TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Emilia-Romagna Region celebrated its Regional Day at Expo 2020 with a line-up of educational and digital learning events, highlighting its prestigious role as a leading European hub for science education and digital innovation. It is the second Emilia-Romagna mission at Expo 2020 Dubai, after the mission of President Stefano Bonaccini last December.
Organized under the theme “Data Valley meets Expo”, the Italian historical region brought together at Expo large numbers of educational institutions, research centres, strategic partners and univeristy students from around the world.
The activities were also organized as part of the Emilia-Romagna institutional mission led by HE Paola Salomoni, Regional Minister for Education, University, Research and Digital Agenda, is underway (from January 11 to 17, 2022). It is the second Emilia-Romagna mission at Expo 2020 Dubai, after the mission of President Stefano Bonaccini last December.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion, Paola Salomoni, regional Minister for Education said, “In recent years, the Emilia-Romagna Region has chosen to invest in the creation of innovative skills, research and innovation as an engine for the growth of the territory. A vision, explained by the regional Minister Paola Salomoni and shared with local authorities, education institutions and social partners strengthened with the sharing of the Pact for work and climate change.”
“This vision of regional development, combined with the ability of the innovation and production system to work as a team, will soon concentrate 80 per cent of the national supercomputing capacity and over 20 per cent of the European capacity at the Bologna Technopole, placing Europe at the level of giants like the US and China,”
“We are talking of the main European hub, making Emilia-Romagna jump in a few years from the 19th to the fifth position in the world ranking on Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital and new technologies. A citadel of science where solutions and practi cal applications can be designed in all sectors: Mobility and time in cities, manufacturing, health, the environment and the fight against climate change. This is where the Data Center of the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change is located and where will also be housed the Italy Weather Agency and the most important national scientific and research bodies,” Salomoni added.
The all-day events took place at the Amphitheater of the Italian Pavilion, where President Stefano Bonaccini, future prospects were discussed and the value of supercomputing for the development of science and society in an online call, with representatives of the main regional, national and international institutions involved including Francesco Ubertini, president of IFAB and CINECA and Antonio Zoccoli, president of INFN and the Big Data Association.
One of the major topics that discussed was ‘The skills on Big Data’ and ‘Talents for Big Data and Artificial Intelligence in Emilia-Romagna’, where it-ER, International Talents programme of the Region was presented to the international community of Expo.
All the Universities of Emilia-Romagna where present and illustrated innovative projects in the fields of smart grids on the intelligent use of energy (University of Ferrara), digital technologies applied to cultural heritage (University of Bologna) and medicine (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia).
On January 16, 2022, Legacoop Emilia-Romagna under the theme of International Cooperation to Expo brought in two initiatives and the presentation of successful cases of regional companies and cooperatives on sustainable development and digital technology applied to agriculture.
