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29 July 2025

On 8 July, the Ferrara Technology Park had the honour of hosting a delegation from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) for a highly significant institutional visit. This meeting is strategically part of the activities of the COLOURS project, an ambitious European initiative that aims to build a transnational university alliance capable of generating a significant impact in its regions through research, training and innovation.

The Spanish delegation, led by the Vice-Rector for International Policies and Global Alliances, was composed of a diverse group of professors and researchers with interdisciplinary expertise. Their areas of expertise, crucial for addressing the challenges of ecological and social transition, ranged from agroforestry to organic chemistry, from philology to nursing sciences, from physical education to urban planning and land management. This diversity of knowledge fostered a rich and multifaceted dialogue.

The visit was preceded by a welcome from Professor Enrico Bracci, Delegate for the Third Mission of the University of Ferrara, Dr Massimo Cinini, Head of the Third Mission Department at Unife, and Angela Princi, Manager of the Technopole, who illustrated the functioning of the innovative regional ecosystem of Emilia-Romagna, the Technopole network and, in particular, the unique features and laboratories of the Ferrara Technopole.

The day continued with a tour of some of the most advanced laboratories. The delegation visited Teknehub's laboratory dedicated to renewable energy and environmental climate control, admiring the innovative solutions for energy efficiency. Next, they explored the hydroponic greenhouse at CIAS (Interdepartmental Centre for Advanced Research in High Sterility Environments), an excellent example of sustainable agriculture in controlled environments. The tour ended with a visit to the anechoic chamber and diamond chamber at the IN4 laboratory, state-of-the-art facilities for acoustic and materials research.

The meeting proved to be an extraordinary opportunity for discussion and mutual inspiration. It contributed significantly to strengthening the connections between the universities and their respective regions, with a view to collaboration and progress within the broader European context, in line with the vision of the Technopole as a platform for collaboration and shared innovation at the European level.

The visit took place within the framework of the Strategic Alliance for the Sustainable Transformation of Universities and Territories.

COLOURS was created to strengthen the capacity of European regional universities to act as drivers of change within their communities, actively contributing to the sustainable, inclusive and digital development of their territories. At the heart of COLOURS' vision is the idea of a university deeply rooted in the local context but at the same time open to the European dimension, capable of integrating teaching, research, third mission and cooperation with public and private actors. The Alliance promotes the creation of joint and innovative training programmes, international mobility for students and staff, the co-creation of solutions through collaborative laboratories (CoLabs) and shared spaces (CoSpaces), and the adoption of participatory and inclusive governance. The aim is to train students to become citizens and professionals capable of tackling the major transitions of our time and generating concrete and lasting impacts in the social, economic and environmental contexts in which they operate.