Category: News

U4I’s Innovation Project Fund (IPF), one of the main tools with which U4I Foundation uses to promote and supports innovative projects with potential economic and social impact born within the three Founding Universities (University of Bergamo, University of Milan-Bicocca and University of Pavia), has been included within the good practices reported by the Knowledge Valorisation Paltform.

Here is the link (link https://bit.ly/3rxwmVv) to the dedicated page.

Important web portal of reference related to innovation, the Knowledge Valorisation Platform’s main objective is to connect public and private actors in the various EU member countries, to facilitate the sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices able to transform theory into practice, to create sustainable products, processes and services with a positive economic impact.

For U4I Foundation, this is a further opportunity for international visibility and an important stimulus in view of the opening the IPF 2022 call.

What is IPF: IPF is the call that finances research, in any disciplinary field, providing funding to support innovative ideas with the aim of promoting the technological maturity, enhance them with the most appropriate form of legal protection, bring them closer to the market through technology transfer actions such as licensing and / or creation of spin off, and bring them to the attention of possible investors. 

In 3 years the IPF call has funded 12 projects, for a total amount of 750 thousand euros.

At this link (link) all the information about the call IPF – Innovation Project Fund of U4I Foundation and how to participate.

Innovative Strategies for Wound Care is among the 4 winning projects of the IPF 2019 call. The research team of the Department of Drug Science led by Giuseppina Sandri, Associate Professor in Pharmaceutical Technology of the Department of Drug Science, has developed a polysaccharidebased nanofiber dermal substitute to treat and cure skin wounds. An innovative proposal that is part of the landscape of strategies for wound care and treatment of chronic skin injuries.

The commercial advantages of the product presented are clear: it is easy to industrialize, does not include toxic or animal components, is not immunogenic and is easy to store and sterilize. By winning the funding provided by the IPF 2019 call, U4I Foundation offered a relevant contribution to promote the development – from idea to strategy – of the product, and to give it prospects for industrialization.

Prof. Giuseppina Sandri talks about the project in this video.

I-TEX is an innovative treatment for textile materials for technical use realized through the application of organic-inorganic ceramic coating with water-repellent, fluorine-free and formaldehyde-free properties. The creator is Giuseppe Rosace, Associate Professor of Chemistry at the Department of Engineering and Applied Sciences of the University of Bergamo who, together with his research team, is among the winners of the IPF 2019 call.

The story of this product starts from an increasing attention to the environmental impact of industrial production, especially in the textile sector. It then passes through the birth of the spin-off ArgoChem of the University of Bergamo and continues with the allocation of IPF funds by the U4I Foundation: the project presented was also valid due to its possible application in other sectors not exclusively textile (paper, plastic, wood) and the high level of quality guaranteed.

Riccardo Castellanza, associate professor in Geotechnical Engineering in the Department of Environmental and Earth Sciences (DISAT) with the project ITS – Injection Tube System is awarded the first IPF call in 2018.

ITS – Injection Tube System is able to simulate the treatment of soil in a laboratory environment: this allows to find the best mixture and parameters to optimize the consolidation of soils before an excavation.

ITS’s working method involves replicating injections of cementitious mixture into the soil, then pressure, forward velocity, and radius of penetration of the mixture are analyzed. Soil changes before, during, and after treatment are then observed. By performing these steps in the laboratory, the process reduces the cost and risk of a field operation.

Born as a spin-off of the University of Milano-Bicocca, ITS was activated by an industrial doctorate and then distinguished itself by arousing interest also at an international level.