•    Department of Engineering and Architecture – Prof. Giuseppina Scavuzzo
•    Call: Interreg VI-A Italia- Austria 2021/2027
•    CUP: J93C23001580002  
•    Project Coordinator: Libera Università di Bolzano
•    UniTS financing: 244.020 €

Abstract: The aim of the BeSENSHome project is to study and implement the implementation and development of innovative advanced systems and smart sensor networks to ensure environmental comfort within residences, day care centres, workplaces and facilities accommodating people with neurocognitive disabilities. In order to achieve this innovative goal, such systems must allow for (i) accurate customisation based on the needs of the occupants, defining a strategy that puts individuals at the centre, and (ii) control of the built environment.Thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), coupled with the sensor network, the environment will be able to learn the preferences or requirements of the occupant, identifying stressful conditions, adjusting environmental conditions and alerting possible caregivers in case their intervention is needed, before any potentially dangerous conditions can occur. The integration of such a sensor network with the furniture of the rooms will be architecturally detailed to ensure its inclusion in existing environments. To achieve these objectives and make the system as useful and user-friendly as possible, a participatory research approach will be applied throughout the project. 

•    Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences - prof. Fulvia Felluga
•    Call: Interreg VI-A Italia- Austria 2021/2027
•    CUP: J95E23000200007 
•    Project Coordinator: Università di Udine – Dipartimento di Area Medica
•    UniTS financing: 156.010,2 €

Abstract: Aging is a characteristic process for each individual, governed by the genetic but also behavioral profile (physical activity, diet, and social relationships) that influences the epigenetic framework. Underlying aging is cellular senescence, which is a state of permanent arrest of cell proliferation with loss of regenerative capacity, with accumulation of senescent cells in the body, progressive fibrosis of tissues and loss of their functionality. Particularly critical is the senescence of immune cells (immunosenescence) which results in a progressive decline of the immune response thus making older people much more defenseless against infection by pathogens or the growth of neoplasms.
The overall goal of the SENECA project is to strengthen research and innovation expertise in the field of cellular senescence and immunosenescence in the cross-border territories of Friuli Venezia Giulia and 'Alto-Adige, territories where population aging presents itself as a crucial challenge. In Friuli-Venezia Giulia (FVG) the population older than 65 years is 26.2 percent while, the population older than 75 years is 13.8 percent (ISTAT 2019), both higher than the national average. In Alto-Adige, the population older than 65 years accounted for 19.7 percent in 2019, with the population between 40 and 60 years of age at 35.7 percent, indicating that similar parameters are soon to be reached in FVG.
The scope of scientific investigation of the SENECA project, with involvement of a network of research institutes collaborating with integrated and multidisciplinary approaches, will concern the understanding of epigenetic changes related to aging. The activity will focus on the analysis of next-generation sequencing data, the generation of in vitro disease models cropped from patients, and the development of novel compounds with cellular rejuvenating therapeutic activity.
The goal of the project is to understand and pharmacologically interfere with the cellular aging process, in the context of neoplastic disease. The selected model is colorectal cancer (CRC), a disease that, due to lifestyles and genetic profiles, is of high relevance for the territories targeted by the intervention. For example, in FVG in 2020 CRC diagnoses accounted for 11.3% in men and 10.6% in women of new cases. Although early screening actions have lowered mortality, in about 40-45% of patients it is still the cause of death. SENECA will allow the development of new in vitro pathology-patient models to understand the role of immunosenescence and the development of new compounds with senolytic activity to develop cell rejuvenating therapies.
A multidisciplinary approach will be used first and foremost, drawing on the specific expertise of the different Partners: epigenetics of senescence, bioinformatics analysis, in vivo organoid models, organic synthesis of new compounds, and immune cells. In order to understand the aging process, the project will use in vitro models of cellular senescence, which will allow tracing the complex epigenetic modifications underlying the process, using innovative next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques such as Hi-C that allows obtaining 3D maps of our genome and placing the most important senescence-related epigenetic modifications in the correct context. These approaches will be linked to the acquisition of new bioinformatics skills for the analysis of complex data. 

•    Department of Life Sciences - prof. Alessandro Tossi
•    Call: Interreg VI-A Italia- Austria 2021/2027
•    CUP: J93C23001530007  
•    Project Coordinator: Fondazione de Claricini Dornpacher
•    UniTS financing: 120.204 €

Abstract: The project aims at supporting the concrete transfer of innovation to the agricultural and industrial cross-border sectors related to cultivation and diverse sustainable applications related to hemp and hemp by-products, reinforcing smart specialization niches that are common interests for both Italian and Austrian regions involved in the project. Project partners will facilitate the adoption of circular processes and the development of new business models in the Programme area, strengthening technological leadership in strategic value chains bringing together agriculture, industry and services sectors to generate added value and sustainable growth.