3D in vitro systems for personalized medicine, a new laboratory for research in proton therapy, a study on the impact of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympics, but also the valorization of patents and new education programmes: these are some of the projects that will receive funding in 2023 under the collaboration agreement between the University of Trento and Fondazione Caritro
For over twenty years, the University of Trento and Fondazione Caritro have been working together to valorize research and education that take place in the classrooms and laboratories of the University. This fruitful collaboration has allowed UniTrento to develop ambitious, interdepartmental projects in areas of strategic importance for the University itself and for Trentino.
The collaboration agreement, renewed in August 2021 for the three-year period 2022-2024, covers various areas, from life sciences to basic sciences, to humanities and social sciences, with a specific focus on projects that may have a strong impact at the local level.
In recent weeks, Fondazione Caritro has identified the projects that will receive funding in 2023, with a spending commitment that this year amounts to over one million euro: 900,000 euro will be used for research in strategic areas, through four funded projects; 180,000 euro will go to two projects in the field of university education.
The research projects
A project led by Antonella Motta of the Department of Industrial Engineering on 3D in vitro systems for personalized medicine is among those that will be funded. The goal of the project is to translate advanced research into diagnostic and therapeutic solutions tailored to each patient. This work falls in the areas of Life Sciences and Medicine and contributes to the achievement of some of the objectives set by the NRRP at local and national level.
The team led by Gianluca Lattanzi and Francesco Tommasino of the Department of Physics with Emanuele Scifoni of Tifpa-Infn will instead work on the creation of an advanced laboratory for preclinical research in proton therapy. The researchers will focus in particular on the "Flash" approach, that aims to reduce the toxicity of therapy through shorter radiation courses than conventional treatments.
The research work of Alberto Bellin of the Department of Civil, Environmental and Mechanical Engineering aims to measure the impact of the Olympic and Paralympic Games of Milan-Cortina 2026 on water resources. High-level sporting events require technologies for artificial snowmaking and track preparation whose impact on the environment has not yet been fully understood. The researchers will investigate the release of chemicals into the ground and explore possible methods for melt water use and storage.
Road to market 2023, on the other hand, is UniTrento's patent enhancement programme, that Fondazione Caritro has already funded in 2020 and 2022. The head of the programme is Alessandro Rossi, Rector's delegate for Support to the business sector, with Vanessa Ravagni and Giuseppe Caputo of Directorate of Research Services and Valorization. The purpose of the program is to give visibility to the work of the inventors of the University to develop and test marketable prototypes.
Education projects
The Vice-Rector for Equality and Diversity Policies, Barbara Poggio, the Rector's Delegate for Academic and International Solidarity, Ester Gallo, and the head of the SuXr Project, Donata Borgonovo Re, are responsible for the inclusion programmes for students and scholars at risk and for asylum seekers and holders of international protection. The projects provide mobility opportunities, study grants and research contracts.
Finally, another project that will receive funding from Fondazione Caritro in the education area has a dual objective: to support the activities of Collegio Clesio and to provide scholarships for joint courses with Sissa, the International School of Advanced Studies of Trieste. This project is led by Jorge Jovicich, Rector's delegate for Collegio Clesio, and Paolo Zanei, head of the Education and Student Services Directorate.