05.07.2011 -
Two years in business for Basilicata Innovazione, the
collaborative initiative between AREA Science Park and the
Basilicata Region that promotes innovation and technology transfer
strategies in the business network of the Basilicata Region. Its
anniversary celebrations will be held today in Potenza with a mini
festival, which will see entrepreneurs, researchers and university
professors present projects and results that have so far marked the
stages of the various ongoing activities.
"The extent of the impact of innovation processes on our
life is already becoming apparent," reflects Vito De Filippo,
Chairman of Basilicata. "In its first two years of business, the
work of Basilicata Innovazione has led to improvements in the
manufacturing processes of Pane di Matera [Matera bread] and the
upholstered furniture district, from the cultivation of mushrooms
to the exploitation of timber found in Basilicata, from the
processing of tuff to the agroindustry.
The innovation process brings benefits to the system in
all its complexity, making it stronger and more competitive and
allowing it to seize every opportunity that a region can offer. And
these are the benefits that have a profound effect on the local
production system."
Francesco Russo, Vice Chairman of the Trieste science
park, states, "Here we have first-hand experience of how the
glocal ambition of AREA Science Park is achieving results:
feet and heart in Friuli Venezia Giulia, a mind open to
international business with a special focus on the south of
Italy. We started off in Basilicata, where we have already
achieved glowing results, and are now moving on to Campania,
Calabria and other regions, successfully replicating and adapting
the original innovation and technology transfer methodologies that
we successfully trialled in recent years.
I believe that these are not just important opportunities
for our Partner Regions, but also for entrepreneurs from Friuli
Venezia Giulia, who we are involving in the networking of
technologies and services that may bidirectionally contribute, from
the north to the south of Italy, to the development and welfare of
the region."
Below is an overview of the key projects developed by
Basilicata Innovazione in the last two years:
Basilicata Ergonomics Project -
collaborative initiative with Prof. Antonio Dal Monte, which
through the application of ergonomic principles has allowed the
creation of kitchen, sofa and armchair prototypes that can
guarantee maximum user comfort and wellbeing.
CERRROV Project - aims to boost the
reputation of turkey oak and downy oak wood: tree species that are
abundant in Basilicata, until now used as firewood, but which have
become a material used in the construction of, doors, floors and
furnishings.
Pane di Matera Project - involving the
Consorzio Pane di Matera IGP [IGP Matera Bread Consortium], this
project has optimised the production process through the use of
autochthonous yeast that improves the organoleptic and structural
properties of bread, as well as increasing its shelf
life.
King Oyster Mushroom Project - developed
in collaboration with several CO.RI.MI (Consorzio Ricerche
Micologiche - Mycological Research Consortium) members, this
project has led to the standardisation of substrates
(called "pani") for the production of mushrooms, in order
to optimise productivity and avoid attack by pathogens.
ArtDry Project - to standardise
and optimise tuff printmaking, without compromising colour
and durability. The solution was found in a drying method borrowed
from the agrifood sector.
FishOpt Project - to define a
preservation system for fish products as an alternative to ice,
based on the use of a gaseous mix in polyethylene and polyamide
bags. The advantages can be seen in both the increased shelf life
of the products, which does not compromise their quality, and in
the reduced transport costs.
Projects that enhance research on: the
use of the Georadar technique in the non-invasive
analysis of building structures and infrastructures, for compliance
with safety and solidity criteria; the production of
zeolites (minerals) from ashes generated from the
combustion of coal, for the reclamation of soil and water
contaminated by heavy metals.
The use of data obtained through earth observation
techniques in the creation of serious gaming environments
(for educational and recreational purposes); the integration of
mobile and localisation techniques for the
development of a traceability system for moveable cultural
assets.