The CRAST (Spatial Analysis and Remote Sensing Research Center) is a research center of the Agricultural Sciences Faculty of the  Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (UCSC), the largest Italian free academic institution. Thanks to half a century of research work, teaching and training activities the Agricultural faculty of Piacenza and Cremona has achieved a reputation of prestige that extends well beyond Italy. In recent years, research has been concentrated on certain particularly important contexts including: genetics and food safety, vegetable and animal products, crop and food protection, milk and dairy production, viticulture and wine production, agri-food economy and environmental protection.

The CRAST center has been involved in several research and operational activities addressing the spatial characterization and distribution of agricultural systems. CRAST carried out research activities in the general application of Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing to the agricultural and… Remote sensing Lab with workstations and main software packages for the analysis of remotely sensed data (PCI Geomatica, ENVI, e-Cognition). Complete equipment for field spectroradiometry (FieldSpecHH and HH2 VIS-NIR spectroradiometers with contact probe, CROPSCAN MSR16 VIS-NIR spectroradiometer) and measure of vegetation biophysical parameters (Licor LAI2000, Decagon AccuPAR LP-80 Ceptometer, Minolta SPAD 502 chlorophyll meter; portable gas-exchange meter ADC LCi and CIRAS 2; Thermal Imaging camera FLIR).

Animal farming activities are also performed by using Ruminometer SCR Heatime® Pro for monitoring of rumination activity, Individual feeding station "Calan Broadbent Feeding System" for dairy cow.

Software SimaPro for LCA in agricultural systems.
. The CRAST centre offers several services to SMEs: 

Remotely sensed images and mapping;
Application of remotely sensed data to in agricultural systems;
Designing and management of variable rate application protocols in annual crops, orchards and vineyards (e.g. fertilization, irrigation and selective harvesting);
Experimental facilities to carry out nutritional/performance trials on livestock (dairy cows, sheep, swine, poultry);
LCA;
Real-time monitoring of food processing.

These services are, amongst others, interesting for SMEs active in sensors (like meteo sensors, soil sensors, canopy sensor, etc.), smart machinery for the agriculture industry, and digital mapping from proximal and remote sensing. 
. Yes. service.

CertiMaC is an Italian private no-profit Research Centre and Material Innovation Lab boosting the innovation processes of the Building and Construction Industry through Research & Development, Testing and Certification of advanced and innovative materials, products and solutions, particularly on Energy Efficiency, Building Envelope and Durability.

It was founded by ENEA (National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development) and CNR (National Research Council) – the two main Italian Research bodies - in order to offer to the building industry a support to innovation and to competitiveness. This is provided by means of an innovatively conceived lab, empowered by know-how, expertise, instruments and infrastructures available at the two founder institutions, but, at the same time, characterized by speed and flexibility typical of private organizations.

CertiMaC is recognised by EU and Italian Ministry as Notified Body n° 2685 according to The Construction Products Regulation … In the field of Quality and Product Certification, CertiMaC provides solutions with high innovation content  for the experimental and numerical characterization of raw materials and development of new ones.

Over 300 different kinds of experimental tests and numerical simulations in thermal environment, humidity, mechanical, physical and chemical are available in the Laboratory.

Several Universal testing machines are operative in order to evaluate mechanical and thermo-mechanical performance of many kind of materials. Compressive, Flexural, Tensile and Shear strength could be evaluated by means of ad hoc clamping and gripping systems and applying specific load cells (up to  5000 kN- 500 tons) and deformation control system able to operate in steady and dynamic load conditions.

Three fully automated climate chambers are available  (humidity and temperature control) for assessing the durability of materials and components subject to different environmental stresses: freeze / thaw, deicing salts, rain…. CertiMaC supports materials manufacturers, designers, builders, real  estate assets managers with solutions and services for energy efficiency, high performance envelope  and durability of materials.

In the field of Energy Efficiency, certification services are aimed at both new buildings and existing assets. Energy audits and customized diagnosis are held through diagnostic methods of experimental, numerical and energy management to rationalize the consumption of primary energy due to the building shell and its subsystems.

A pioneer in Italy in the field of energy efficiency and materials, CertiMaC has a business unit entirely dedicated to energy efficiency: qualification, study and development of materials for high energy performance and optimization of energy consumption both in existing buildings and new ones.

Thanks to its flexible organizations and lean processes, the Laboratory works alongside companies with specialized services in the field of Quality and Product Certification: the…. Yes. service.

The Laboratory of Materials Technologies Faenza (TEMAF) of ENEA conducts R&D and engineering activities, mainly in the field of advanced ceramic materials, for several applications: energy production, energy recovery, transports, aerospace, biomedical, agro-food, construction, chemical and manufacturing industries. The applications-oriented research activities involve:

R&D of structural and functional ceramics (monolithics, composites and coatings) and development of the related production processes up to the manufacturing of prototypes and small series
R&D of biobased materials and biomass valorisation
innovative components engineering and technology transfer of manufacturing processes
thermomechanical characterisation of materials and qualification of components
microstructural and physico-chemical characterisation of ceramics, composites, advanced metals, biomasses and fertilizers

The Laboratory of Material Technologies Faenza provides qualified consultancy and services to enterprises… Research activities and services are carried out using the experimental facilities and plants of the Faenza Research Laboratories. Several experimental tests and scale-up processing are performed, from the development of a specific material to the production of components, prototypes and small series. There are too some plants on a pilot and demonstration scale, in addition to laboratory equipment, that are of primary importance to the technology transfer actions. Moreover, the activities of characterization, engineering and qualification are an integral part of new processes and materials development.

Laboratories

Development of powders, advanced ceramics, nanostructured/functionalised materials and coatings
Development of processes for ceramic components production
Microstructural and physico-chemical characterisation for the development of innovative materials and processes
Thermomechanical characterisation
Characterisation of traditional ceramics

Plants

Pilot-sized CVD…. The Laboratory of Material Technologies Faenza provides qualified consultancy and services to enterprises and public administration, offering its specific expertise and its instrumental equipment.

In particular, the provided services include:

thermomechanical characterisation of materials and component qualification
physico-chemical characterisation and microstructural investigations
materials and processes engineering
pre-feasibility study for the new material applications

Services are provided on behalf of third parties or through research contracts and agreements.

All services services could range from scale-up level to prototyping and small series production.
. Yes. service.

The Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics is a multidisciplinary research institute at the National Research Council of Italy, with his headquarter in Faenza (IT). It has a recognized excellent competences in the field of research and development of new advanced ceramic materials for application in aerospace, medicine, energy and environment. ISTEC has expertise in the development of materials with smart and “stimuli-responsive” surfaces and is able to cover all activities ranging from design to prototype realization. ISTEC has many collaborations in Europe, USA and Japan and is involved in international research and training programs, with the coordination of several European projects. Interaction and collaboration with industry are developed and supported by numerous technology transfer projects by creating spin-offs and / or licensing of patents related to new processes and products developed in ISTEC. In this regard, ISTEC has generated 3 spin-offs in the field of bioceramic (Finceramica),… Synthesis and processing of powders

Ball mill, vibrating mill, planetary mill, attrition mill, mixing rollers, ultrasonic milling, spray driers, freeze drier, mixer with 3D motion, rotary evaporator, vibration screening systems, ultrasonic probe dispersion equipment, electric heaters, atomiser .

Forming technologies

Extruder, slip casting, pressure casting, low pressure injection molding, tape caster, linear hydraulic presses, cold isostatic press, extruder dyes.

Sintering technologies

Furnaces in air up to 1800°C, furnaces in vacuum or controlled atmosphere up to 2150°C., hot pressing in vacuum, tubular furnace for thermal treatments up to 1600°C in reducing atmosphere.

Microstructural, physical and chemical characterisation  

Optical and stereo microscopes, scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffractometers (high temperature device), plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), particle size analysers, mercury porosimeter, specific….
  RANGE OF SERVICES

ISTEC offers the following services to external users:

Customised services

namely commissioned or publicly funded research activity in partnership with other research centres.

Terms of service: customer request, agreement on objectives and activity, signing of the contract, periodic billing.
Terms of service: request for offer, offer, order, invoice.

Standard services

the following standard services are quoted in the price list:

instrumental analysis
laboratory test
measurements
use of special equipment
technical consultancies
bibliographical surveys
technical surveys.

Information and promotion services

Organisation of events aimed to promote the research activity of ISTEC.
Terms of service: free events , promoted by the event calendar on ISTEC website.

For further information please get in touch with the contact point.

  SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF THE ACTIVITIES

…. Yes. service.

MIST E-R is a laboratory of industrial research and technology transfer of the High Technology Network of Emilia-Romagna Region.  MIST E-R is a public private partnership company created in 2009. MIST E-R manages  the Bologna CNR -AMBIMAT technopole, located inside the CNR campus in Bologna. The main topics of the AMBIMAT technopole are environment (consortium PROAMBIENTE) and materials (consortium MISt E-R). MIST E-R develops cutting edge technologies in the fields of innovative materials and micro and nano sensors for the industries.
Main Activities and services: Sensors & Microsystems based on inorganic materials (MEMS, MOEMS, Detectors, Lab-on-Chip); Flexible Sensors & Devices based on Polymeric or Biological materials (OLED, Solar Cells, Lab-on-Chip); Devices based on nanostructured materials; Chemical functionalization, tailoring and testing of biomedical materials.
The skills of its main shareholder, the CNR, are the most relevant in Italy. MIST E-R is the referent for these technologies in the… MIST E-r owns small laboratories dedicated to the industrialization (from TRL4 to TRL7) of sensors developed by its academic partners. These labs are used for project and design of optical, mechanical  and microfluidic systems, packaging, front-end and communication electronics and software.

Moreover MIST E-R has access to the facilities  of the BOLOGNA CNR AMBIMAT technopole, and can use them to support and develop industrial projects.

Facilities:
 

Clean Room for sensors and microsystems

The largest public facility in Italy for the micro and nano manufacture of silicon devices and other materials; it consists of 500 m2 of Clean roon including 250 m2 of class 100 and 250 m2 of class 1000 and 100000. In the White room the main technologies necessary for the production of MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-System), NEMS (Nano-Electro-Mechanical-System) and MOEMS (Micro-Optical-Electro-Mechanical-System) are available.

Clean Room for organic electronics

For the development of hybrid and…. MIST E-R is dedicated to industrial research and technology transfer to foster innovation in companies of the territory thanks to the use of state-of-the-art technologies to be used in their products and processes.

In particular, MIST E-R supports companies in the choice of more advanced measurement systems, data acquisition,vision and lighting among those available on the market and that are more suited to their needs and can develop a complete system up to TRL7 or more.

In the absence of a product available off the shelf MIST E-R explores, choses and offers the research results of its academic partners to develops new products for companies exploiting the technologies available at the CNR AMBIMAT technopole of Bologna.

Some examples are:

Microfluidics

The miniaturization of fluidic devices with the consequent on-chip integration of different functions (Lab On Chip) finds increasing applications especially in the biomedical field. MIST ER has a complete platform for rapid prototyping of a…. Yes. service.

As an applied research centre in the field of ICT, CETIC’s mission is to support economic development by transferring the results of the most innovative research in ICT to companies, particularly SMEs. CETIC helps companies integrate these technological breakthroughs into their products, processes and services, enabling them to innovate faster, save time and money and develop new markets. CETIC develops its expertise in key technologies, including Big Data, Cloud Computing, the Internet of Things, software quality, and trust and security of IT systems. These innovations are applied in domains of primary importance to society, such as health, smart mobility, energy, advanced manufacturing and industry. This expertise is continuously supplemented through CETIC’s active involvement in European and regional projects. CETIC is located on the Aeropole of Charleroi, in the Walloon region, Belgium.

CETIC is accredited by the Walloon Region as Research Centre. The research decree defines the conditions and… CETIC has the following equipment in support of research and development activities:

private cloud (description in French only): CETIC has an IT infrastructure that can execute virtual machines linked to research activities and test multiple cloud management or storage technologies.
wireless laboratory (more details in French only): The wireless laboratory of CETIC provides access to several noteworthy equipment and tools dedicated to advanced development support of embedded systems. It is open to the enterprises for evaluation or specific tests; the ECS department can bring its expertise to assist enterprises if required.
software engineering laboratory: In software development, the use of appropriate tools improves productivity and competitiveness. Often, free tools are limited and proprietary tools are expensive and difficult to master. The SSE department has set up a software engineering lab at the service of the enterprises. This laboratory includes a complete set of advanced tools that are…. CETIC provides two broad categories of services:

Business services: proposed services include state of the arts, audits, advice and support, proof of concepts, knowledge transfer and escrow.
Research: this mainly involves setting up collaborative research projects with industry, academia and other research centers. Depending on the source of funding the TRL research activity ranges from 3 to 6.

Services cover the following expertise:

Model-Based Engineering

Model-Based Distributed Systems 

Data Engineering 

Data Analysis

Algorithmic and combinatorial Optimisation

Internet of Things

Embedded Architectures 

Digital co-creation

In the following Innovation domains:

 Cyberphysical systems
 Cyber Security
Artificial Intelligences
Edge Computing

 
. Yes. service.

The LISBP (Laboratoire d’Ingénierie des Systèmes Biologiques et des Procédés) is a mixed research unit: INSA, INRA and CNRS with multidisciplinary activities on education, research and technology transfer in biotechnology and processes. It is a leading biotechnology laboratory in France, certified  ISO 90001, which couples top quality teams in microbiology and protein engineering/biocatalysis with process engineering teams to enable a ‘gene to process’ approach.

The LISBP has longstanding and world renown in fermentation technology, biocatalysis and metabolic engineering (bacteria, yeasts and more recently microalgae) with a high level of transfer to industry, and an emerging reputation for systems biology, molecular evolution of enzymes, metagenomics screening, fermentation, separation and purification processes. More recently this overall expertise has evolved towards a more innovative approach involving a synthetic biology approach and a shift towards redesigning metabolic potential for ambitious… GeT-Biopuces:  is an integrated genomics core facility specialized in genomics and transcriptomics via microarrays and new generation sequencing (NGS). The platform is equipped with two array platforms: Affymetrix (GeneChip fluidic station 450, hybridization oven 640 and scanner 3000 7G with autoloader) and Agilent technology. In addition, a Qarray Mini spotter allowing to spot some oligonucleotides on glass slides to create your own microarray is available. The platform is equipped with an Ion S5 sequencer (Ion Torrent technology-ThermoFisher Scientific) and an Ion OneTouch 2 System performing template amplification and enrichment as part of the manual workflow for the Ion S5 system. The platform has a nanodrop 2000 to quantify nucleic acids and proteins as well as a bioanalyzer 2100 (Agilent) providing sizing, quantitation, and purity assessments for DNA and RNA.

MetaToul: State-of-the-art equipment in NMR (800 MHz & 500 MHz spectrometers) and mass spectrometry (LTQ-Orbitrap, Q Exactive +, QTOF Xevo,  Q…. GeT-Biopuces: Genomic and Transcriptomic core facility (http://get.genotoul.fr)

Regroups both the expertise and the technology necessary for the analysis of gene expression at the level of entire genomes of different biological systems, notably that of micro-organisms using microarrays (Affymetrix-Agilent technologies) or NGS. Development of innovative technology for future generation of chip-based analysis. Support a wide variety of genomics projects on eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes, even the most unusual ones (de novo sequencing or resequencing projects). Data analysis: quality control, normalization (R software and Bioconductor package) leading to differentially expressed genes analysis or functional enhancement. Analysis of NGS data. We provide theoretical and technical training.

METATOUL: Metabolomics-fluxomics (http://www.metatoul.fr)

METATOUL provides expertise and state-of-the-art methodologies in metabolomics and fluxomics for the functional analysis of metabolic networks with…. Yes. service.

VTT coordinates the 5G Test Network Finland (5GTNF), a 5G technology and service trialling infrastructure comprising of multiple interconnected sites around Finland (Espoo, Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere and Ylivieska), and co-manages one of its nodes (Oulu site, http://5gtn.fi/). The collaborating sites form a joint nationwide innovation platform, which aims to serve the needs of both industry and academia.

5GTNF offers testing, trialling and piloting services as well as possibilities for bilateral cooperation within the ecosystem. With varying focus areas at different sites, 5GTNF can cover a large variety of vertical industry use cases by providing support for high data rates, low latencies, reliable communications and massive amount of devices.

5GTNF is a joint initiative between Finnish public and private sectors. The 5GTNF ecosystem currently has approximately 50 members, including partners from industry, academia and Finnish public authorities.
5GTNF is a live 5G test network infrastructure including radio access networks based on different technologies and deployed on various frequency bands, several core network deployments ranging from stable carrier grade installations to more experimental setups, and service development platforms for different purposes.
. Research and development, Concept validation and prototyping, Testing and trialling, Product and service development support, Ecosystem building and networking, Dissemination and awareness, Education and skills development
. Yes. service.

ITENE is an R&D technological centre specialising in packaging, logistics, transport and mobility. Its mission is to generate scientific and technological knowledge and to add value to companies through the implementation of R+D+I and through the transfer of knowledge as well as the dissemination of best practices from previous projects, in order to provide relevant information to interested entities in relevant sectors. ITENE provides business solutions with an integrated view of the supply chain, from raw materials, to design and development of packaging and packaging systems, optimisation of the movement and distribution of goods until the products reach the consumer and are ultimately managed as waste, all within a framework of sustainable performance. The centre has advanced facilities and a multidisciplinary team of researchers and technicians with proven experience and constantly evolving skills.

ITENE has more than 300 member companies representing different sectors of the packaging value chain:… ITENE uses 7,000 square metres of its installations as laboratories and experimentation facilities, equipped with the latest technology for research and testing, and product and services development. R&D activities are carried out in the following laboratories: Nano Additives and Nano Clay Pilot Plant, New Material Processing Pilot Plant, Nano Safety Laboratory, Chemical Laboratory, Physical Laboratory, Packaging Manufacturing Pilot Plant, Packaging Pilot Plant, Microbiology Laboratory, Packaging Evaluation Laboratory, Transport Simulation Centre, RFID Pilot Plant, and Packaging Waste Pilot Plant.

More detailed information of the infraestructure related to KETS:

-Processing lab.: hydraulic press, mini-extruder and mini-injector DSM, twin-screw extruder compounder, cast co-extruder, injection moulding machine, rotary coater.
-Physical and chemical laboratory: Liquid chromatographs coupled to detectors (MS, PDA, UV-vis, LS, fluorescence), Thermogravimetric analyzer coupled to infrared, Infrared…. We work for every sector where packaging, transport and logistics represent a strong competitive advantage:

·         Manufacturers of Raw materials

·         Materials for packaging

·         Packaging Manufacturers

·         Food and beverage

·         Cosmetics and personal care

·         chemical industry 

·         Pharmacy

·         Waste managers

·         Distribution and consumer goods

·         Transport and logistics operators

Our research area covers:
- New Advanced Materials (Development strategies to obtain new packaging materials with better properties)
- Active & Intelligent Packaging (Materials that release active substances from the packaging or absorb undesirable substances from the product to prolong the shelf life)
- Packaging Technologies (vacuum, modified atmosphere)
- Packaging Engineering (Transport simulation technologies)
- Sustainability (Waste valorisation, LCA, LCC, Carbon Footprint)
- Transport and Logistics (routs optimization,…. Yes. service.

Certech is an applied chemistry contract research organization having three fields of activities:

Environment-air quality (odors and emissions, health and safety, energy)
Materials technology (polymers and composites, barrier materials, recycling)
Process intensification (continuous process, flow chemistry, catalytic pyrolysis and solvolysis)

Certech mission is to support small and large indus­trial companies, by offering services and contract research programs, product and process development capabilities.
Certech is ISO9001 certified, ISO17025 accredited, and has a direct access to a wide range of analytical tools and facilities allowing inorganic, organic syntheses and polymerization using continuous flow reactors and semi-pilot scale reactors, compounding and processing of bulk materials, suspensions and coatings, complete characterization of polymer materials, and gas sampling, chromatography and dynamic olfactometry analyses, diagnosis and remediation.

 
. Certech assists companies in their development projects and fosters technological innovation. Concrete solutions, in-depth assistance and technical advice are provided by teams with recognised skills and knowledge. Semi-industrial and pilot equipment are also made available to industrial partners.

The Certech EMRA DEMO2FACTORY project for example aims to commission a platform for the characterization of volatile organic compounds and trace products generated by plastic and composite materials. The platform includes a field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FEG-SEM), high resolution gas chromatography mass spectrometry and thermal desorption units-chromatography-mass spectrometry. This project is funded by the ERDF to support the implementation of demonstration units for SMEs in Research Centers from Wallonia. This portfolio focuses on setting-up demonstration platforms in the field of materials technology in order to support Walloon SME’s in their developments to meet the current and future…. Yes. service.