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Research and development: our projects

We are the lead partner in three research and development projects for calls for proposals issued by the Lazio Region under the ROP-ERDF 2014-2020.

Furthermore, we are a partner in the ELEGANT project (Secure and Seamless Edge-to-cloud Analytics), which is part of the European HORIZON 2020 program. This project proposes a new paradigm of software unification for Big Data and IoT, enabling seamless interoperability through the global orchestration of dynamic code movement, the efficient use of available resources, and adaptive security features.

Funded projects in progress

Project funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 - Investment 2.3 Digital Europe Programme - DIGITAL-2021-EDIH-INITIAL-01 R.O.M.E. Digital HUB is a technology transfer and digital innovation project co-funded by the European Union and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), with the aim of accelerating the digital transition of SMEs and Public Administrations (PAs) through the adoption of advanced technologies. Coordinated by a public-private Consortium that includes Universities, Research Centers, Technopoles, Employers' Associations, and Businesses, the project is configured as an European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH), with a geographical focus on Central and Northern Italy, and particularly on the Lazio Region. The main objective is the thematic and territorial strengthening of technology transfer centers, supporting organizations in testing, adopting, and scaling innovative digital solutions in real-world contexts. The project was recognized with the European Seal of Excellence for its scientific quality and expected impact. Within R.O.M.E. Digital HUB, Unidata participates as a strategic partner, offering a "Test Before Invest" type of service called Smart Utilities and Metering, aimed at the validation of IoT systems through customizable LoRaWAN KITs. The KITs, with a commercial value exceeding €5,000, are made accessible under favorable conditions: free of charge for Public Administrations and at a symbolic cost of €500 for SMEs, with the possibility of coverage under the "de minimis" regime.
The KITs available include three main configurations:

  • KIT Smart Energy: gateway and sensors for monitoring electricity, water, and thermal consumption.
  • KIT Environmental: gateway and environmental sensors for measuring air quality and atmospheric parameters.
  • KIT Smart Building: gateway and sensors for smart buildings (electricity consumption, opening/closing, flooding, temperature and humidity).

Each KIT includes, in addition to the hardware, a package of integrated services: access to the Unidata cloud platforms UniOrchestra (for IoT network management) and UniThings (for data visualization and analysis), platform customization, technical support, and training. The use of the KITs allows end-users (SMEs and PAs) to:

  • Reduce losses and optimize resources.
  • Improve energy and environmental efficiency.
  • Start a digital transition process with ready-to-use infrastructures.
  • Develop new smart services for citizens or for the market.

Benefits for SMEs include the possibility to industrialize prototypes, strengthen investment capacity, and foster industrial synergies. Public Administrations, on the other hand, can test digital solutions tailored to community needs, improve the quality of services offered, and develop an innovative mindset in managing urban and environmental challenges. The contribution requested by Unidata for the provision of the service is partially covered by public funds, with a transparent co-financing and reporting mechanism through the National Registry of State Aid (RNA) and the ReGiS system of the MIMIT. Project partners:

  • UNIDATA S.p.A. (Italy)
  • Universities and Research Centers
  • Tecnopolo (Coordinator)
  • Employers' associations and ICT companies

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Rome Technopole is the result of a project design stemming from the submission of a proposal for the creation of the so-called "innovation ecosystems" funded by the European Union through Next Generation EU funds, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Mission 4 Education and Research, component 2 "from research to business". Innovation ecosystems are networks – to be organized in consortium form – of public and private Universities, Public Research Bodies, local Public Authorities, and Businesses that can operate in areas of technological specialization aligned with the industrial and research vocations of the reference territory, promoting and strengthening collaboration among the research system, the production system, and local institutions. In fact, this involves the creation of a public-private entity; 12 of these have been funded at the national level.

The objectives of Rome Technopole's activities in this context will therefore be: the enhancement of research results, the promotion of technology transfer, and the support for the digital transformation of businesses' production processes, with a view to economic and environmental sustainability and social impact on the territory.

Rome Technopole is therefore the result of the creation of an ecosystem aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of the regional system of training, research, innovation, and industrial productivity, with reference to three main themes:

  • Energy and Sustainability
  • Digital Transformation
  • Biopharmaceuticals and Health

It sets itself the following objectives:

  • implement an excellent public-private model for stable partnerships between Research and Business
  • co-design academic pathways to align graduates' skills with the requirements of the most in-demand professional profiles
  • offer an additional hub of attraction nationwide for large enterprises within the main innovative supply chains
  • provide Lazio with a research infrastructure open to companies and stakeholders to support innovation and competitive growth

The organization of the established entity includes 6 "spokes" that hold a technical-scientific role. They coordinate and carry out the technical-scientific activities conducted by the spokes through the participating organizations and report the technical-scientific results of these activities to the HUB. The HUB, acting as the "implementing body," interfaces directly with the MIUR (Ministry of Education, Universities and Research).

The spokes have different thematic and functional scopes, and Unidata is a partner in Spoke 1: Applied research technology development and innovation.

Project activities are defined within projects referred to as "flagship projects"; these are vertical innovation projects that cut across the various spokes and are defined within specific areas of the S3 (Smart Specialization Strategy). They are designed to be implemented from an ecosystem perspective through collaboration between research partners (universities and research organizations) and industrial partners (businesses).

Unidata is participating in Flagship 8, titled "Human-Centric AI to Deliver Empowered Customer Experiences." The application scope is primarily focused on applied research and innovative technologies aimed at environmental preservation in terms of:

  • Big Data e intelligenza artificiale a supporto dei sistemi di distribuzione idrica e riduzione delle perdite
  • Development of artificial intelligence applications to support a more sustainable distribution of energy

Furthermore, Unidata will provide a research infrastructure – in terms of hardware and specialized support – to assist partners, particularly universities, that intend to channel their R&D activities and projects into these same fields.

As a founding member of the foundation and a participant in the defined thematic projects, Unidata will benefit from a grant of €494,361.09.

Completed projects

Research and development project, funded by the European Commission under the "Horizon 2020" Framework Programme

ELEGANT aims to address the ever-increasing complexity of software in integrating IoT with Big Data by developing innovative methods and tools to enhance performance, improve reliability and security, and boost energy efficiency. Artificial Intelligence will be one of the key tools utilized, particularly for developing modes of interaction and software updates for IoT devices.
Currently, in IoT/Big Data/AI systems, there is a sharp separation between physical devices and the Cloud dedicated to Big Data and AI; the dynamic and "intelligent" component is confined to the Cloud, while the end devices merely serve to generate the data to be used. The objective of ELEGANT will be to create a seamless, continuous cycle between devices and Big Data/AI, enabling the central system to dynamically distribute intelligence and data analytics capabilities to heterogeneous physical devices as well (such as IoT network concentrators and edge devices).
The proposed solutions will be evaluated against predefined KPIs across a wide range of operational use cases spanning four distinct domains: healthcare, automotive, smart metering, and video surveillance.

Project partners

  • EXUS SOFTWARE MONOPROSOPI ETAIRIA PERIORISMENIS EVTHINIS (GRECIA, coordinator)
  • UNIDATA SPA (ITALIY)
  • THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER (UK)
  • INSTITUTE OF COMMUNICATION AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS (GREECE)
  • DEUTSCHES FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM FUR KUNSTLICHE INTELLIGENZ GMBH (GERMANY)
  • NATIONAL INTERUNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS (ITALY)
  • SPARK WORKS ITC (UK)
  • UNISYSTEMS LUXEMBOURG S.A.R.L. (LUXEMBOURG)
  • UBITECH LIMITED (CYPRUS)
  • ITTI SP ZOO (POLAND)
  • KTM Innovation GmbH (AUSTRIA)

Total approved grant: € 4,983,250.00

Unidata approved grant: € 347,250.00

Advanced Manufacturing and Microelectronics to Optimize the Wireless Networks of Things

This is a research and development project in the IoT and Big Data field aimed at creating and optimizing a network dedicated to smart objects. The project is co-funded by the Lazio Region through POR FESR 2014-2020 resources (with a funding amount of €437,596).

AMORE aims at the competitive repositioning of small and medium-sized ISPs in the Lazio region, transforming them from operators of people to operators of things. We invest in the creation of an innovative LoRa LPWA IoT network to optimally manage tens of millions of devices within the same urban area.

The main objectives are the design, development, deployment, and validation in industrial application scenarios of a Lazio LoRa Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) wireless IoT network.

To achieve these goals, the project focuses on four specific research and development areas:

  • Microelectronics for End Devices: a System On Module controlled by a finite state machine, to dynamically maximize radio performance.
  • Network control and management, through the development of a network controller and related scheduling algorithms designed to coordinate and optimize access between gateway stations (base stations). This allows leveraging the spatial distribution of objects, minimizing interference between simultaneous transmissions, and including time constraints for time-critical applications.
  • Big Data Real-Time Analytics, for scalable profiling and behavioral analysis of devices distributed across the entire Lazio region, as well as the detection of anomalies and emerging DDoS-type cyberattacks.
  • Data Forwarding, through the development of a highly scalable network server module for gateway management, the analysis and filtering of data units in transit; the management of cryptographic and protocol aspects related to security, and the support of multi-tenant connectivity scenarios toward third-party servers and the provision of value-added features.

And it doesn't end here. Alongside these technical practices are:

  • Analysis of application scenarios and use cases, and the related identification of requirements.
  • Specifications and system architecture design.
  • Development of software and hardware components, and integration of advanced control algorithms.
  • Field demonstration of the integrated system and application to representative scenarios, including energy Smart Metering and consumption profiling and optimization for the green economy.

IoT Publish-Subscribe Environment – For Advanced Management of Recycling, Disposal, Citizen Information, and Traceability

This is a research and development project in the IoT and Big Data field aimed at creating an innovative Publish-Subscribe system for the Circular Economy sector, applied to waste collection and the third sector. The project is co-funded by the Lazio Region through POR FESR 2014-2020 resources (with a funding amount of €418,602.34).

IPSE PARSIT aims to create a digital technology platform for LPWA services and devices to achieve optimal control of processes specific to the circular economy.

The intent is to promote a marketplace that stimulates the birth of new business models and allows for the traceability and measurement of a product's level of circularity. The platform is used in concrete scenarios, such as waste collection and charitable donations.

At its core lie the Publish-Subscribe service and the architectural concept of a space we have named the Cradle Space (from the Cradle-to-Cradle context).

The main objective is to realize a system:

  • Modular, which delegates regulatory and business model complexities to specific rules for each Cradle Space.
  • That monitors every transaction, thereby providing traceability information and generating specific analyses and appropriate circularity indices.
  • That allows for the implementation of differentiated marketplace rules.
  • That allows for the dynamic creation of new Cradle Spaces.

And what are, instead, the benefits of the project?

  • Mechanism within the Publish-Subscribe supply chain capable of generating a marketplace.
  • Mechanism implementable through elementary microservices that can be associated with transactions, transitions, traceability, monetization within the value chain, and measurability indices.
  • Architecture based on Cradle Spaces that allows for the management of all individual cycles by applying homogeneous rules (commodity-specific, monetization, QoS, legislative) to transactions.

The project partners

  1. Unidata

    We are responsible for the project coordination, activities related to IoT and telecommunications infrastructures, devices, and back-end platforms for data collection and transmission.

  2. Paoletti Ecologia

    Operates in the environmental and urban hygiene, waste transport, and waste disposal sector. Its deep knowledge and experience in the waste management sector and related regulations, its understanding of the market segment and the players within it, along with the availability of technical and human resources suitable for project experimentation, make Paoletti Ecologia's role prominent in the project.

  3. 5EMME Informatica

    Expert in System Integration, they are a strategic partner in platform implementation. They are responsible for the back-end Publish-Subscribe platforms and Big Data Analytics management, as well as software and middleware integration.

  4. CNIT

    Research Organization that contributes to the IoT component, the optimization of back-end services, and the User Experience of operational application layers, developing know-how across all three levels.

Project funded by POR FESR LAZIO 2014-2020 (funding amounting to €336,356.04). PUBLIC NOTICE FOR STRATEGIC PROJECTS Axis I Research and Innovation Action 1.1.4 Support for collaborative R&D activities for the development of new sustainable technologies, new products, and services.

For the realization of this project, we collaborate with the CNR (National Research Council).

By 2045, the percentage of elderly people in Italy will rise to 32%. We are one of the longest-living countries in the world! It is important, therefore, to also take care, not just to cure.

To support the National Health Service (SSN) in the long term and guarantee quality standards, the solutions are telemedicine and enabling technologies: moving data, not patients.

The project, defined as Telecare according to the nomenclature of the national guidelines for telemedicine, provides a home automation support system for fragile individuals.

The objectives:

  • To reduce the social isolation of fragile individuals.
  • To extend the support of social service cooperatives beyond in-person care.
  • To prevent falls and pressure ulcers.
  • To prevent urgent hospitalization for conditions that can be treated at home, if diagnosed early.
  • To monitor the quality of care provided to the patient by caregivers in terms of personal and environmental hygiene, home comfort levels, and ventilation.
  • To monitor the quality of care provided to the patient by caregivers in terms of personal and environmental hygiene, home comfort levels, and ventilation.

The tools:

  • Environmental IoT devices featuring LoRaWAN® technology to monitor air quality ($CO_x$, VoCs), environmental parameters, and the opening of doors and windows, as well as to track ambulatory patients with cognitive impairment.
  • Contactless patient monitoring devices capable of tracking bed presence, heart rate, respiratory rate, HRV (Heart Rate Variability), movement, and the type and quality of sleep.
  • A Big Data and Analytics system for studying operational models (alarms, precursors, Anomaly Detection, QoS indicators).
  • An as-a-Service (aaS) Cloud system for the operations center and potential integration with local medicine and CAD (Cure Assistenziali Domiciliari / Home Care Assistance) services.

Project co-funded by the Development and Cohesion Fund, FSC 2014-2020 – Pact for the Lazio Region to support the adoption of a personalized analysis of digital needs.

Prot. Domanda: Domanda prot. n. LN13-2021-072117

CUP F81B21009140008

The measure is part of the grants supporting the digitalization processes of enterprises in the Lazio region. It funds the analysis of digital innovation needs to support the technological transformation process, with the aim of improving internal workflows and harmonizing the information systems currently in use by the company.

Total approved expenditure: €21,000.00

Total grant awarded: €14,700.00

Other funded projects

New Competencies Fund (Fondo Nuove Competenze) – 3rd Edition

The New Competencies Fund (Fondo Nuove Competenze) – Competencies for Innovation is a "Europe 27" project, serving as an operation of strategic importance within the National Program "Youth, Women and Work 2021–2027", co-funded by the European Union.

The New Competencies Fund (Fondo Nuove Competenze) is a measure aimed at enterprises, designed to support innovation and new employment processes. The initiative aims to strengthen workers' skills, with a particular focus on needs related to digitalization, environmental sustainability, and energy efficiency.

Under this instrument, the Fund reimburses the cost of working hours dedicated to participating in skill development pathways.

Our company has joined this initiative, launching a training project aimed at enhancing and developing internal skills, knowledge, and know-how—key elements for effectively facing market challenges and supporting responsible and sustainable growth.