Complex on Viale Ciro Menotti in Marina di Ravenna Named After Raul Gardini

In this site, Raul Gardini was aspiring to create a stronghold dedicated to environmental research, which could work as driving force for the industrial development of the country. Today, three decades later, Gardini’s dream lives on in these same spaces, which continue to be a reference point for scientific research. Naming the complex after him means recognising his visionary and forward-looking vision, bridging past and present. Indeed, in the very location where, in the 90’s, Gardini founded the Montecatini Environmental Research Centre, today rises a scientific hub aspiring to become a cutting-edge reality in waste-to-energy technologies, marine technologies, and activities related to the blue economy and energy transition.

Within the hub, you can find laboratories, research groups, startups and offices involved in innovation and territorial development projects. In particular, the complex in Marina di Ravenna currently hosts the research Centre on Environment, Energy and Sea CRAEM (including the laboratories FIP-WE@UNIBO, ENERCUBE and HC_Hub_ER), the SafetySensors laboratory and the business incubator and co-working space Ravenna InnovationLAB.

The naming takes place alongside the award of the “Prize for thesis” in remembrance of Raul Gardini, established by the Raul Gardini Foundation with the aim of deepening the research and interdisciplinary study on topics related to environmental sustainability and circular economy. The prize is directed to graduates, PhD students and research fellows at the University of Bologna and will be awarded jointly to Alessia Alcantarini and Sara El Yamani.

RESEARCH CENTRE ON ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY AND SEA - CRAEM

Located within the Technopole of Ravenna and part of the Emilia-Romagna High Technology Network, the CRAEM Research Centre provides competence and services in industrial research on technologies for the environment, energy and blue growth.
The Centre hosts different bodies: the joint Italian-German laboratory for sustainable energy and waste management, FIP_WE@UNIBO (‘Fraunhofer Innovation Platform for Waste Valorization and Future Energy Supply at University of Bologna). This laboratory focuses its research on the development of carbon-based materials with reduced production costs and low environmental impact, for industrial applications. Furthermore, it aims at facilitating and accelerating the commercialisation of research, and the transfer and adoption of waste management technologies, within the framework of circular economy and green energy; EnerCube laboratory, focused on the up-scaling of production and recycling processes for components and cells of electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems, serves as the first regional and national platform for the production of Li-ion and next-generation batteries with a low environmental impact, as well as other emerging electrochemical systems such as supercapacitors, flow redox batteries, and fuel cells. It thus focuses on the valorisation of non-critical materials for the European Union, the reduction of production waste and the recyclability of devices; the HC-Hub-ER ‘Hydrogen and Carbon use through Energy from Renewables’ laboratory, dedicated to the sustainable and safe production and use of hydrogen, and the catching, use and stocking of negative CO2.

SAFETYSENSORS LABORATORY

The SafetySensors laboratory, as part of SSAILL – Security, Sensing and Automation for Innovation in Logistics and Work, follows a line of research focused on sensor technology applied to health and safety in the workplace. The developed and studied sensors are integrated into the textile material starting from a polymeric solution, appropriately thickened and mixed with additives.

BUSINESS INCUBATOR AND CO-WORKING SPACE RAVENNA INNOVATIONLAB

The business incubator Ravenna InnovationLAB supports the development of technological and innovative businesses in the field of circular and bio economy, blue growth, energy sustainability, green energy, environmental sustainability, decarbonisation and green chemistry. This incubator facility also includes a co-working space available to businesses, freelancers and other bodies operating in the listed fields.