NODES Project - Digital and Sustainable North-West

In terms of research and innovation, Spoke 3 has identified several areas, including:

• Fashion Design, Management and Sustainability: how design in the fashion industry can be successfully managed, regulated and improved to contribute to environmental sustainability;
• Intersection between Cultural Heritage and Nature Conservation (Museums, Archaeological and Historical Sites, Landscape): the concept of heritage that goes far beyond the traditional notion of old buildings and historical sites;
• Multimedia Narratives and Digital Creativity: topics cover digital narratives that are immersed in a new media environment that maintains a close relationship with the construction and understanding of contemporary society;
• Digital tourism and destination management: the focus is on the impact of the application of technologies, such as travel aggregators, online travel agencies, social media applications, meta-search engines and new ways of managing them in order to accelerate the growth of tourism;
• Lifestyles, Tourism and Marketing: topics covering interdisciplinary subjects such as fashion, marketing, events, tourism, retailing and food, with a focus on consumer lifestyles.

The Insubric territory is characterised by its rich and ancient history, with architectural and monumental beauty combined with natural beauty, as well as industrial development based on textiles and silk, which has significantly shaped the landscape and culture of the area. 
Today, the culture of tourism is regaining this industrial dimension, an integral part of the identity of the region, its social capital and, at the same time, the driving force behind the development of the tourism industry itself, which is enriched year after year with new cultural perspectives. Sustainable tourism and the enhancement of industrial heritage intersect on several levels in a dimension that focuses on sustainability and digitalisation.

The mission of the project is therefore to develop the culture of the territories, linking them to historical, artistic and architectural factors, to their natural beauty, as well as to other aspects that are part of the industrial fabric and are linked to the concept of creativity, in order to encourage an entrepreneurial culture devoted to sustainability.

Il progetto sviluppato dallo Spoke 3 è volto ad aumentare la competitività e la sostenibilità delle imprese dell’ecosistema mediante l’attuazione di processi di innovazione e digitalizzazione specifici per il territorio. 
La collaborazione tra università, centri di ricerca e imprese ha come obiettivo l’individuazione di nuovi temi su cui indirizzare e sviluppare la ricerca industriale; la definizione di una strategia è propedeutica al fine di valorizzare i risultati della ricerca e favorirne l’attuazione. 
Infine, l’impiego di ricercatori specializzati permetterà di innescare un circolo virtuoso all’interno del quale imprese e privati cittadini potranno trovare una collocazione al fine di partecipare allo sviluppo di una nuova economia.

The innovation ecosystem consists of universities, innovation hubs, research centres, centres of expertise, incubators and accelerators that represent the excellence of the territories.

• University of Turin
• University of Eastern Piedmont
• University of Val d'Aosta
• Città Studi Biella
• Comonext – Innovation Hub

• 01 December 2025 

  The researcher from the Department of Economics of the University of Insubria, Dr Vincenza Vota, following the experience gained through the PNRR NODES project, has published a volume entitled: Sustainability, ESG and Circularity in the Textile Sector: Integrated Models for Industrial and Territorial Regeneration.

   

• 22 September 2025 Universities and Enterprises at the Service of Textile Research

   

• 4 December 2024 Artificial Intelligence in the Textile Sector – Human in the Loop or Changing the Loop

   

• 18 July 2023  
  New Technologies for the Textile Sector, Communication and Gender Equality. Spoke 3 Visits ComoNext.

   

• 30 June 2023  
  Spoke 3 Publishes the Results of the Selection for Industrial PhDs

   

• 13 June 2023 
   Spoke 3 Presents the Cascade Calls for Enterprises in Southern Italy and the CIRIL Flagship Project in Benevento

   

• 29 May 2023  
  Research Serving the Verbano Cusio Ossola Area

   

• 9 May 2023  
  Health, Tourism and Culture at the Centre of the Event Organised by Spoke 3 and Spoke 5 at the University of Salento

Year 2022

• 22 November 
  North-West Digital and Sustainable: the €9 Million PNRR Project Presented in Como 
   
• 23 June 
  Insubria as a Partner in Innovation Ecosystems: €9 Million from the PNRR to Our University

• Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry presents a workshop entitled: ‘Gender equality certification: opportunities and challenges’. The event will be held on Monday, 17 March 2025 from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm in the splendid setting of Villa Toeplitz, Viale Giovan Battista Vico - Varese, and is open to entrepreneurs and researchers who want to increase their cultural knowledge in the field of gender equality certification. Find out more

   

• Uninsubria and ComoNext Digital Innovation Hub have organised an event for 12 June 2024 from 2.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. to explore the opportunities available to start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs, entitled: Starting a business – calls for proposals and initiatives to support new business ideas. During the meeting, opportunities for businesses, students and researchers will be presented. Find out more

   

• The Didec (Department of Law, Economics and Culture), in collaboration with the Como - Lecco Chamber of Commerce, has organised a free advanced training course entitled Gender Equality Certification System for 14 May and 12 June 2024. The aim of the course is to contribute to the promotion of a culture of equality in the workplace, actively supporting companies, especially small businesses, which may encounter greater difficulties in undertaking a certification process. It will also be possible to participate online. Find out more

   

• From 5 March 2024 to 29 April 2024, Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry will hold the second cycle of seminars entitled ‘Sustainable Tourism’ at the University of Insubria in Como (Via Valleggio and Sant'Abbondio campuses). Specifically, there will be 11 seminars aimed at university and high school students, citizens and industry professionals, which can also be followed online (for meetings in English), on the topic of sustainability in tourism. Find out more

• Master's Degree in Hospitality for Sustainable Tourism Development Between March and May 2024, the Department of Law, Economics and Culture at the University of Insubria, leader of Spoke 3, organised two workshops entitled: Data analysis for destination development and Augmented reality for cultural heritage. The workshops will provide students with an overview of the possible applications of new media in tourism; the involvement of leading companies in the sector will be an added value for all participants. Find out more

• On 19 January 2024, Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry, will hold the Spoke 3 Assembly at the ComoNext Innovation Hub headquarters in Via Cavour 2, Lomazzo (CO). The event, open to all partners and professionals, will provide an overview of the project's progress and create new working groups focusing on: internationalisation and business development. Find out more

   

• On 29 and 30 November 2023, Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry will hold an event entitled ‘Climate crisis and social movements: a meeting of perspectives’ at the University of Insubria in Como Sant'Abbondio. The NODES Ecosystem - Spoke 3 in dialogue with COSMO Climate Change Observatory of Social Mobilisation. Find out more

   

• Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry has organised an event for 28 November 2023 at the University of Insubria in Como (Sant'Abbondio) and at the Como Chamber of Commerce - Lecco, an event entitled: ‘Sustainable and Circular Economy - The Case of the Textile Industry’. The day will be divided into two sessions (morning and afternoon) during which university researchers will discuss with colleagues from other Italian and foreign universities on topics of great importance such as: circular ethics and consumer economics; Ample space will also be given to the experiences of local entrepreneurs with regard to the circular economy and sustainability. Find out more

• From 9 November 2023 to 12 December 2023, Spoke 3 - Tourism and Culture Industry will hold a series of six seminars entitled “Sustainable Tourism” at the University of Insubria in Como (Via Valleggio and Via Sant'Abbondio). The mission of these meetings is to integrate the skills of students enrolled in bachelor's and master's degree programmes and to help stimulate interest and raise awareness among high school students, industry professionals and citizens on the topic of sustainable development in the region. Find out more

   

• From 6 November to 18 December 2023, the Department of Economics at Via Monte Generoso 71 in Varese will host a series of six seminars entitled: ‘Climate emergency and sustainability paths for SMEs’. During the meetings, various topics related to the different impacts of climate risk and the ecological transition process will be discussed, with particular reference to small and medium-sized enterprises in the textile sector operating in the area. Registrations must be received by 4 November 2023. Possibility of obtaining training credits. Register

   

• 29 September 2023, Como Silk Museum, Via Castelnuovo 9, 4 p.m. 
  On the occasion of Researchers' Night, an interesting conference will be held entitled: “Tourism and culture: textile culture for the enhancement of the territory”. During the event, the PNRR Nodes project will be presented, followed by several historical and cultural presentations on textiles and fashion. Register 
   
• 29 September 2023, University of Insubria Como - Magna Sant'Abbondio lecture hall at 2 p.m. 
  Conference “The future in memory: archives, territory and digitisation” 
  The conference aims to focus attention on archives as a ‘common good’, highlighting their fundamental role as ‘places of memory’ and, at the same time, promoting their essential legal, political, economic, artistic, administrative and operational value and efficiency, which make them a tool linked to every aspect of daily life. With this in mind, the event will host lecturers, institutional representatives and archivists, particularly from the Insubrian territory, who will be invited to share their experiences, guidelines, perspectives and relevant projects on the subject of digitisation. Find out more.​ 
   

• 20 September 2023, Gallarate - Confindustria Varese at 3.30 p.m. 
  Seminar “PNRR NODES cascade calls for proposals - second window: opportunities to finance research and development projects and the acquisition of innovation services” 
  On the occasion of the opening of the second cut-off for the submission of applications (1 September – 31 October 2023), Confindustria Varese is organising a seminar for its member companies to present the calls for proposals, with the possibility of B2B meetings to evaluate the projects of interested companies. Register

   

• 14 September 2023, Lomazzo - ComoNext Innovation Hub at 10:00 a.m. 
  Funding for innovation projects, calls for proposals and opportunities for start-ups and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises 
  presents calls for proposals and incentives dedicated to startups and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as providing guidance on how to access funding. span> The event will conclude with a session of 1-to-1 meetings for companies interested in learning more about the most suitable funding for their investment projects, with an initial assessment by the ComoNExT Innovation Financing team. Register

   

Year 2022

• 19 July 2022 
  Nodes: Insubria in Pavia for the presentation of the PNRR Innovation Ecosystem

Discover the funding opportunities made available by NODES for research, start-ups, spin-offs and businesses.