Federica Dei has been awarded first prize at the 8th edition of the ISWA (International Solid Waste Association) YPG (Young Professionals Group) Online Conference 2025 for her research titled: “Modeling Future Waste From the Energy Transition: A Forecast-Oriented Approach For Italy.” The ISWA YPG had invited young professionals under the age of 35 to submit abstracts for the conference, held under the theme “Towards a Wasteless Future or Wasteful Planet.” All submitted abstracts were reviewed by the Conference Scientific Committee. A total of 45 abstracts were received, of which 44% were rejected. Reflecting on the award, Federica commented: > “The ISWA YPG Online Conference has been an incredible opportunity to connect > with scientists and waste experts from around the world, leaving me with such > positive energy. > > I’m honoured to receive this recognition for my work on forecasting waste from > the energy transition. Assessing and quantifying these complex, > resource-intensive waste streams is essential to truly close the loop and turn > future challenges into opportunities — not only for the sector, but far > beyond. > > For me, it’s about realizing that despite our distances and differences, we > face similar issues and share a common commitment to finding solutions. It’s > powerful to see how science and technology can bring us together for a better > future on our planet.” L'articolo Federica Dei Wins First Prize at the 8th ISWA YPG Online Conference 2025 proviene da DICA - Polimi.

Our nationally funded project, CoFLy (Cognitive Operations of micro-Flying vehicles),which focuses on developing innovative operations for Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) systems, has been labelled as a “Successive Example” by the Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Committee. The main objective of the CoFly project was to insert pioneering functionalities in Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) systems, aiming at reducing the operational cost as well as to incorporate intelligent modules assisting non-expert users in proper manipulation. To this end and far beyond the simple remote control of MAVs, CoFly integrates advanced cognitive capabilities, enabling autonomous navigation, perception, decision-making, and adaptability to new data.   Picture 1. Field testing by the CoFly consortium team   The project has proven its impact on the precision agriculture domain. Field trials conducted over two crop seasons in cotton fields in the Larissa region validated the system’s ability to navigate through complex environments and support farmers with tasks such as plant health monitoring and weed detection. Efficient localization and mapping techniques, semantic representation and recognition abilities are integrated in the platform to improve the robot’s cognitive capabilities for precise robot-user and robot-environment interactions, resulting in an optimal decision-making tool for the end-user. M4D group is responsible for developing computer vision algorithms and AI models that served as the main backbone of the CoFly platform’s functionalities. Additionally, participated in project coordination together with CERTH’s fellow team, ConvCao. CoFly platform is available to public and to research community: https://github.com/CoFly-Project. You can find the full article here: https://kalespraktikes.antagonistikotita.gr/cofly-protoporiaka-systimata-mikron-enaerion-ochimaton/ Picture 2. Overview of the CoFly platform functionalities   Picture 3. UAV equipment configuration during field experiments

Dr. Marco Carlo Rampini was recently awarded the “Young Researcher Best Paper Award on Corroded Reinforced Concrete Structures” at the fibCACRCS 2025 – Capacity Assessment of Corroded Reinforced Concrete Structures conference, held at the Lecco Campus of Politecnico di Milano. The award was granted for the presentation of the scientific contribution entitled “Analytical Investigation of the Structural Impact of Artificially-Induced Corrosion in Reinforced Concrete Dapped-End Beams”, developed in collaboration with co-authors Katherina Flores Ferreira, Giulio Zani, and Marco di Prisco. L'articolo Marco Carlo Rampini awarded the “Young Researcher Best Paper Award on Corroded Reinforced Concrete Structures” at fibCACRCS 2025 proviene da DICA - Polimi.

ASCE Reads interviewed Professor Fabio Biondini on the occasion of the publication of the book Effects of Climate Change on Life-Cycle Performance of Structures and Infrastructure Systems: Safety, Reliability, and Risk, which he co-edited with Zoubir Lounis and Michel Ghosn. The volume, published by ASCE Press, is the result of a three-year interdisciplinary project funded by ASCE, involving over 40 researchers including structural engineers and climate scientists. The main goals of the project were: * To review available information on climate change * To outline methods for updating current design standards to account for climate change effects on structural performance over time * To identify methodologies and tools for addressing the impact of climate change on the safety, risk, and life-cycle performance of structures and infrastructure systems 👉 Read the full interview: asce.org/publications-and-news/… 📘 Explore the book: ascelibrary.org/doi/book/10.1061/9780784485804 L'articolo Professor Fabio Biondini interviewed by ASCE on the future of structures in a changing climate proviene da DICA - Polimi.

We are pleased to inform you that applications are now open for Switch2Product (S2P), the Innovation Challenge of Politecnico di Milano. S2P is aimed at students, researchers, PhD candidates, faculty members and alumni who wish to turn a technology, idea or research project into a real startup. The program supports participants through every phase of startup development, providing concrete tools, targeted training, mentoring from industry experts, financial grants, and access to a vibrant ecosystem of investors, companies and fellow entrepreneurs. Program structure: 📩 Application Fill out the form at s2p.it by September 1st, 2025 (first batch deadline). ✅ First selection – 100 teams The most promising projects will access the Innovation Fundamentals program: 8 weeks of training on problem/solution fit, go-to-market strategy, and market analysis. 🏆 Second selection – 50 finalists A jury made up of organizers and partners will assign financial grants and in-kind services to support startup development. 🚀 Incubation – 3 months The selected startups will join an intensive program focused on IP strategy, fundraising, and sector-specific workshops. 🤝 Matching Day Structured meetings with corporates and investors to foster synergies, collaborations, and concrete growth opportunities. For more information, visit: https://www.s2p.it L'articolo Applications now open for Switch2Product 2025-26 proviene da DICA - Polimi.

The MultiRATE project successfully concluded its activities with a high-profile final event held on May 28th, 2025, at the Titania Hotel in Athens, Greece. Organised by M4D, the event gathered over 40 participants, including researchers, industry stakeholders, policy makers, and representatives from EU agencies such as the Policy Officer and SSRI Area Coordinator from DG Home as well as the Project Officer from REA as, and EUROPOL. MultiRATE paved the way of the holistic evaluation of the readiness level of solutions developed in the security domain and will be available to the entire R&D community. M4D served as the coordinator of the MultiRATE project, overseeing both the scientific and technical management throughout its duration. It also played a key role in developing the project’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework and calculator, used to assess how mature a security technology is. The main focus of the event was the presentation of the Holistic Readiness Level (HRL) framework, MultiRATE’s main outcome as well as of the Forecasting Module (FM). The HRL offers a comprehensive and multi-dimensional methodology for evaluating the maturity of security technologies, across several critical axes: technological, societal, ethical/legal/privacy, integration, commercialisation, and manufacturing readiness, while the FM supports the evaluation of the investment required to advance a technological element from one Technological Readiness Level to another. Partners from CENTRIC, Fraunhofer, CEA, ENG, Satways, VICOM, INOV, and VTT also presented the tools and methodologies developed within the MultiRATE project. The HRL framework was validated through several real-world use cases and synergistic research projects that participated in the event, presenting their integration and evaluation efforts. In this context, EU-funded projects such as STARLIGHT, FALCON, TENSOR, SENTINEL, TREEADS, TeamUP, CESAGRAM and VANGUARD, demonstrated how they applied the HRL within their own research, further highlighting its adaptability and relevance for future standardisation and certification efforts.   A panel discussion followed, focusing on the challenges of assessing technology maturity and the potential for adopting tools like the HRL framework in real-world contexts. The event marked the conclusion of the MultiRATE project, a Horizon Europe project that ran from December 2022 to May 2025. With M4D’s coordination playing a key role in guiding its scientific and technical progress, the project has made a meaningful contribution to advancing the HRL methodology within security and technological innovation efforts across Europe.

Professors Maria Cristina Rulli and Valentina Zega, affiliated with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Politecnico di Milano, have been elected as Ordinary and Junior Members for 2025, respectively, of the Accademia di Ingegneria e Tecnologia (ITATEC). Founded in 2022 under the auspices of the National Academy of the Lincei, ITATEC aims to foster the exchange of knowledge between universities, research institutions, and industry, providing independent assessments and recommendations to stakeholders, policymakers, and civil society. The founding members, together with those elected based on merit, form a stable body of impartial experts capable of representing the most authoritative positions within the technical-scientific community. ITATEC is actively involved in the European Council of Applied Sciences, Technologies and Engineering (Euro-CASE), enabling Italy to fully participate in the European Commission’s scientific advisory mechanism on issues related to engineering and technology. L'articolo Two DICA faculty members among the newly elected members of ITATEC proviene da DICA - Polimi.

Chiara Recalcati has been awarded the Gustavo Sclocchi Award 2024–2025, one of the most prestigious national recognitions for doctoral theses in the field of energy. Now in its 32nd edition, the award is promoted by the Italian Section of the SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers), Assorisorse (the Italian Association for the Energy and Sustainable Resources Industry), and the EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers). The aim of the award is to highlight outstanding doctoral research on technical topics related to energy, carried out by young Italian researchers in Italy or abroad, with a background in STEM disciplines. Chiara Recalcati received the top distinction, with her thesis evaluated as Outstanding, meaning of superior quality and exceptional performance. The award ceremony took place on May 23, 2025, at Politecnico di Milano. L'articolo Chiara Recalcati wins the Gustavo Sclocchi Award 2024–2025 proviene da DICA - Polimi.

Mengnan Li has been awarded the 2024–2025 PhD Scholarship by the Fratelli Confalonieri Foundation. The foundation supports doctoral candidates whose research is innovative and contributes to the advancement of both Italy and the international community. Mengnan’s project aligns closely with these goals, and the foundation acknowledged her strong potential to carry it out successfully. Her research topic is “Structure Overall Performance Evaluation Based on Digital Twin“. The award ceremony took place on June 9, 2025, at the University of Milan (Università degli Studi di Milano). L'articolo Mengnan Li awarded the 2024–2025 PhD Scholarship by the Fondazione Fratelli Confalonieri proviene da DICA - Polimi.

Chiara Recalcati has received the InterPore PoreLab Award for Young Researchers, granted by the International Society for Porous Media (InterPore). This is the most prestigious international award dedicated to young researchers who have made significant scientific contributions to the study of porous media from a fundamental perspective. The award was established by InterPore and is assigned annually to outstanding profiles in the field. The award ceremony took place during the 17th International InterPore Conference, held in Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA) from May 19 to 22, 2025. The award citation reads: “Dr. Chiara Recalcati’s diverse research portfolio on fundamental porous media science, her publications, and her successful and already broad international experience, serve as an inspiration to young scientists everywhere. She is rapidly emerging as a reference scientist in the experimental and theoretical characterization of the heterogeneous nature of reactive processes taking place across the surface of minerals in contact with a fluid and driving chemical weathering of natural porous media.” L'articolo Chiara Recalcati Awarded the InterPore PoreLab Award for Young Researchers proviene da DICA - Polimi.