In a Southern Italy often told through the prism of difficulties and delays, it makes news – and gives hope – when innovation chooses to plant roots right here. It happens in Messina, where the University and the Sud Innovation Summit meet to give life to something more than a simple event: a true ecosystem of comparison, growth and opportunities.
The University does not limit itself to sponsoring the event, but opens its doors, making the Polo Papardo available as the venue for the entire Summit. Innovation, for UniMe, is not external to the university, but must live within it. These are the words of the rector Giovanna Spatari, who spoke at the opening of the last day: “I am happy that the academy has been involved in such a structural way. The university is the protagonist not only with the teachers, but above all with the young people. I express gratitude for such a systematic way. This is an initiative for which the University of Messina will never fail to support”.
Within the SIS, the university occupies strategic and identity spaces. The “UniME AI & Innovation Hub” and “Human & Social Innovation Hub” sessions are verticals designed to put academic knowledge in dialogue with the real world: from big data to sustainability, from law to artificial intelligence, passing through the educational and social challenges of the present involving various departments of the University. The prof. Massimo Villari, delegate for IT systems and director of the School of Informatics, held the final keynote of the event.
Among the speakers of the MIFT department was the engineer Davide Mulfari, suffering from spastic tetraparesis which leads to a speech disorder, who showed how the barriers of dysarthria can be broken down through the use of artificial intelligence because as reported by the engineer himself: “Everyone has the right to speak”. Together with him, prof. Roberto Marino showed the “rAIdD” project in which machine learning tools are applied aimed at the prevention and personalization of medical treatments, prof. Lorenzo Carnevale explained how AI can be useful in managing natural disasters, prof. Pierluigi Dell’Acqua and Adrian Wanderlingh focused on the use of artificial intelligence to study the state of health of batteries and solar cells.
Representing the department of Human Pathology, prof. Giuseppe Navarra, Dr. Federico Mollica and Dr. Fabiola Cassano focused on the use of AI in identifying predictive factors for the improvement of respiratory function in patients. For the Department of Law, prof. Alessandra Tommasini and prof. Dario Latella discussed the topic of the future of the legal professions between innovation and sustainability, while the director Alessio Lo Giudice spoke about innovation, law and access to new goods for the community.
Again the department of Ancient and Modern Civilizations with the profs. Claudio Macagno, Rosa Faraone, Francesco Pira, Daniela Gionta, Mariangela Monaca, and Giovanna Costanzo, who explored the digital transition in the humanities area. The department of Political and Legal Sciences with teachers Emanuele La Rosa, Antonella Astone, Patrizia Accordino explored the topic of opportunities and limits of fiscal policies for innovative entrepreneurship.
For the Economics department Alessandra Costa, Antonio Crupi, Fabrizio Cesaroni, Tindara Abbate, Angelo Presenza explored the role of AI in promoting sustainable development. Finally, the Engineering department spoke about the relationship between artificial intelligence and autonomous driving with the profs. Francesco Longo, Gaetano Bosurgi, Giovanni Merlino, Fabrizio De Vita, Attilio Azzarelli and the doctoral students Giovanni Lombardo and Gaetano Pispisa. Also present were Veterinaria (Gabriele Marino, Giuseppe Modica, Giuseppe Catalano, Marco Bonfanti, Francesca Arfuso, Luca Nalbone), Chibiofarm and Biomorph.
UniVersome and Unime GDS Lab to tell the story of the event
Also present were the student newspaper UniVersome and some members of the university journalism laboratory Unime Gds Lab. Another very significant aspect of Unime’s participation was in fact also closely linked to the synergy with Società Editrice Sud Gazzetta del Sud Giornale di Sicilia, which was the main media partnership of the event. Three members of the laboratory (the writer and colleagues Alda Sgroi and Giusy Lanzafame), participated in the event together with the head of the GDS Academy Natalia La Rosa, and followed some panels preparing the pieces published in the newspaper and on the website. Participation in the laboratory thus translated into a concrete opportunity for journalistic experience.
The agreement between UniMe and Sud Innovation is not without challenges. Coordinating hundreds of students (the presence of international ones through Ambassador Unime is important), organizing spaces, matching teaching needs and event times is not trivial. But it’s worth it. Because, despite the difficulties, this alliance demonstrates that the university is not an island but a bridge: between generations, between knowledge and doing, between territory and the world.
In an era in which the South needs visions more than slogans, experiences like this don’t solve everything, but they indicate a direction. And in a time of uncertainty, having a direction is already a big step forward.