Description

STIIMA mission is to perform research and innovation on enabling technologies, processes and products, integrated in a factory-level framework, in order to enhance knowledge in manufacturing. The final aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of the Nation, supporting technology leadership, new employment, prosperity, sustainability and social cohesion. This high level mission is then specialized in synergic goals in the different areas of activities: Roadmapping, Research, Innovation, Training.
The focus of STIIMA research and innovation activity is on the design, implementation, management and End-Of-Life of products/services, processes and production systems integrated in factory networks. The Institute conceives, develops and tests new hardware and software solutions for different industrial applications, ranging from traditional sectors of Made in Italy to science-based and specialized-suppliers' ones (e.g. capital goods, biomedical sector, aerospace and mechatronics) and from mass production (e.g. white goods e automotive) to personalized production.
To valorize research results and to bridge the gap between research and industry, the strategy of STIIMA includes the development of pilot factories. They are key technology infrastructures in which enabling technologies developed in research projects, integrated with cutting edge industrial technologies, are instantiated into manufacturing environments close to industrial application, able to integrate companies in innovation activities. STIIMA pilot factories, which are built within the Institute, are the factory for De-Manufacturing, the Factory for Micro Production, the Factory for Personalized Production and the Digital Factory.
Around pilot factories, the Institute is organized in Research Groups mastering specific competence areas and conceiving at research level the enabling technologies that are the basis for the realization of integrated solutions in the pilot factories.
Research Groups are:
DASM - Dynamic Analysis and Simulation of Machinery: multidisciplinary numerical models and experimental methodologies to support innovative machinery design, aiming at tracking accuracy, dynamic performances and energy efficiency.
MEDIS - Micro Enabled Devices and Systems: innovative technological solutions to ease the adoption of the `micro' paradigm both at product and process level, fabrication and assembly technologies, as well as the design, of truly 3D miniaturized high added value products are addressed.
IRAS - Intelligent and Autonomous Robot Systems: technologies for effective, robust and safe robot-environment and robot-human interaction, integration of sensorial information into behavioral models and controls of robot systems, robust and flexible use of robots in context-aware applications and a natural, transparent and furthermore safe workspace sharing.
2MACS - Machine and Manufacturing Control Systems: control systems and innovative automation solutions for increased performance, reliability, energy efficiency and sustainability of production systems.
EVA - Enterprise Engineering and Virtual Applications: development and the deployment into European manufacturing companies of new and advanced human-oriented supporting tools, in order to foster the innovation in products /processes /factories for enhancing the competiveness and sustainability of manufacturing sector.
MBM - Business Models which enable the diffusion of new technologies establishing win-win situations between customers and suppliers. Moreover, the group identifies global trends and market opportunities that can be exploited through manufacturing innovation, showing research directions for technology development.
Research Groups master all the scientific disciplines involved in the factories of the future and they are at the forefront of the knowledge in their domains. Research is carried out in close cooperation with leading international Universities and Research Institutions operating in similar sectors.
ISP - Intelligent Sensing and Perception, develops methodologies and technologies to design Perception and Sensing systems with cognitive abilities with the aim of improving the quality of life in every physical environment: industries, competitive factories, modern companies, intelligent infrastructures

STIIMA has also many structured industrial relationships, with particular attention towards technology transfer which entails also "transfer by head": more than 10 young researchers have been employed by our industrial partners after having acquired cutting edge competences and skills.
Within the reporting time period 62 new young research fellows have been enrolled, 27 full-time PhD students (8 of them being foreign students) and 19 visiting scientists have been hosted, while 13 young STIIMA researchers have been visiting scientists to high level international research institutions.
In recent years, the laboratory equipment, machines and pilot plants have been renovated and relevant investments have been done: the average annual investment was equal to 15% of the annual average income from competitive research funding. The realized pilot factories implementing the learning factory paradigm attracted 44 master thesis students.
STIIMA research community is pretty young, the average age of researchers is around 38. Only few temporary researchers -9 in the last 4 years- had the opportunity to become CNR permanent researchers but young researchers found an adequate placement in industry and Academia, both in Italy and abroad: 7 of them got a structured position in important international academic institutions.
STIIMA is autonomously implementing an internal career development policy assuring to high potential temporary research fellows the chance -after 4 years as average- to be hired as CNR temporary researchers. In the last 4 years 25% of research fellows have had this opportunity.
An initiative devoted to young talents is the institution of annual prizes for the most relevant scientific publications. They consist in the opportunity for young researchers to spend periods in qualified foreign research institutions.The opening of a new STIIMA research unit inside the new campus of Politecnico in Lecco will further increase the attractiveness for young researchers. At the same time, STIIMA is maintaining its research relationship with other Regional, National and International Universities.
CNR-STIIMA is strongly committed to promoting the knowledge value chain by contributing actively to create specific conditions for technology transfer and value and competitive advantage in National and European firms - often SMEs - providing both effective business and technological consulting services and the design and pre-industrial development and testing of highly innovative products.
Technology Transfer activities are continuously performed within the STIIMA pilot plants acting according the learning factory paradigm and allowing the implementation and preindustrial validation of different solutions (in co-operation with companies) ranging from component/machinery HW innovation to control, monitoring, supervising, planning and modelling SW incremental and radical innovation.
Moreover direct industrial contracts - whose overall value is around the 13% of the annual incomes - are continuously underway (as an example within the last four years industrial RTD activities have been performed for MV Line, DMG Mori-Seiki, Mandelli, Rosa Ermando, TTB engineering, Fonderia Boccacci, RSE spa, Enky srl, Adige, Comau, Pomini, Monitech).
Of the utmost importance is the implementation of effective and efficient IPR management strategies: 7 international patents developed by STIIMA's researchers have been filed. The 28% of them have industrial applicants for which a royalities fee based relationship has been already implemented.
-Definition of the Strategic Roadmap of EFFRA for FP7 and H2020
-Presidency of the Italian National Technology Cluster Intelligent Factories (CFI) and responsibility for roadmapping
-Scientific coordination, participation in the board and responsibility for roadmapping of the Lombardy Cluster Intelligent Factories (AFIL)
-Participation to the roadmapping of the Lombardy Cluster "Tecnologie per gli Ambienti di Vita" (TAV)
-Management of the National Research Programme "Progetto Bandiera La Fabbrica del Futuro" under appointment of CNR and of the Italian Ministry of University and Research
-European Leadership, under appointment of Lombardy Government, of Pilot Projects under the Vanguard Initiative
-Coordination of the Italian participation to the proposal for the Kic Added Value Manufacturing, with the endorsement of Lombardy government
-Member of the Consortium "RawMatters" which was funded by the EIT in the KIC Raw Materials call
-Participation to ISO TC 184/SC2/WG3 on Industrial Safety and ISO TC 39/WG12 on Environmental evaluation of machine tools
-Normative activities with UNI
-Member of the Manufuture ETP (the Director of STIIMA is in the High Level Group), EFFRA (STIIMA Director is member of the PPP Partnership board), euRobotics AISBL, Footwear Products and Processes sub-ETP, MINAM sub-ETP, Prosumer.NET, EMIRAcle, Euro VR (Board Member)
-Corporate members of CIRP, AITEM, SIRI, ANIPLA
-Scientific cooperation with UCIMU and Federmacchine