The MI AMI BEATs project, developed within the Alta Scuola Politecnica program and in collaboration with MI AMI Festival organizers in Milan, addresses the challenge of designing a transparent, accessible, and data-driven sustainability evaluation framework for music festivals. It aims to bridge the gap between rising environmental expectations and the lack of standardized tools for sustainability assessment in the music industry.
As the European power grid undergoes a deep transformation driven by the growing electrification of homes and industries, the rise of electric mobility, and the large-scale integration of intermittent renewable energy sources, ensuring grid stability has become increasingly challenging. In many urban areas, energy consumption during peak periods now regularly exceeds the distribution capacity of local grids. Simultaneously, distribution networks are becoming more complex due to the decentralization of electricity generation and the digitalization of infrastructure, particularly at the medium- and low-voltage levels.
The inspection of aerospace components coated with HVOF tungsten carbide is currently performed manually at Collins Aerospace. These cylindrical rods, used in landing gear and actuators, must be free of defects such as scratches, cracks, or porosity, since any flaw can compromise mechanical strength. However, manual inspection is slow, costly, operator-dependent, and lacks digital traceability, making it unsustainable as demand and certification requirements increase.
The rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs) presents both significant issues and opportunities for the management of electricity grids. Renewable energy, for example from wind and solar, is intermittent, often generating mismatches between supply and demand that threaten system stability. At the same time, EVs spend most of their lifetime parked, leaving their batteries largely idle. This situation highlights the main issue: while the grid struggles with volatility, a vast distributed storage resource remains unexploited. Aggregating EVs into Virtual Power Plants (VPPs), digital platforms that manage distributed resources as a single energy unit, can transform this idle capacity into a valuable source of flexibility for the power system.
In the contemporary urban context, where cities face mounting pressures from rapid population growth and climate change, food security emerges as a critical challenge requiring innovative solutions. By 2030, nearly 60% of the global population will live in cities, placing new pressures on already vulnerable food systems. In this context, vertical farming emerges as a highly promising solution. However, it still requires deeper investigation, particularly with respect to effective implementation strategies. FARMER was
established in response to this metropolitan imperative. Its mission is to develop a research-driven project focused on analyzing urban food security challenges and formulating effective methodologies to
address them through vertical farming technologies.
In the Italian context, where mountains and remote valleys suffer from limited accessibility and inadequate infrastructure, depopulation naturally emerges as a consequence for villages and towns located in those areas. This, in turn, makes efforts to revive local communities increasingly challenging. To reverse this trend and ensure the long-term viability of local economies, a deep understanding of the issue and well-informed decision-making are essential. GORSE was established in response to this challenge. Its mission is to develop a research-driven project focused on analyzing the various causes of depopulation and formulating effective methodologies to address them, ultimately aiming to repopulate these areas and revitalize local communities.
The financial services industry is at a critical inflection point, confronted with both the immense promise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) and widespread hesitation around its adoption.
The ISOLAx project is an innovative urban regeneration initiative designed to tackle the intertwined issues of housing inadequacy, social fragmentation, and economic decline in Taranto’s historic Old City, an area plagued by vacant buildings and precarious living conditions.
The rise of high-performance electric SUVs creates new tyre challenges: higher torque, battery weight, and the need for durability, grip, efficiency, and sustainability. Michelin responded with Project KADEL, aiming to design tyres optimized for EVs without compromising safety.
Lean Packaging is a project developed in collaboration with the coffee company Lavazza, aiming to cut void space and waste in e-commerce shipments without sacrificing product protection, costs, or customer choice. It targets compliance with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), which from 2030 caps unused volume per parcel at 40%. Lavazza’s baseline is ∼ 31.3% fill (∼ 68.7% empty), showing a clear gap.