FBK and UniTN together again for research

The agreement linking the two research institutions on projects, activities and doctoral programs has been renewed. Three more years of collaboration that will enable networking and critical mass to take Trentino research across borders have thus been established. Artificial intelligence, physics, cyber security, cognitive sciences: various scientific fields of common interest on which doctoral projects and grants are multiplying. FBK President Ferruccio Resta and University of Trento President Flavio Deflorian expressed their satisfaction.

The new agreement approved and signed in recent days by the two area research institutions will be effective July 1, 2024. The framework agreement will be a reference point for the continuation of the many ongoing activities and for the definition of new projects.

The renewal is a formal step, which has now become almost a fixture every three years. Yet the strength of the Trentino system lies in this ongoing link for research: being able to count on a network of contacts, relationships and expertise that gives structure and competitiveness and multiplies the opportunities for the local area to count nationally and internationally through its research institutions.

The key word of the agreement is‘double appointment,’ professors or researchers working for both institutions at the same time. These are research positions created precisely to develop the integration of activities and projects between different institutions, fostering innovation and competitiveness. At present, seven people in the two institutions already hold this dual position, including two full professors, two associate professors and three RtdAs (Researchers on Fixed Term Type A Contracts).

The agreement between FBK and UniTrento provides for the establishment of joint research las with possible sharing of research infrastructure between groups from the two institutions. The possibility of establishing new joint research facilities has been provided for, including temporary ones, with their own management autonomy, where staff from the two institutions are encouraged to work together. The agreement mentions as well the establishment and continuation of joint professional doctoral and master’s degrees. FBK currently participates in the jointly established doctoral programs in Industrial Innovation and Cognitive Science. It also contributes to the University’s level III training offer by financially supporting about seventy active doctoral scholarships, as part of a consolidated network of scientific collaborations between the University and the Foundation.

“Strategic partnerships are necessary to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Today Fondazione Bruno Kessler and the University of Trento want to continue to enshrine what is an important and meaningful partnership, rooted in history but looking to the future,”commented Ferruccio Resta, FBK president at the signing. “We do this, first of all, thinking of research, the recruitment of girls and boys who, with their doctorates, embark on the path to new research profiles, shared projects in joint laboratories. Only through synergy and the sharing of ambitious goals can we be competitive and attractive internationally and be able to bring value to the local area. “

A point of view that is shared by the president of the University of Trento, Flavio Deflorian: “The agreement we are signing between the University of Trento and FBK is the continuation of three years of collaboration, which have borne important fruit in our research. A collaboration that is not new because these institutions have always promoted exchange, collaborated, and acted together for the innovation of our local area. Making critical mass in research is important because it allows us to face with greater confidence and competitiveness the big challenges we face, for the benefit of the development of our local area and of society in general, on the issues of research and knowledge transfer.  We have been working together on many current topics, from artificial intelligence to cyber security, to many other topics that we want to develop in the next three years, strengthening even more a collaboration that is criticaql for us and for the local area that hosts us.”

FBK|UniTN press release