Research at UNIMORE

UNIMORE is committed to high-quality research. It is ranked among the top 8 comprehensive universities in Italy for its high level of research, according to the most recent assessment of the Italian Ministerial Committee for the Evaluation of Research (CIVR).

Ongoing research is conducted by 21 university departments representing all the principal disciplines, by 11 integrated medical departments, and by numerous departmental and interdepartmental centers involved in specialized research activities. Many of them are nationally and internationally recognized.

The University's staff consists of approximately 880 professors, lecturers and researchers.

UNIMORE is part of the High Technology Regional Network, involving all the Universities in the Emilia-Romagna Region, and offers cutting-edge facilities for technology transfer in the sectors of mechanical engineering, mechatronics, advanced materials, ICT in business applications, and regenerative medicine.

The university has a strategic commitment to promote research in the following seven major areas:

Advanced Mechanics and Automotive Design: Innovation in Product Development, Materials and Manufacturing

The research addresses the development of scientific knowledge and design solutions for the attainment of innovative materials, products, treatments and processes in the field of Advanced Mechanics and Automotive Design. The subject area ranges over many issues: improvement of materials and surfaces, product efficiency and performances, high performance systems and sustainable processes, minimization of energy consumption and of waste with the aim of drastically reducing environmental and social impact of technology.

Smart ICT for smart social worlds

The perception of the training role of the ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) is evolving towards a strong awareness of the ICT potentialy, not only for supporting the industrial and service sectors, but also as a driving and innovative social force. This research line has the goal to design: wired & wireless intelligent and sicure networks, software/hardware robust, intelligent and 'green' systems with a high impact on the society and the enterprises.

Stem cells and regenerative medicine

Regenerative medicine requires a high level of expertise in stem cell biology and molecular biology, and surgical skills in the reconstruction of severely diseased tissues and organs. The main objectives of this research line are to characterize epithelial, haematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells at a molecular level, to highlight molecular mechanisms regulating their self-renewal and proliferative capacity and to define culture procedures, gene transfer methodologies, cell and gene therapy-pre-clinical and clinical protocols, all of which would allow a widespread clinical use of adult stem cells.

Nano- and emerging materials and systems for sustainable technologies

Fundamental understanding of physical phenomena and processes can have direct impact on the control of structure and functionalities of nanoscale systems, their interfaces with the meso- and micro-scales, and their assembly into complex architectures, and can foster the development of radically innovative technologies. Conversely, key advances in methods, tools and technologies are critical for state-of-the-art investigations of the basic properties of matter. In the present research line, the approaches of physics, chemistry, life sciences, mathematics and engineering converge in a joint effort towards emerging concepts and systems which can both advance substantially our knowledge and improve technologies and processes in terms of their sustainability.

Genomic and molecular medicine

The completion of the human genome sequence and the concerted, dramatic technological advances, have opened up a new era in genetic investigation and medicine. Geneticists have begun to chart the genetic basis not only of "single-gene disorders", but also of commoner diseases, which have a complex genetic basis and more significant impact on public health. Other advances have already entered clinical practice and include the molecular diagnosis of established disease, allowing more targeted, personalized treatments to be prescribed, or prediction of drug sensitivity and side effects. The parallel progress in molecular pharmacology and nanotechnologies has opened new exciting research areas in drug discovery and delivery, which is rapidly moving pharmacology from the traditional single protein-centered approach to the era of "poly-pharmacology". This research program aims at using genomic information and technologies, coupled with other biomolecular approaches and computational analyses, to advance our capability to diagnose and cure human diseases.

Environments, Food And Health

The object of this multidisciplinary research line is the study of natural risks and geo-resources control, by improving surveying, monitoring, testing and modelling of fundamental natural processes and their interaction with the built environment. The geological and engineering aspects will be associated with the biological evaluation of environment quality by using innovative methods. In the agro-crop innovation field, safe and sustainable techniques are studied suggesting solutions along the entire food-agrarian chain able to assure the consumers' health, also respecting legal regulation and sanctions. In the field of health protection, we will approach the emerging risks, both biological, physical-chemical and/or behavioral, with specific studies able to evaluate exposition and early health effects, taking into prominent consideration the ethical and legal aspects linked to the damages responsibility.

Models and methods for economic analysis: growth, business cycle, financial stability, public policies and innovation

This research line aims at developing macro- and microeconomic models and econometric, statistical and mathematical tools at the frontier within a broad area which can be organized in two branches. The first focuses on the analysis of growth and the business cycle, with attention to real and financial aspects. The second branch focuses on the analysis of fiscal and welfare policies and on industrial policies.