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Calabria confirms itself as a protagonist of research and innovation on an international scale, consolidating its role as the only Italian region adhering to the prestigious European network M-ERA.NET. This important strategic positioning is the result of the political vision and impulse currently given by the councilor for Economic Development, Work and Tourism, Giovanni Calabrese, and of the synergistic action carried out by the Department led by the general manager Fortunato Varone. A path in which the activity of Sector 3 “Innovation, start-ups, industrial and retro-port areas, SEZ implementation” is inserted, led by the manager Caterina Loddo, which has made it possible to consolidate the presence and European projection of the institution in a network of excellence dedicated to advanced materials and technologies for the green transition. In this important context, the University of Calabria hosted the international meeting of the European M-ERA.NET Consortium in recent days at the University Club – in person and simultaneously online. The event, organized for the first time in Calabria, saw the participation of 45 delegates from EU and non-EU countries, confirming the strong global attractiveness of the network and the interconnection capacity of the territory.
The works opened with institutional greetings from the rector of UniCal, Gianluigi Greco, followed by speeches and an exceptional guided tour of the MaTeRiA/STAR research infrastructure conducted by Raffaele Giuseppe Agostino, professor of Experimental Physics of Matter. The participation of the Calabria Region in the M-ERA.NET Consortium boasts a ten-year history. With the launch of Call 2026, the Region renews its strategic support for research with the support of Fincalabra, as Intermediate Body for Research projects (through the team coordinated by Antonio Mazzei). For this edition, key themes for the industrial and environmental future are funded and supported, including materials for energy storage, distribution and conversion systems, innovative surfaces, coatings and interfaces, innovative functional materials with defined architectures, materials to address environmental challenges and next-generation materials for electronics.
The Calabria Region’s commitment to international cooperation also extends to other leading initiatives, in particular through the CLOSER and EVEN-CLOSER projects. The latter, integrating the previous CLOSER project, has as its strategic objective to build a resilient and circular value chain for semiconductors in Europe, focusing on the recovery of critical raw materials from electronic and industrial waste to reduce the European Union’s dependence on third countries.
The appointment at UniCal thus confirmed how Calabria knows how to play a leading role in the green transition, combining academic excellence, high education and a wide-ranging international strategic vision.