Environment, energy, sustainability, digital technologies, health, and social vulnerability: these are the pillars underpinning the four new scientific platforms of the University of Insubria. An innovative system, built on cross-disciplinary skills and cutting-edge technologies, designed to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

The scientific platforms of the University of Insubria are cross-cutting and flexible structures created to foster interaction among disciplines, promote interdisciplinary projects, attract competitive funding, and build bridges between the university, local society, and companies. They represent a strategic tool for translating research into innovation and concrete responses to the transformations of contemporary society.

The operational scientific platforms focus on the following themes:

The platform, led by Professors Antonio Di Guardo, Adriano Martinoli, Loredano Pollegioni and Raffaello Seri, brings together experts in economics, biotechnology, environmental sciences, and applied sciences with the aim of studying, developing, and proposing innovative solutions to problems primarily caused by human impact on the environment. Particular attention is devoted to transferring these solutions into practical applications in support of sustainable development. Main research areas include the recovery of natural and waste resources, the production of natural substances, and the development of innovative solutions — also through green chemistry — for new sustainable industrial processes; the study of sustainability and the protection of natural resources; the identification of innovative methods for detecting and removing environmental contaminants; monitoring, adaptation, and mitigation of climate change; and the study of the effects of tourism and transportation on sustainable development.

Global challenges such as identifying innovative, renewable, and clean energy sources, advancing healthcare with an increasing focus on personalized medicine, and developing policies and strategies for environmental protection require cutting-edge technologies and scientific expertise available on demand. These are the objectives of the platform coordinated by Professors MMatteo Clerici, Lorella Izzo, Norberto Masciocchi, Luca Nardo. This platform focuses on the development of advanced materials (for photovoltaics, sensors, and pharmaceuticals), quantum and photonic technologies, and tools for biomedical investigation; engineered materials with high functional performance, such as materials for energy and the environment and nanostructured materials; advanced solutions for imaging, spectroscopy, communications, and sensing; and on-demand solutions for biomedical research. The goal is to support the ecological and digital transition, personalized medicine, and environmental safety by integrating theoretical research with industrial applications.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the University of Insubria has established a scientific hub dedicated to the study of digital security. This scientific platform focuses on research and technology transfer related to innovative issues concerning security and privacy protection in both traditional and emerging scenarios. The platform has a strong vocation for collaboration with local, national, and international companies, to which it can provide support in securing their systems. The coordinators are Professors  Elena Ferrari and Geo Magri.

This platform, coordinated by Professors  Alberto Castelli, Cristina Giaroni, Elena Maggi, Roberto Papait, Luigi Testa, Alessandra Vicentini, addresses vulnerabilities that may arise in personal, social, and healthcare contexts. It brings together medical, psychological, sociological, and legal expertise to develop strategies for the prevention, management, and treatment of fragility, with particular attention to children, older adults, and people with disabilities. Building on the consolidated experience of the University’s various research groups active in the biomedical field, while maintaining the possibility of extending investigations to other forms of healthcare-related vulnerability, the platform aims to strengthen and/or initiate new collaborations to develop studies on fragility during the pre-, peri-, and postnatal periods, within the elderly population, and in oncology.