WS.I

INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR PREVENTION THROUGH DESIGN IN NANOMATERIALS AND ADVANCED MATERIALS PRODUCTION PROCESSES

17 September

WORKSHOP COMMITTEE: 

Fabio BOCCUNI, INAIL

WS.II

Title in definition

16 September

WS.III

FROM LOW TO HIGH TRL: TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES AND SYSTEM EVOLUTION ACROSS RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY

16 - 17 September

This two-day workshop will explore the revolutionary role of technological challenges and system evolution, mandatory to connect the worlds of research and industry, which until now have been very distant.
The transition from low to high Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) represents one of the most critical and complex phases in the lifecycle of technological innovation. While early-stage research (TRL 1–3) is typically driven by scientific exploration and proof-of-concept validation, the progression toward industrial deployment (TRL 7–9) requires profound transformations in system architecture, design methodology, validation protocols, and stakeholder engagement. This workshop aims to promote a multidisciplinary dialogue on the technical, systemic, and organizational challenges that emerge during this transition, with particular focus on the fields of energy systems, electronics, sensing technologies, and biomedical applications.
The transition from laboratory prototypes to scalable, market-ready solutions requires much more than incremental technical refinement. Design choices that are acceptable in early experiment stages often prove inadequate when confronted with integration constraints, manufacturability requirements, cost optimization, safety standards and regulatory compliance. Furthermore, system-level considerations, including interoperability, reliability in real operating conditions, life cycle assessments, and sustainability, often reshape the original technological vision. The workshop will therefore examine how technological artefacts evolve not only in terms of performance metrics, but also in terms of architecture, materials, validation strategies, and risk management approaches.
A key focus will be on challenges related to scalability and system integration technologies. Those who demonstrate promising capabilities on a small scale may encounter unexpected limitations when integrated into complex infrastructures or subjected to industrial manufacturing processes. Through a comparison of different sectors, the workshop will seek to identify recurring patterns of bottlenecks and systemic constraints that characterize TRL-progression across all sectors. Another key aspect concerns regulatory and standardization frameworks. As technologies approach higher levels of technological maturity, compliance with safety standards, certification procedures and quality management systems become a central factor in design evolution. Understanding how regulatory pathways interact with innovation timelines is essential to avoid delays, redesign cycles, or misalignments between research outcomes and industrial expectations.
The workshop will encourage discussion on strategies to integrate regulatory foresight and system-level thinking from the early stages of research.
Ultimately, the workshop aims to contribute to a more structured understanding of how innovation in research can be effectively aligned with the requirements of real systems and the needs of society. By promoting knowledge exchange between different sectors and systemic awareness, the initiative aspires to accelerate the path from scientific discovery to robust, reliable and high-impact technological diffusion.

WS.IV

TECHNOLOGIES FOR ENERGY TRANSITION

16 - 17 - 18 September

WORKSHOP COMMITTEE

in definition

The progressive deterioration of environmental conditions at both local and global scales is largely driven by anthropogenic activities, with greenhouse gas emissions—particularly CO₂—representing a major contributor to climate change. The energy sector, encompassing both production and consumption, remains a key source of these emissions, and the continuous growth in global energy demand further exacerbates the challenge.
The transition toward low-carbon and sustainable energy systems is therefore imperative. This transition requires not only the development of high-performance technologies, but also their economic viability, scalability, and integration within existing infrastructures. In this framework, advanced energy solutions—ranging from nuclear fusion and artificial photosynthesis to next-generation electrochemical systems—are being intensively investigated, often leveraging insights from natural processes.
Recent progress in nanostructured materials, functional interfaces, and multiscale computational modelling is enabling significant improvements in energy conversion, storage, and transport processes. Nevertheless, critical challenges remain, including the limited transferability of laboratory-scale results to industrial applications (the so-called “valley of death”) and the need for cost-effective manufacturing routes.
Furthermore, the intrinsic intermittency of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, imposes stringent requirements on the development of efficient, flexible, and scalable energy storage technologies. Solutions spanning multiple temporal and spatial scales—ranging from electrochemical and thermochemical storage to hydrogen-based systems—are essential to ensure grid stability and reliability.
This workshop is framed within ENEA’s activities in the context of the “Ricerca di Sistema Elettrico” programmes, funded by the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and managed by CSEA. It aims to provide a multidisciplinary forum to present and discuss recent advances in energy technologies for the transition. Particular emphasis will be placed on advanced materials and processes for energy storage, hydrogen production and utilization, modelling-driven design, and the integration of renewable energy sources into resilient and sustainable energy systems.

WS.V

NEXT-GENERATION FUNCTIONAL SEMICONDUCTORS FOR ENERGY AND ELECTRONICS: FROM SYMPOSIUM ORGANIZER

16 September

WORKSHOP COMMITTEE

Massimo BERSANI, FBK
Mahmut KUS, Konya Technical University