courses, acquiring functional skills to accompany the dual transition of regional systems of production of goods and services and the qualification of the territory and communities.

Specifically, the courses are located in the areas of environmental sustainability and circular economy, the valorization of cultural heritage through digital tools, innovation in materials and packaging production processes, and the design of smart cities that eliminate land consumption. Furthermore, the opportunities that digital transition and big data offer to healthcare will be explored with reference, for example,, telemedicine and surgical robotics, new models of artificial intelligence will be designed, the fight against discrimination and the optimization of human resources management will be studied, the application of new technologies in the field of sustainable mobility with particular attention to the region's tradition of motor engineering.

Recipient of the second call, the University of Bologna in collaboration with the Accademia Filarmonica Foundation of Bologna, the Carlo and Guglielmo Andreoli Music School Foundation and the GB Martini Conservatory of Bologna.

A high-level training course for solo instrumentalists will be held in two editions, with the presence of internationally renowned concert teachers. Initiatives for comparison and exchange are planned, such as seminars, webinars, workshops, master classes: events capable of expanding the relationships between the various international entities operating in the field of musical training. The course will cost a total of 370 thousand euros, of which 300 thousand will be regional public funding.

Regional tenders

The first of the two regional tenders approved last May made available approximately 2,2 million euros: 1,2 million come from the European Social Fund Plus and are allocated to make a training offer available which allows people, regardless of their status in the job market, to acquire the skills necessary for quality work, adapting, strengthening and making their professional profile more marketable. A further 970 thousand euros were instead allocated to complementary services, designed to enhance these training activities, broaden the potential recipients (also and above all with an eye on attracting talent abroad) enriching the offer, where necessary, with seminars and specific interventions for internationalization and attractiveness, of comparison and exchange between different bodies and institutions in a national and international dimension, as well as aimed at accompanying and documenting the various activities to qualify the analysis of the needs and expected impacts.

The second call required subjects specialized in the musical field to enhance methodologies and teaching methods capable of thinking of a training capable of promoting socialization and community building, which at the same time was customizable and attractive for people involved in international institutions and contexts.