UNITEC hosts the degree in mechatronics of the University of Bologna

The Vice-Rector for teaching at the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna Roberto Vecchi, the Mayor of Lugo Davide Ranalli, the Regional Councilor for Mobility and Transport, Infrastructure, Tourism and Commerce Andrea Corsini, the President of Confindustria Romagna Roberto Bozzi, the president of the Fondazione Super Lorenzo Marconi Foundation and the president of Unitec Angelo Benedetti took part in the event. “The inauguration of the Lugo headquarters and of the course of study in Mechatronics” said Vecchi, the Vice-Rector for teaching at the University of Bologna, “fully certifies the peculiar characteristics of a professionally oriented degree: a strong institutional link between university and territory, a close synergy between companies and quality training. When this alliance is formed, the potential of the encounter between training demand (by students and companies) and the university offer multiplies. Together we are building the area of technical training, which has always been lacking in our country, thanks to the commitment of the institutions (the Municipality of Lugo, the Region), of the companies (from Unitec to all the supporters and Confindustria Romagna) and of the Fondazione Super which work alongside the University of Bologna. Today, in Lugo, all this seems finally possible“. Mayor Ranalli said: “This inauguration makes a dream come true, a dream that we, as members of the municipal administration, have worked for with tenacity and that allows us to say that we are doing our part for the future of this beloved land. The possibility that young people can choose whether to continue their studies in the place where they were born and raised is one of the objectives that we have set ourselves in recent years, because we have grasped it as a necessity from the constant dialog we have had with the world of school and businesses. The decision to allocate the Municipality’s resources for the operation of the course was based on this, an investment that clearly returns to the community“. An important event for the entire territory of Romagna which was also attended by representatives of trade associations, school managers and companies supporting the project (Bucci Automations, CNI Group, Diemme enologia, Eurovo, Geminiani, Marcegaglia, Marini, Natura Nuova, Sica, Surgital, Unitec, Vulcaflex). Angelo Benedetti, President of Unitec, stated: “Today a project has been carried out born from a dream, that became reality thanks to the strong synergy among universities, institutions, associations and our entire entrepreneurial fabric. In this way the companies will be able to continue to give a strong push to their process of technological innovation and at the same time offer new opportunities to young people in Romagna, thus creating the basis for greater competitiveness of our Romagna region at an international level“. Bozzi, the President of Confindustria Romagna, continued by saying: “Today an idea born years ago from listening to our companies, which began to point out to us the first difficulties in finding adequate skills for the frenetic changes in the markets, took shape. Over time these difficulties have worsened, but now we have an answer and we can finally equip our production community with a professional laboratory which is indispensable for the competitiveness of Romagna“. The course, which started on the 19th of September, achieved the excellent result of 28 students enrolled out of 30 available places, coming from all over Romagna. A very positive start for this project born from the strong synergy among the university world, the institutions and the Romagna production district in which students are engaged in a course of study specifically designed to meet the needs of local companies, which represent the natural job outlet of future graduates. The supporting companies play a key role in several moments of the path, from determining the professional profile of students leaving the course, to the involvement in various teaching moments, to supervising the students’ activities in a full internship in the company provided in preparation for the final test. Lorenzo Marconi, president of the Fondazione Super, stated: “I feel a strong emotion and a strong sense of responsibility today, having seen the Lugo center project born as outgoing coordinator of the degree in mechatronics, and now having the task of contributing to its growth as new president of the Fondazione Super, operational branch of the University of Bologna’s management. I have no doubt that the project represents a unique reference at a national level and that it’s the demonstration of how public and private can collaborate in the implementation of exemplary projects“. Compared to traditional degree courses, in the Degree Course in Mechatronics, in fact, a large part of the training credits are acquired through internships and laboratory activities. In particular, of the 180 total credits foreseen by the course, 51 are dedicated to internships and 48 to laboratory activities. A highly specialized didactic that can create a professional profile with strong operability in the tasks of supervision, maintenance and improvement of medium/high complexity systems that are characterized by transversal aspects to automation, electrical, electronic, IT and mechanical engineering. A particularly innovative degree course which allows young people to access the world of work in the field of technological excellence in the most advanced sectors immediately after their bachelor’s degree. The industrial context of Romagna is particularly receptive as it is made up of many companies which, in the various sectors of automation, robotics, IoT, Computer Vision and mechatronic applications, represent the most advanced state of the art. The assessor Corsini declared: “Bringing academic paths closer to the world of work – is one of the strategic objectives of the Region. In fact, training young people on the basis of the real needs of businesses means guaranteeing them immediate and qualified employment as soon as they graduate. In this context, the new Lugo campus is a virtuous example of how the world of universities, production activities and institutions can together make a difference to allow our young people a professional future without having to leave home“. In the Romagna area, the Lugo headquarters was conceived to offer students the most suitable infrastructure, newly and specifically built, through the didactic and laboratory equipment at the most advanced levels. The lessons of the new degree course, in fact, are held at the Unitec Research Center which will operate on innovation and artificial intelligence, mechanics, mechatronics and robotics: a space that matters 7,000 square meters in total consisting of areas for the production of prototypes, laboratories, training rooms, offices and meeting rooms. All this will then be combined with the 1800 sq m service center, under construction, where there will be a canteen, a gym, a relax room, a reading room and a guest house. A real campus based on the Anglo-Saxon model, where young people can use training resources to continue a professional path in their land, and to help maintain and increase the position of the Romagna area at the top in the various industrial sectors in which it is divided. Young people, therefore, will be able to remain in the land where they were born. A professional area of choice which will also be looked at by students from other territories and other Countries as an area of educational and industrial excellence, where they can successfully spend their professional career in the future.