European Poles for Digital Innovation, Heritage SmartLab among the 45 projects selected by MISE

The Heritage SmartLab project, which aims to create a European Hub for Digital Innovation in Southern Italy, is part of the 45 Italian projects that have passed the national pre-selection phase curated by the Ministry of Economic Development, in agreement with the Ministry of Universities and Research and the Ministry for Technological Innovation and Digitalization.

The project, which SPICI developed for the Basilicata Creativa Cluster (coordinator of the partnership), will compete in a second phase for the restricted tender managed by the European Commission, where all projects selected by the member states will participate.

Within the framework of the Digital Europe Programme 2021-2027, the European Commission, together with the EU member states, will establish a network of European Digital Innovation Hubs aimed at supporting businesses and public administrations in their digital transition through the adoption of advanced digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, High-Performance Computing, and Cybersecurity.

The establishment of this European network aims to strengthen the synergy between the research sector and businesses, providing a decisive boost to technology transfer and digitalization, allowing Italy to increase the competitiveness of its production system at an international level.

In particular, the Heritage SmartLab Hub will be structured as a laboratory for the experimentation of new technologies applied to the cultural heritage sector and the cultural and creative industries. It aims to create innovative products serving heritage, from gaming to augmented reality, from implementing open data systems for integrated content management to sharing and communicating cultural heritage on a geographical basis, to sensor technology for monitoring and the use of digital tools for educational and tourism development of our heritage, also involving local communities.

The Heritage SmartLab Hub aggregates the Basilicata Creativa Cluster, the Lucanian Aerospace ETS Cluster, the Lucanian Automotive - Intelligent Factory ETS Cluster, the Lucanian Bioeconomy ETS Cluster, the Basilicata Energy ETS Cluster, the Digital Innovation Hub of Confindustria Basilicata and the MedITech Competence Center from Campania-Puglia.

Together, they represent 9 Universities with campuses in Campania, Basilicata, and Puglia, over 200 SMEs (most of which belong to the culture and creative sectors or sectors with a strong creative propensity), the National Research Council (CNR), the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), and other public/private research centers such as ASI and the Fiat Research Center in Melfi.

The Heritage SmartLab will have its coordination center in Matera at the San Rocco Hub and will be structured in various territorial nodes located within the three regions involved in the project: Basilicata, Puglia, and Campania.