Ulysseus Partners Strengthen Research Collaboration Through Scientific Mission to Genoa

Researchers and institutional representatives from Université Côte d’Azur, the Inria Centre at Université Côte d’Azur and the CNRS recently travelled to Genoa, Italy, for a three-day scientific mission aimed at strengthening collaboration with two key Ulysseus partners: the University of Genoa (UniGe) and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT).

The visit brought together researchers and innovation specialists working across a wide range of disciplines, including robotics, artificial intelligence, medical imaging, computational neuroscience and digital technologies. The mission focused on identifying concrete opportunities for joint research, innovation and knowledge exchange between the French and Italian institutions.

A key element of the initiative was a preliminary scientific mapping exercise carried out by both sides before the visit. Research teams identified common scientific interests and potential complementarities, allowing participants to arrange targeted meetings with colleagues whose expertise aligned with their own. This preparation ensured that the mission combined strategic institutional discussions with highly focused scientific exchanges.

The delegation from the Inria Centre at Université Côte d’Azur was led by Maureen Clerc, Director of the Centre, and included Alain Monteil (IES Nationale), Anthony Schoofs, Head of the Technology Transfer, Innovation and Partnerships Department (STIP), together with researchers from several Inria project teams, including ACENTAURI, CRONOS, EPIONE, TITANE & GRAPHDECO, MAASAI & MARIANNE, MORPHEME, STARS and ATLANTIS.

Building stronger European research partnerships

During the institutional meetings, representatives from the University of Genoa, IIT and IMATI-CNR highlighted the importance of international cooperation in addressing global scientific challenges. Among the speakers were Professor Sergio Martinoia (DIBRIS), Professor Riccardo Berta (DITEN), Professor Lorenzo Rosasco (MaLGa), Michela Spagnuolo, Director of IMATI-CNR, and Athanassia Athanassiou, Director of IIT.

Innovation and technology transfer also featured prominently in the discussions. Dedicated meetings explored opportunities to strengthen collaboration in technology transfer, software development and innovation ecosystems, creating stronger links between the innovation hubs of Genoa and Sophia Antipolis.

The mission also included a meeting at the University of Genoa Rectorate, where Jeanick Brisswalter, President of Université Côte d’Azur, and Federico Delfino, Rector of the University of Genoa, together with representatives of the Ulysseus European University Alliance, reaffirmed their shared commitment to expanding cooperation in research, innovation and student mobility across the Alliance.

The scientific matchmaking sessions proved to be one of the highlights of the visit. Researchers from Inria, UniGe, IIT, MaLGa and IMATI-CNR explored opportunities for future collaboration in fields such as soft robotics, robotic surgery, computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, neurorehabilitation technologies and geometric representations for perception. These discussions revealed several promising synergies that could lead to new collaborative research projects in the coming years.

By fostering direct exchanges between researchers and institutions, this mission illustrates the added value of the Ulysseus Alliance in creating meaningful connections that advance European research, innovation and education.

About Ulysseus

Ulysseus is one of the 73 European Universities alliances selected by the European Commission under its flagship initiative of the European strategy for universities. These alliances, co-funded by the European Commission, bring together almost 650 higher education institutions of all types from across Europe.

Led by the University of Seville, the Ulysseus European University Alliance encompasses seven other partner universities: the Université Côte d’Azur (France), University of Genoa (Italy), the Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® (Austria), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), the University of Münster (Germany), and the University of Montenegro (Montenegro).