The RESTART program has received funding from the European Union – NextGenerationEU

The research and development program RESTART “RESearch and innovation on future Telecommunications systems and networks, to make Italy more smart” has been funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU as part of the NRRP – M4C2, Investment 1.3, Call n. 341 of 15.03.2022 of the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) with 116 million euros, making it the most important public R&D program ever implemented in the Telecommunications sector in Italy. The program has a duration of 3 years, starting from January 2023.

The Sant'Anna School is participating with research groups from the TeCIP (Telecommunications, Computer Engineering, and Photonics) Institute: 

Piero Castoldi, TeCIP Institute Director and professor of Telecommunications, is coordinating Structural Project RIGOLETTO (EngIneeRInG photOnic devices and systems towards a green opticaL nETwork infrasTructure fOr 6G) on photonic networks and technologies
Ernesto Ciaramella, professor of Telecommunications, is coordinating the Sant'Anna Unit of Structural Project ITA-NTN covering non-terrestrial optical communications​​​​​​​
Antonella Bogoni, professor of Telecommunications, is coordinating the MISSION – Laboratories, Proofs of Concept and Demonstrators
Marc Sorel, professor of electronics, is coordinating the Sant'Anna Unit of Focused Project HePIC with particular attention to manufacturing and packaging processes for integrated photonics

Massimo Bergamasco, IIM Director and professor of mechanics applied to machines, also participates in the project. He's coordinating the Sant'Anna Unit of focused project 6G-SALUS dedicated to network infrastructures and telemedicine services.

The project is included in the Major Partnerships, was approved by the MUR in August 2022 and has a duration of 3 years. RESTART's main objective is to help outline the evolution of Telecommunications in Italy, aiming to revive a sector that has professionalism and experience at the level of world excellence, devoting itself to the main themes of Telecommunications science and technology, including all types of related systems and networks, for human and non-human users; high-capacity fixed networks; 5G/6G cellular networks; local area networks; satellite networks; the Internet; and applications and services in the most diverse sectors: agriculture, commerce, energy, finance, industry, media, health, security, and transportation. RESTART aims, therefore, to contribute in numerous areas related to telecommunications, from distributed clouds to artificial intelligence, via opto-electronics and sensor technology.

RESTART involves the participation of 25 Partners affiliated with 8 Spokes dedicated to the major scientific themes to which the research projects are developed.

The partners involved in RESTART are 12 universities (Sant'Anna School, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Polytechnic University of Bari, Polytechnic University of Milan, Polytechnic University of Turin, Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna, University Of Catania, University of Florence, University of Naples "Federico II", University of Padua, University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria, University of Rome La Sapienza), 3 national research organizations (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario Per Le Telecomunicazioni, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Fondazione Ugo Bordoni) and 10 private organizations (Open Fiber S. p.A., Prysmian S.p.A., Athonet S.R.L., Tiesse S.p.A., Wind Tre S.p.A., Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Tim Italia S.p.A., Italtel S.p.A., Ericsson Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. and Leonardo S.p.A.).

Call: National Recovery and Resilience Plan
Topic: Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3

General coordinator: Nicola Blefari Melazzi, professor at the University of Rome Tor Vergata (Project Proponent)

Scientific Coordinator: Antonio Capone, professor at the Politecnico di Milano