Mission of the Center
The Center promotes research, innovation, training and communication, at national and international level, in the distinctive and multidisciplinary fields of Health and Bioeconomy. These domains include, among others:
a) the global challenges related to safeguarding human health in relation to an increasingly polluted and degraded environment (esposoma);
b) the cancer prevention and treatment;
c) the prevention and management of antibiotic resistance;
d) the promotion of active and healthy ageing;
e) the prevention of chronic diseases that cannot be transmitted through diet and healthy lifestyles;
f) the development of innovative and interconnected healthcare systems;
g) the protection and sustainable regeneration of soil, marine and inland water, biodiversity and ecosystems;
h) the sustainable production of healthy and high quality food, feeds and biobased products;
i) the co-designing and implementation of smart, circular and healthy cities.
The health and productivity of the planet depend on complex interactions between living beings, ecosystems and the environment and their preservation and strengthening require an effective interconnection among the sectors indicated, trans-disciplinary and multi-actor partnerships, as recommended by the European Green Deal, the European Strategy for Bioeconomy, Beating Cancer Plan, One Health Action Plan end the Sustainable Development Goals (Ensuring a healthy life and promoting the well-being for all at all ages). The Centre promotes research and innovation cooperation and partnerships with local, national and international public and private entities in the various fields of sustainable health and bioeconomy for a healthier and more productive planet. In addition, the Centre, with its basic and applied research, preclinical and clinical skills, represents a transversal university structure that also proposes and organizes seminars and conferences in the areas of interest of the center.
Competences and partnerships of the Centre
The Centre provide highly qualified and interconnected competence in the R&I, training and communication in the fields of prevention and treatment of chronic non-communicable diseases, healthy aging, the sustainable bioeconomy, with the production and processing of biological resources from terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and healthy and circular cities.
These are guaranteed by over than 1,200 Professors and Researchers of 21 Departments of the Alma Mater Studiorum active in the scientific, medical, technological, humanistic and social disciplines, skills that have assured Alma Mater to be the first Italian University in terms of competitive funding received from the European Commission in the framework of Horizon 2020 – Societal Challenge 1 Healthy, Demographic Change and Wellbeing (14 M€ for 31 projects funded) and Societal Challenge 2 Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine, Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy (21 M€ from 45 projects funded).
In the same areas, the Centre, through its Departments, also boasts collaborations with:
Territorial hospitals and the three "Institutes of Hospitalization and Care of Scientific Character (IRCCS)", or medical facilities of excellence, dedicated to research in biomedical and health systems, eg the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute (IOR), the Institute of Neurological Sciences Bellaria (ISNB), and the University Hospital Polyclinic of Sant’Orsola (AOU);
the Technology Clusters of the Emilia Romagna Region (Clust-ER) active on health, agrifood and environment issues and the National Technology Clusters on Health (ALISEI), Agrifood (CL.A.N.), Biobased industry (SPRING) and Blue Growth (BIG);
CNR, ARPAE, ISPRA, ENEA, IZSLER, RE.SOIL Foundation, etc;
National and European prominent Companies of the food and primary production, bioeconomy, biotech and pharma;
the National Committee of Biosafety, Biotechnology and Life Science (CNBBSV) of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, and its "National Coordination Group for the Bioeconomy" and the Italian Microbioma Initiative, the Health City Institute, and the Italian network Cities Changing Diabetes;
the Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Converging Technologies Committee of OCSE/OECD and some Committee of the European Commission (e.g. Clusters IV, V e VI of Horizon Europe) and the National Societies Committee of United European Gastroenterology;
international institutions and panels such as: Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, INRAE, EIT Food, Climate-KIC, EIT Raw Materials, PRIMA, DISH Joint Centre of Food safety, EUROPASS, FOODforce, FIT4FOOD2030, Farm Breeding Technology Platform (FABRE TP), MoniQA Network on food safety, Health Grain Forum and WGI - Whole Grain Initiative, EUROMARINE, EUSAIR, European Plant Sciences Organisation, European Bioplastics Association, CO2 Value, Biobased Industries Consortium, The Guild Initiative, European Reference Networks (ERN) on Rare Diseases (ENDO-ERN, EURACAN, ITHACA, ERN SKIN ERN LUNG), The European eHealth Multidisciplinary Stakeholder Platform (EHTEL), The “LIFETIME” Technology platform initiative, The European Large Scale Research Initiative “RESTORE”, The Nanomedicine European Technology platform ETPN, The European Paediatric Translational Research Infrastructure (EPTRI), the Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure of Italy (BBMRI.it);
the European University Alliance UNAEUROPA, with its “One Health” internal task force (UNA-OH);
The European Bioeconomy University (EBU) alliance is committed to share and jointly promote best practices in research, innovation and training in the different areas of the Healthy Planet theme;
In addition, the Centre, through its 21 Departments, provides training to more than 20,000 students annually enrolled in degree courses related to the Healthy Planet areas indicated above and 150 PhD students annually engaged in advanced research in the same topics.
The following Departments of the Alma Mater Studiorum are joining the Center Healthy Planet
Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine - DIMES
Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences - DIBINEM
Pharmacy and Biotechnology - FaBiT
Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences - BiGeA
for Life Quality Studies - QUVI
Physics and Astronomy “Augusto Righi” - DIFA
Chemistry "Giacomo Ciamician" - CHIM
Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari" - CHIMIND
Statistical Sciences "Paolo Fortunati" - STAT
Sociology and Business Law - SDE
Psychology "Renzo Canestrari" - PSI
Political and Social Sciences - SPS
Agricultural and Food Sciences - DISTAL
Veterinary Medical Sciences - DIMEVET
Computer Science and Engineering - DISI
Civil, Chemical, Environmental, and Materials Engineering - DICAM
Electrical, Electronic, and Information Engineering "Guglielmo Marconi" - DEI
Head
Prof. Fabio Fava
Deputy Head
Prof. Andrea Pession
The Assembly
Prof. Fabio Fava (Head)
Prof. Andrea Pession (Deputy Head)
Prof. Valerio Carelli (Coordinator for the Health Challenges)
Prof. Attilio Toscano (Coordinator for the Bioeconomy Challenges)
Prof. Pierluigi Viale (DIMEC)
Prof. Gianandrea Pasquinelli (DIMES)
Prof.ssa Lucia Manzoli (DIBINEM)
Prof. Santi Mario Spampinato (FABIT)
Prof. Stefano Del Duca (BIGEA) BIGEA Head representative
Prof. Claudio Stefanelli (QUVI)
Prof. Daniel Remondini (DIFA) DIFA Head representative
Prof. Luca Prodi (CHIM) CHIM Head representative
Prof. Andrea Mazzanti (CHIMIND)
Prof. Angelo Paletta (DISA)
Prof.ssa Angela Montanari (STAT) STAT Head representative
Prof.ssa Claudia Golino (SDE)
Prof.ssa Elvira Cicognani (PSI)
Prof. Fabrizio Ivan Apollonio (DA)
Prof. Riccardo Prandini (SPS) SPS Head representative
Prof. Giovanni Molari (DISTAL)
Prof. Giuliano Bettini (DIMEVET)
Prof. Maurizio Gabbrielli (DISI)
Prof. Stefano Gandolfi (DICAM)
Prof. Claudio Melchiorri (DEI)
Prof. Alfredo Liverani (DIN)
Executive Board
Prof. Fabio Fava (Head)
Prof. Andrea Pession (Deputy Head)
Prof. Valerio Carelli (Coordinator for the Health Challenges)
Prof. Attilio Toscano (Coordinator for the Bioeconomy Challenges)
Prof. Gianandrea Pasquinelli (DIMES)
Prof. Giuliano Bettini (DIMEVET)
Prof. Andrea Mazzanti (CHIMIND)
Prof. Santi Mario Spampinato (FABIT)
Prof. Alfredo Liverani (DIN)
Prof. Fabrizio Ivan Apollonio (DA)
Prof.ssa Angela Montanari (STAT) STAT Head representative
Prof.ssa Elvira Cicognani (PSI)
Scientific coordinator for Health Challenges
Prof. Valerio Carelli
Scientific coordinator for the Bioeconomy Challenges
Prof. Attilio Toscano
Organization of activities
The interdisciplinary skills of the Center are divided into 2 vertical pillars, which represent the two major scientific, technological, training and communication fields of the same, effectively interconnected through 4 transversal actions: 1) research and innovation, 2) technology transfer, 3) training and 4) public engagement, territory and society, namely:
• Research and innovation and technology transfer:
inter-departmental and multi- / trans-disciplinary initiatives aimed at formulating European research and innovation proposals, promoting networking activities and collaborations with other public and private, national, European and international research centers and institutes.
• Promote forms of cooperation and co-planning with public and private subjects to support technology and knowledge transfer.
Education and training:
• Promote cooperation / joint actions and co-supervision between doctoral programs active in the different areas of Healthy Planet; encourage initiatives that include industrial and European doctorates, also funded by the EU commission;
• Promote higher education initiatives on Healthy Planet issues, with particular attention to summer and winter schools, and to masters, also within the UNAEUROPA alliance and the alliance of Universities for Bioeconomy (EBU).
• Collaborate with University initiatives on teaching innovation in the European Green Deal and in relation to the SDGs attached to Healthy Planet.
• Regulations and policies, disclosure and public engagement:
• Coordinate and support communication and relations with the media for the dissemination of knowledge and innovation in the Healthy Planet areas as well as the results of the research groups belonging to the Center.
• Promote, in collaboration with the local area, initiatives and events on the social, economic and political impact of the Healthy Planet theme;
Collaboration with national and regional bodies in the development of regulations, policies, standards, labeling and taxation in the Healthy Planet sectors.