Emilia-Romagna Floods: Rector Molari and General Figliuolo sign an agreement for recovery processes

Rector Giovanni Molari and General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo signed a cooperation agreement this morning at the Rectorate between the University of Bologna and the Extraordinary Commissioner's Support Body for Reconstruction in the Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, and Marche Regions.

The agreement will make it possible to establish collaborations for scientific, educational and dissemination purposes in order to promote the reconstruction and recovery of flooded areas. These activities will be carried out also thanks to the creation of specific working groups of professors, researchers, research fellows and lab technician staff of the University of Bologna.

"The University of Bologna has always been committed to working with and for its local areas: our scientific and educational resources together with a vibrant student community are an essential growth factor for our cities and communities. At a time of major emergency, this should be all the more the case. This is why from the outset, the University of Bologna has offered its technical and scientific expertise to the Region and the municipalities affected by the floods," said Rector Giovanni Molari. "Today we reiterate and renew our availability through an agreement placing us in direct contact with the Extraordinary Commissioner, whom we thank for his commitment and dedication to such an important cause. We will be happy to contribute with our research, our didactic programmes and our public engagement to the achievement of common goals, as our ultimate goal is the collective good."

"I have always believed in the engagement and synergy with all entities representing excellence in the institutional, productive and cultural landscape of our country, and the University of Bologna is one of them," added General Francesco Paolo Figliuolo. "Emergencies tend to be complex and require a multidimensional, multidisciplinary approach, which therefore involves various institutions and agencies and is linked to the academic world. Everyone who has something to bring to the table must give it by sharing their work and results, because that is how a great nation can face up to difficulties. Emergencies exist and will also exist in the future, but if there is a team, commitment and the ability to change, we will succeed."

The areas of interest on which work will focus are many: hydrogeological instability, architecture, landscape restoration and protection, urban planning, energy efficiency and digital networks. Furthermore, the collaboration will give rise to actions on environmental risk reduction, climate change mitigation and adaptation, hydraulics and hydrogeology, crop management and urban greening, and soil stability, as well as on seismic vulnerability of structures and the development of telecommunications systems and networks that can be activated in times of emergency.

The collaboration with the University of Bologna will therefore allow the Commission Structure to identify solutions to guarantee the structural, seismic and energy quality of the interventions to be carried out, taking into account the urban-environmental and landscape context. In particular, the University of Bologna's input will be useful to guide the choice of qualitative design approaches and to accelerate the development of digitisation processes of real estate assets.

Moreover, the agreement will allow the University of Bologna to develop new research projects, analyses and in-depth academic studies on the several topics addressed, also involving students for their degree and doctoral theses. These activities will generate not only documents, publications and scientific articles, but also actions for public awareness.

The agreement signed today with the Extraordinary Commissioner for Reconstruction in the Emilia Romagna, Tuscany and Marche Regions renews the commitment to support the communities and territories affected by last May's floods made by the University of Bologna on the very first days of the emergency.

EUR 250,000 has been allocated to support the students affected by the floods in the Emilia-Romagna Region, and a fund of over EUR 400,000 has been set up to carry out research and scientific dissemination projects. The aim is to increase the resilience of the territory and its citizens to climate change with a special focus on catastrophic events, which global warming is making increasingly frequent.

Moreover, a collective work designed by artist Francesca Grosso will be created to tell and not forget the many stories of mutual aid, solidarity, and generosity that involved our University community during the days of the emergency. All those who worked amidst rubble, water and mud to rescue people in distress and save damaged property can tell their stories online. During the Alma Mater Fest (27 September - 2 October) - the University welcoming event in Bologna and Romagna Campuses - Francesca, starting from the stories received, will create her work live and in front of the audience. Her work will then be donated to the University to keep track of this important moment of community building and cohesion.