Data Valley, also a research hub and an innovation hub at the Bologna Tecnopolo — Emilia-Romagna Region

The Bologna Technopole will have a new headquarters for research and innovation activities in the field of big data and artificial intelligence.

This is what the agreement approved by the Regional Council for the recovery of the “Ballette” building which will be signed, as well as by Emilia Romagna regionfrom Cineca (Italian inter-university consortium), Infn (National Institute of Nuclear Physics) e Icsc Foundation (National Supercomputing Center).

In the five floors of the building – each of 5,350 square meters – there will be space, after the redevelopment, for a research hub it’s a innovation hub for businesses. Two floors will be reserved for researchers from Infn, Cineca and Fondazione Icscwhile the other three floors will host Harp Research and theinnovation hub where international profile business acceleration and incubation activities will be developed.

What the agreement provides

It will be there Region to carry out the technical and economic feasibility project of the work and to activate the public tender procedure for the executive planning and execution of the works. Infn And Cineca envisage the acquisition of ownership of two floors of the building, for a total of 10,700 m2 to be used for office use with cost sharing incurred for the construction of the portion of the building estimated at 20 million euros.

Furthermore, Cineca, Infn and the ICSC Foundation will collaborate on the design definition of the spaces for their own use which, as regards the subdivisions, will be the subject of subsequent agreements with the regional administration.

The remaining spaces will be used by viale Aldo Moro for the placement of Arpae Ricerca offices and for other activities consistent with the overall vocation of the Technopole, in particular those of research and in connection with national activities.

The Region then undertakes to grant Cineca, free of charge, the areas for the construction of the film substation necessary for the energy supply of the Data Centers of Cineca, Infn and Fondazione Icsc which, in turn, will design and create all the necessary artefacts and connections.

Finally, Cineca will make available to the Region, free of charge, the heat generated by the High Performing Computers for heating, in a direct line of the Botti 4 building as well as other buildings through the connection to the technological heating and cooling center currently under construction always carried out by the regional administration.