The University of Pavia receives 12 million from the Lombardy Region

An agreement between the Lombardy Region and the University of Pavia for the university's new “Research and Training Centre” has been approved. The new research laboratories will receive 12 million euros in financing from the Lombardy Region. They will host three research lines dedicated to the development of innovative technologies for environmental sustainability, health and agri-foodstuffs.

“This research and training centre”, said the Lombardy Region's Regional Councillor for Education, Universities, Research, Innovation and Simplification, Fabrizio Sala“ aims to unite the research structures and bodies in the Pavia area and increase interaction between companies and universities”.

“Universities are important partners for the Lombardy Region”, Sala stressed. “These agreements are therefore a winning formula for increasing competitiveness throughout the territory.”

The Centre is intended to be used for applied research, industrial development and higher education.

University of Pavia, activities financed under the agreement with the Lombardy Region

The agreement between the two institutions was approved by the Lombardy Regional Council at the proposal of Councillor Fabrizio Sala and sets out the activities that will be supported by the agreement.
The Centre will be involved in three lines of research, subdivided by sector:

• IT-Innovation: microelectronics and nanoelectronics for life sciences, sensors for the environment, robotics, mobility and transport;
• Health: advanced materials and nanotechnology for applications in microelectronics, biomedicine and pharmaceuticals;
• Agri-foodstuffs: sustainable nutrition and “Lifestyle Medicine”, “Food & Pharma Food” through food preparations, nutraceutics, precision nutrition, and food safety.

The university research and training centre will be built along Via Abbiategrasso and will house teaching rooms and laboratories. Construction will take place over the four-year period 2022-2025. Funds from the Lombardy Region will cover the construction of the buildings, the purchase of technical and scientific equipment and the provision of furniture for teaching and laboratories.

First building block for the “Gerolamo Cardano Park”

The university research and training centre will be spread over 2,400 square metres and represents the first fundamental step towards the realisation of the wider “Gerolamo Cardano Park for Sustainable Innovation” project. A space that will span 11,000 square metres, with a substantial section dedicated to Technological Innovation.

The Park will focus on Sustainable Innovation in the areas of Environment and Health. The space will also use innovative technologies such as 3D printing, microelectronics and digital fluidics, and will support the research and training activities of the university's 13 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) departments.

The University Research and Training Centre will provide companies located in Gerolamo Cardano Park with contact with the 18 departments of the University of Pavia and the city's other research centres (including the three IRCCS (Clinical Research and Health Facilities), the CNR (National Research Council), the IUSS (School for Advanced Studies), the CNAO (National Oncological Particle Therapy Centre) and the Eucentre Foundation), as well as opportunities for targeted training and education.
In particular, the opening of the Centre will enable companies to launch joint projects with research bodies, and to set up internships and apprenticeships for students.

The choice of the Lombardy Region

The support of the Lombardy Region is part of the implementation of the Lombardy Plan LR 9/2020, with which the Region has made available 3 billion euros towards measures to boost Lombardy's economy. In this context, the funding of the University Research and Training Centre is part of the support for operational research initiatives with high technological content. With a focus on the areas of environmental sustainability, health and nutrition.