Cultivate emerging talents and innovative ideas. These are the two pillars of the mission of Seiunisa (Student Entrepeneurship & Innovation), a program supported and financed by the University of Salerno, managed by the Foundation of the University of Salerno and aimed at its students to help them transform their ideas into real entrepreneurial realities. «We started two years ago with an original concept – explains Roberto Parente, professor responsible for the project -. The university reinvests its resources, around 1 million euros for the first year, to encourage creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial development. The possibility is open equally to all university students who, once they have passed the tender, will have the opportunity to create a network of contacts with the protagonists of the world of innovation, such as experts and possible investors”.
The three steps of the project
The initiative is unique and original in its kind and, as stated by the rector of the University of Salerno, Vincenzo Loia, «it sees the university among the first to respond to the need of young people to undertake autonomous entrepreneurship paths – states the rector Vincenzo Loia –. Students are a potential and our region has always stood out for the number of innovative startups. The project wants to enhance all this, starting to build concrete opportunities that can provide space for creativity and expression, also thanks to the million euros made available by the university resources for the first year». The Seiunisa plan is developed in three steps: the first, reserved for 50 students, is enhanced with 120 hours of intense training activities, including methodological workshops and technological laboratories, plus financial support of 3 thousand euros; the second, called Innovation community, which allows – always after an initial training phase – teams of students accompanied by an innovator (with specific skills and experience) to apply with a real business model and then compete in a pitch competition in the presence of prominent figures in the world of entrepreneurship; finally, the third program is reserved for those who actually want to start a startup.
Students’ ideas
«In the first year of Seiunisa, 14 started – says Professor Parente – who had the costs of incorporation available, such as the notarial deed, and an incentive of 5 thousand euros for a validation process made up of market research, participation in innovation events and prototype development”. This is the case of Alfred, which aims to develop intelligent solutions to optimize production processes and to promote services in complex and critical environments. «It is a system integrator of virtual assistants based on artificial intelligence – explains co-founder Stefano Bini -. We imagined an application in the education sector, so that it becomes a virtual professor supporting both the student, helping him to present in a sort of question but without the pressure of judgement, and the teacher, who can identify the topics on which classes have the most gaps.” Seiunisa was also born Bioentesi, focused on the production of tools to improve the outcome of surgical operations that reconstruct ligaments. “To do this kind of operation,” explains co-founder Giacomo Cortella, “screws are needed to hold the ligament together with the bone, which often does not integrate perfectly with the human body. Our idea is to create a functionalized collagen matrix enriched with a biological signal and the patient’s stem cells to improve the integration of the screw.”
Building the future
The key concept that led to the foundation of the Seiunisa project is simple: «The future does not wait, it must be built now». These are the words of the rector Loia, who reiterates how the campuses of the University of Salerno are committed «to being the catalyst for creative minds, supporting the development of the entrepreneurial potential of young people and thus contributing to innovation on a global scale. We are aware that the future of innovation is not confined to single geographical areas or specific sectors. Therefore, our goal is to create an environment in which students can learn from national excellence and dialogue with international realities and in the meantime cement their ideas of technological and cultural innovation».
