Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-EIC-2022-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2023 - End date: 30/09/2027

Scientific contact person: Luca Pilia

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101115149

Short description: The ARTEMIS project aims to develop quantum sources of single or correlated photons, based on metal-organic materials, for applications in quantum cryptography, sensing, and metrology. The contribution of UniCA focuses on the design, synthesis, and characterization of metal complexes capable of generating photon pairs or triplets through the SPDC mechanism.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL4-2021-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2022 - End date: 30/09/2025

Scientific contact person: Stefano Lai

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101070328

Short description: The project BioMeld - A Modular Framework for Designing and Producing Biohybrid Machines aims to define development, manufacturing, and testing processes for soft robots in an industrial context through the integration of physical simulation and innovative manufacturing. UNICA is responsible for developing a flexible platform for stimulating and monitoring the movement of the soft robot.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL3-2023-CS-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/11/2024 - End date: 30/10/2027

Scientific contact person: Battista Biggio

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101168560

Short description: CoEvolution will establish a comprehensive security and risk assessment process for AI models throughout their lifecycle, ensuring its security since the design phase.
UNICA will bring its experience on AI Security, with the goal of developing training-time defenses against evasion and poisoning attacks, to make a step towards ensuring compliance to the EU AI Act and recent related regulations.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL4-2024-RESILIENCE-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2024  - End date: 30/09/2027 

Scientific contact person: Carlo Ricci

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101178897

Short description: The DEXPLORE project investigates innovative advanced technologies for sustainable exploration of critical raw materials in deep land deposits, essential for Europe's energy transition. The University of Cagliari with the Department of Physics, contributes by developing cutting-edge optical techniques, including Raman spectroscopy, LIBS, and time-resolved luminescence, for remote mineral detection.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership KDT

Call: HORIZON-KDT-JU-2021-2-RIA

Roleo: beneficiary

Start date: 01/12/2022 - End date: 31/12/2025

Scientific contact person: Paolo Meloni

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101097300

Short description: EdgeAI aims to implement AI applications deployed across the whole edge continuum, to improve processing performance, latency, reliability, and energy efficiency. UniCA’s team works at Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica ed Elettronica, developing novel processing cores for near-sensor ultra-low-power AI, neuromorphic computing and hardware-aware algorithm optimization.  

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL4-2021-HUMAN-01

Role: ente affiliato

Start date: 01/09/2022 - End date: 31/08/2025

Scientific contact person: Battista Biggio

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101070617

Short description: ELSA proposes a virtual center of excellence on safe and secure AI that will address major challenges hampering the deployment of AI technology.
UNICA will contribute to the development of innovative technologies to detect vulnerabilities in AI systems, and develop effective countermeasures applicable in different industrial sectors, such as cybersecurity, autonomous vehicles and robotics.

Programme: EURATOM2027

Call: EURATOM-2021-ADHOC-IBA

Role: parte terza

Start date: 01/01/2021 - End date: 31/12/2025

Scientific contact person: Alessandra Fanni

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101052200

Short description: In the context of Horizon Europe, the EUROfusion program coordinates European research for the development of fusion energy through an R&D program. UNICA applies of Artificial Intelligence techniques to diagnostic development for the machines such as RFX (IT), JET and MAST-U (UK), AUG and W7-X (DE), WEST (FR) and the test facility MITICA (IT), for applications to ITER and DEMO. 

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2023-DN-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2024 - End date: 30/09/2028

Scientific contact person: Emilio Ghiani

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101168796

Short description: FITNESS is a Doctoral Network at the intersection of electric power distribution networks optimization, electricity markets, communications, and control systems. The project will develop methodologies for active distribution networks services and smart grids. UNICA will be responsible for Co-simulation platforms for smart grids, communication protocols, and energy communities enabled by secure digital twin and IoT technologies.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership KDT

Call: HORIZON-KDT-JU-2023-1-IA

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/05/2024 - End date: 30/04/2027

Scientific contact person: Paolo Meloni

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101140052

Short description: EN: The H2TRAIN project aims to advance digital health and lifestyle technologies by developing innovative biosensors using advanced materials which enhance sensitivity and energy efficiency. UniCA’s team at Dipartimento di Ingegneria Elettrica ed Elettronica, works on designing System-on-Chip solutions to integrate the sensors, embedding in-place AI-based data analysis in a tiny power/energy budget. 

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL4-2023-HUMAN-01-CNECT

Role: coordinator

Start date: 01/06/2024 - End date: 31/05/2027

Scientific contact person: Maurizio Murroni

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101135637

Short description: The Net4U Lab of UNICA coordinates of the Hybrid Extended reAliTy (HEAT) project, that envisions enabling next-gen immersive multi-sensorial XR experiences for users being holo-ported into captured, omnidirectional, hyper-realistic 3D spaces. UNICA will lead the following activities: project coordination and management, data & ethics compliance under GDPR, prototyping and pilot deployment.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-HLTH-2021-IND-07

Role: Third Party 

Start date: 01/10/2022 - End date: 30/09/2026

Scientific contact person: Francesco Delogu

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057286

Short description: IMPACTIVE aims at reducing the environmental impact and the supply chain fragility of the European pharmaceutical industry using mechanochemistry, which allows to initiate and drive chemical reactions by applying mechanical forces to solids. As a Third Party UNICA participates to the activities with 3 departments: Chemical and Geological Sciences, Physics and Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL4-2023-DATA-01

Role: beneficiario

Start date: 01/01/2024 - End date: 31/12/2026

Scientific contact person: Francesca Palumbo

Website link: http://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101135183

Short description: MYRTUS designs and manages advanced computational systems, combining performance and sustainability. Based on continuum computing, it optimizes the use of devices from the cloud to personal ones through AI-based orchestration. Scientifically coordinated by Prof. Francesca Palumbo (UNICA), who will also focus on edge computing acceleration, MYRTUS will be applied in the field of tele-rehabilitation by the team of Prof. Danilo Pani (UNICA).

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL5-2021-D5-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/09/2022 - End date: 31/08/2025

Scientific contact person: Tiziano Ghisu

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101056732

Short description: NEXTAIR (https://www.nextair-project.eu/) aims to increase the use of high-fidelity modelling and simulation to accelerate and derisk the introduction of new disruptive configurations and breakthrough technology design. The Cagliari unit is involved in the multidisciplinary design of two aeroengine components: the low pressure compressor (fan) and the high pressure turbine.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership PRIMA

Call: PRIMA 2022 - Partnership for Research and Innovation in Mediterranean Area – Sezione 2 

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2023 - End date: 30/09/2026

Scientific contact person: Stefania Da Pelo

Website link: https://npp-sol.iamm.ciheam.org/

Short description: NPP-SOL develops tools to prevent agricultural water pollution in Mediterranean conditions by integrating best-management practices for for soil, irrigation water and nutrients with cost-effective in-situ bioremediation technologies. The activities of the University of Cagliari focus on the characterization of the Arborea case study, setting up bioreactors, and monitoring their effectiveness in removing nutrients from groundwater.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership THCS

Call: THCS-JTC 2023 - Healthcare of the future

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 24/06/2024 - End date: 23/06/2027

Scientific contact person: Massimiliano Pau

Website link: https://www.thcspartnership.eu/kdocs/2143550/platinums.pdf

Short description: The project “PlatinuMS” aims at implementing an innovative AI-based telerehabilitation system for home-based exercise therapy, specifically designed for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). In particular, the research team at the Biomechanics and Industrial Ergonomics Laboratory of the University of Cagliari (UNICA) will assess the efficacy of the treatment on several motor and non-motor aspects of the disease like mobility, mood and social participation.  

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2023-SE-01

Role: beneficiary 

Start date: 01/12/2024 - End date: 30/11/2028

Scientific contact person: Giovanni Michele Pinna

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101182520

Short description: The project QCOMICAL has as primary target the study of the foundations of quantum programming languages, type theory, and logics. The implementation of such languages will allow to program new computers. 
In this framework, Unica promotes the exchange and mobility of researchers in the field of quantum computing, with the aim to strengthen Unica’s cooperation with international partners.
 

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership LEAP-RE

Call: LEAP-RE 2022 Long-Term Joint European Union - African Union Research and Innovation Partnership on Renewable Energy 

Role: coordinator

Start date: 01/07/2023- End date: 30/06/2025

Scientific contact person: Mario Petrollese

Website link: https://www.leap-re.eu/reptes/

Short description: EN. REPTES aims to develop a proof of concept of innovative RES-based multigeneration for covering both heat/cool and electricity demands of rural communities in Africa and for producing other green commodities for agriculture such as ammonia and desalinated water. The core of the system is the coupling between RES-based generators, batteries and a customized pumped thermal electricity storage (PTES) system, designed by UNICA, which also coordinates the overall project.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL4-2023-RESILIENCE-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/12/2023 - End date: 30/11/2027

Scientific contact person: Angela Serpe

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101138144

Short description: The RESQTOOL project provides a sustainable, energy-efficient solution for recycling and responsibly supplying critical raw materials (Co, W, Ta, Ti, Nb) from end-of-life products in metal/wood cutting, construction, and manufacturing industries. The role of the UNICA research group is to develop advanced hydro-/solvo-metallurgical recycling using agro-industrial waste-derived chemicals.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-CL3-2022-CS-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2023 - End date: 30/09/2026

Scientific contact person: Battista Biggio

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101120393

Short description: Sec4AI4Secaims to create a range of cutting-edge technologies, tools and methodologies for designing and certifying secure AI-enhanced systems and AI-enhanced systems for security.
UNICA will contribute to the development of innovative methodologies to test the robustness of AI systems, thanks to its experience in the field of Adversarial Machine Learning.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF

Role: coordinator

Start date: 01/09/2025 - End date: 31/08/2027

Scientific contact person: Carlo Flore

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101150792

Short description: The STAT-TMDs project aims to apply accurate statistical methods to the study of TMDs, the partonic distributions dependent on partons’ transverse momentum, that allow one to create a 3D image of the internal structure of protons and neutrons. These methods will be used to perform new and more accurate extractions of TMDs and to study factorisation breaking effects in inclusive processes.

The project will take place at UniCA’s Physics Department. It is the only Physics Department in Sardinian Universities, being thus a reference for the entire region. Moreover, it is a strong interdisciplinary scientific centre, where theoretical and experimental groups in High Energy Phsyics overlap. The activities span from formal aspects of quantum field theories to particle physics, phenomenology and collider physics. The Department also hosts the local INFN Unit, with which there is a strong collaboration in terms of teaching and research, and with which shares an active program for medium-long period visitors, which contributes to the internationalisation of the Department’s research activities. 

Among the planned milestones there is the extraction of TMD distributions for gluons, that are currently the less known TMDs. This is expected to be achieved in the first part of the project, i.e. around months 6-9.

Programme: HORIZON -Partership METROLOGY

Call: European Partnership on Metrology

Role: beneficiary 

Start date: 01/10/2024 - End date: 31/05/2027

Scientific contact person: Paolo Attilio Pegoraro

Website link: https://www.euramet.org/research-innovation/search-research-projects/details/project/wideband-ac-quantum-traceability

Short description: The objective of WAC project is to implement quantum techniques for traceable AC voltage measurements, up to 100 kHz and 10 V, used by European metrological laboratories.

UniCa and the Instrumentation & Measurement Lab of the Dept. of Electrical and Electronic Engineering will focus on the development of a quantum-based method for multi-tone signals suitable for electric power quality applications.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-MSCA-2022-SE-01

Role: beneficiary 

Start date: 01/10/2023 - End date: 30/09/2027

Scientific contact person: Alberto Cincotti

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101131087

Short description: WhyNotDry is a 4 years project (2023–2026) developing dry biobanking as a sustainable alternative to Liquid Nitrogen storage of biological living material. It will optimize drying/rehydration methods using desiccation-tolerant cells. UNICA contributes by developing a mathematical model to describe the system’s physico-chemical and biological phenomena. The project fosters eco-friendly biobanking, innovation, and global collaboration.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership PRIMA

Call: PRIMA 2024 - Section 2

Role: beneficiary

Start date: - End date: - 

Scientific contact person: Nicola Montaldo

Website link:

Short description:  

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-HLTH-2023-DISEASE-03

Roleo: beneficiary

Start date: 01/01/2024 - End date: 30/06/2028

Scientific contact person: Enzo Tramontano

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101137192

Short description: The project aims to develop novel broad-spectrum antivirals providing additional therapeutic options for current and future epidemics and pandemics based on existent substances with proven efficacy against viral drug targets using a rational pre-clinical drug discovery workflow. Unica activities are focused on the development and use of both biochemical and cell-based viral replication assays to identify novel antivirals against coronaviruses and flaviviruses.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-HLTH-2022-STAYHLTH-01-two-stage

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/11/2023 - End date: 31/10/2027

Scientific contact person: Vassilios Fanos

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101080117

Short description: BETTER4U aims to develop comprehensive research and innovative interventions to address and reverse the widespread increase in obesity and weight gain.
UNICA, through its experience in metabolomics, will provide the metabolite analyses to the project study indicating the metabolic profile (pre and post intervention) of over 1000 patients recruited by the consortium in 7 European countries.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership THCS

Call: THCS-JTC 2023 - Healthcare of the future

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 12/06/2024 - End date: 11/06/2027

Scientific contact person: Mirko Manchia

Website link: https://www.thcspartnership.eu/kdocs/2143541/eu-mind.pdf

Short description: The EU-MIND project aims to improve the organisation of healthcare for people living with severe mental illness and comorbidities with somatic disorders across Europe. EU- MIND aims to identify knowledge gaps regarding the implementation of integrated care for people with severe mental illness and comorbidities with somatic disorders.

These approaches are key to improving health outcomes and reducing excess mortality rates in associated with these comorbidities.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership BIODIVERSA +

Call: Biodiversa+ 2022

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/04/2024 - End date: 31/03/2027

Scientific contact person: Andrea Rinaldi

Website link: https://fun-dive.eu/

Short description: In FunDive we work to put fungi biodiversity, which is essential for our ecosystems, on the map to enhance European conservation efforts. FunDive combines citizen science, AI tools, and eDNA-based monitoring to develop better methodologies for fungal monitoring and conservation. UNICA is the leader of the project at national level and acts as the deputy general coordinator. The team involved is made up of Andrea Rinaldi and Ariadne Furtado, Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Programme: HORIZON - Partnership PRIMA

Call: PRIMA 2022- Partnership for Research and Innovation in Mediterranean Area

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/04/2023 - End date: 31/03/2026

Scientific contact person: Alberto Carletti

Website link: https://natmed-project.eu/

Short description: The project aims to develop, implement and validate a range of nature-based solutions integrated into existing natural and grey water infrastructures in order to optimise water-related ecosystem services. DICAAR-UniCa collaborates with the NRD-UNISS in the implementation of research activities related to the Forest Infiltration Area to mitigate nitrate groundwater pollution in the Arborea NVA (Italy).

Programme: HORIZON

Call: HORIZON-HLTH-2021-STAYHLTH-01

Role: beneficiary

Start date: 01/10/2022 - End date: 30/09/2027

Scientific contact person: Alessio Squassina

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057454

Short description: The project aims to develop predictive tools for response to pharmacological treatments for mental disorders, based on the integration of molecular data. UNICA will be responsible for the genomic analyses of the recruited patients and, through the Psychiatry Unit, it will be involved in randomized clinical trials aimed at identifying the most effective early intensive pharmacological treatments.

Programme: HORIZON

Call: ERC-2022-COG

Role: coordinator

Start date: 01/06/2023 - End date: 31/05/2028

Scientific contact person: Miriam Melis

Website link: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101088207

Short description: REDIRECT will enable us to understand the fundamental underpinnings of sensory information processing, whose alterations are a common trait of discrete brain disorders that can be precipitated by stress, thereby leading to sensory overload. By turning on/off selected genes, we will understand the mechanisms conferring resilience to hypersensitivity to sensory information processing.  

By the end of the third year, we plan to define the genes involved in mechanisms of vulnerability and resilience to apply CRISPR/Cas9 technology to modify the genome of vulnerable individuals to confer them resilience.