Turin Aerospace City: new ‘IS4Aerospace’ laboratories funded
The national aerospace industry has begun a substantial transformation to ensure competitive, solid and sustainable growth in the future international context through an ecosystem of innovation that will guarantee high-level technical and scientific training, new professional skills with distinctive expertise, advanced research and cutting-edge technological solutions. With attention also to European policies relating to the environment and climate, this ambition promotes the collaboration of public and private entities for the evolution of strategic capacities and skills in a logic of sharing.
The digitalisation of the entire product life cycle, from design to logistical support, supercomputers and artificial intelligence, big data analysis to optimise performance and consumption, the electrification of propulsion, intelligent power and thermal energy management on board aircraft, metamaterials, autonomous flight and interoperability between piloted and unpiloted aircraft, pilot behaviour and adaptive learning and digital assistance solutions, space and interplanetary missions will be the central themes of innovation.
To meet these challenges, the new technological innovation infrastructure “IS4Aerospace - Knowledge Transfer Innovation Infrastructure for New Aerospace Challenges” has been created with a total value of 23,600,000 euros, funded by the Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca as part of the PNRR and proposed by Politecnico di Torino, which coordinates it, together with AvioAero, Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space, which co-finance the initiative in a public-private partnership.
IS4Aerospace is the first step towards the City of Aerospace, an initiative promoted by the Regione Piemonte and public and private partners, which will host joint laboratories for research and development of key technologies in the field of next-generation aircraft.
"The new IS4Aerospace infrastructure is one of the first concrete results of the strategy that we as a university are pursuing for the networking of research infrastructures in the territory, together and with companies, comments the Rector Stefano Corgnati. The creation of places dedicated to research in partnership can not only favour joint innovation activities, but also stimulate the development of our territorial ecosystem, especially in a sector as dynamic and technologically dense as Space.
The new joint laboratories will provide an integrated ecosystem of development, prototyping and experimentation, in the laboratory and in flight, which is increasingly essential to accelerate the maturation and integration of innovative aeronautical and space components on future products and services, covering the life cycle process from digital design to validation in realistic conditions.
The infrastructure is designed to be flexible so that different innovative technologies can be developed, ensuring their maturation through incremental paths and approaches based on high-fidelity numerical simulations, Artificial Intelligence, and the creation of Digital Twins. The laboratories will be able to recreate the individual systems, both through real components and by means of simulations, as well as the integrated environment that will guarantee the realistic representation of the individual components and of the aircraft, and of their behaviour in all operating conditions.
In particular, Avio Aero will create a High Performance Computing laboratory, designed to accelerate innovation in the integration of hybrid-electric propulsion systems on aircraft with reduced environmental impact. This cutting-edge laboratory will allow for testing and validation activities through the simulation and analysis of the aerodynamic and acoustic response of propulsion systems. It will also enable the modelling and testing of hybrid engine architecture systems powered by sustainable fuels, as well as the creation and operation of Digital Twins models for the digitalisation of components, subsystems and propulsion systems.
Leonardo will develop the first four laboratories of the AI.rcraft Innovation Center, which will cover areas of strategic interest with environments for the development and validation of solutions based on artificial intelligence algorithms and digital technologies for aeronautics, monitoring and pilot assistance systems in critical environmental situations and those involving a high psycho-physical workload, disruptive technologies for training future pilots and maintenance technicians, advanced pilot-aircraft and aircraft-aircraft interfaces with increasing levels of automation and autonomy in managing workload and real-time performance in scenarios where piloted and unpiloted aircraft will collaborate. There will also be environments for generating and analysing data from fleets in service for the development of solutions that will allow for the monitoring and predictive management of aircraft components and systems in real time, increasing the effectiveness and sustainability of the product throughout its entire life cycle. A great deal of attention will be paid to all the digital solutions for logistical support that will make it possible to prevent or identify the onset of failures early and optimise maintenance interventions. The nearby Collegno Airfield will also be involved in the initiative for ground and flight testing activities using experimental aircraft.
As for the activities of Thales Alenia Space, the “Materials One Point Service – MOPS” laboratory will be able to support space exploration projects, but can also offer a service to programmes that are not necessarily space-oriented. In fact, it will guarantee a fast and extensive acquisition of data and technological information useful for product design, making it more agile and competitive.
Politecnico will coordinate the activities of the laboratories, while providing advanced expertise in the areas of innovation proposed by the companies and reinforcing collaboration and exchange with industrial organisations that improve the competitiveness of the territory, helping to strengthen the value of the supply chain at a national and international level and generating additional skilled employment.
Located in the heart of the Aerospace City, the new laboratories will be the center of an ecosystem where the technological and industrial excellence of the large company integrates with the academic world, small and medium enterprises and start-ups.
The ‘Is4Areospace’ technological innovation infrastructure is funded by the European Union - Next Generation EU, Missione 4 Componente 2 - Dalla Ricerca all’impresa
