Towards a community of practice for international development cooperation
On 7 July, at the Agorà Hall of I3P, took place the workshop "International Development Cooperation at Politecnico di Torino – Towards a Community of Practice", which attracted strong participation and brought together faculty members, researchers, and professional and administrative staff involved in and interested in international development cooperation activities. The aim of the initiative was to highlight the potential arising from the wide range of expertise and experiences across the University and to launch a shared process towards building a community of practice that can serve as a stable platform for collaboration and exchange.
The workshop was conceived, coordinated and moderated by professor Francesca De Filippi of Department of Architecture and Design-DAD, as part of her delegation for international scientific Cooperation and the development of internationalisation practices, and opened with welcome remarks by Alberto Sapora, Vice Rector for Internationalisation. Professor De Filippi then presented the strategic directions and the main actions envisaged under the University's International Development Cooperation Plan, including initiatives for information sharing, training and awareness-raising, as well as a seed grant programme to support collaboration with African academic partners.
The programme continued with a presentation by Dr. Miriam Negri, from the INCAM Department - International Affairs, who illustrated the results of the mapping of the University's international development cooperation projects carried out over the past five years.
The mapping identified 95 initiatives - ongoing, recently completed or at the proposal stage - involving all the Departments of Politecnico di Torino, with several projects bringing together multiple Departments. The activities are carried out across 65 countries worldwide, with a strong presence in Central Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa, and are supported by a wide range of funding bodies, with the European Commission and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) providing the largest share of funding.
The focus then shifted to experiences from other universities around the world. Ana Pantelic presented the activities of the D-Lab at MIT, while Professor Alberto Martinetti introduced the work of the Humanitarian Engineering Research Group at the University of Twente.
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NomePresentation of the University of Twente - Immagine
NomeDIATI Presentation - Immagine
NomePresentation of the MIT D-Lab - Immagine
NomePresentazione del professor Ciocia del DENERG - Immagine
NomePresentation by Professor Morezzi (DAD) - Immagine
NomePresentation by Professor Vesipa (DIATI) - Immagine
NomePresentazione della professoressa Lenticchia del DISEG
A significant part of the programme was devoted to showcasing a selection of initiatives representing the broad spectrum of international development cooperation activities carried out across the University's departments.
Professor Alessandro Ciocia of Department of Energy "Galileo Ferraris"-DENERG presented the project ENSURE – Empowering NetZero Skills for Sri Lanka's Sustainable and Resilient Future; Professor Riccardo Vesipa of Department of Environment, Land and Infrastructure Engineering-DIATI introduced SLAPIS Sahel – Système Local d'Alerte Précoce pour les Inondations au Sahel, coordinated by Professor Maurizio Tiepolo of Interuniversity Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning-DIST; Professor Emanuele Morezzi of DAD illustrated collaborative activities focusing on the study, preservation and restoration of architectural heritage in conflict-affected areas, with particular attention to the Syrian case; Professor Marco Ravina of DIATI presented Supporting OWSSB (India) in Upgrading Capacities in Wastewater and Faecal Sludge Management, coordinated by Professor Mariachiara Zanetti of DIATI; and Professor Erica Lenticchia of Department of Structural, Geotechnical and Building Engineering-DISEG presented the Programme Supporting the Integrated Recovery Process of the Historic Centre of Havana: Colegio Santa Clara – Restoration and Enhancement of the Monumental Complex, coordinated by Professor Bernardino Chiaia of DISEG.
The session concluded with a presentation by Dr. Elisa Vanin and Professor Francesca Pace on an internal training programme launched by a DIATI working group in collaboration with IBF International Consulting, focusing on funding opportunities in the fields of international development cooperation and technical assistance. The aim was to highlight initiatives developed within the Department that have the potential to be replicated or scaled up across the University.
The final part of the workshop was devoted to an open discussion and networking session among participants, providing an opportunity to exchange ideas, identify common needs and collect proposals to strengthen Politecnico di Torino's participation in international development cooperation initiatives and increase their impact. The discussion confirmed the strong interest of the University's academic community in these topics and the shared commitment to consolidating a community of practice capable of fostering knowledge exchange, encouraging new collaborations and supporting the development of increasingly integrated initiatives.