UNISMART - Fondazione Università di Padova

UniSMART – Fondazione Università di Padova is the technology transfer and innovation foundation of UNIPD, acting as a strategic interface between academia, industry, public authorities and civil society. The foundation supports the development of impactful research and innovation initiatives by connecting UNIPD’s scientific excellence with the needs of companies, institutions and international stakeholders. UniSMART transforms academic knowledge into real-world solutions through technology transfer, IP valorisation, project design and management, innovation partnerships and specialised training.

Expertise relevant for Horizon Europe
UniSMART provides strong expertise across the full project lifecycle: identification of relevant funding opportunities, concept development aligned with EU priorities (climate, energy, mobility, circular economy, digitalisation), consortium building, Grant Agreement Preparation, administrative and financial management, impact assessment, stakeholder engagement, communication and exploitation of results. The foundation’s Technology Transfer and IP teams add further value through innovation scouting, PoC support, market analysis and strategies for uptake of research results.

Previous experience in European and national programmes
UniSMART has extensive experience in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects, Interreg, Erasmus+, EIT, SMP, and national programmes. It has contributed to R&I projects in sustainable cities, energy efficiency, circular economy, materials science, ICT, health, and social innovation. Recent projects include: VARCITIES, PRELUDE, DECADE, InComEss, BIM2TWIN, BIOMAC, ENSNARE, Exploit4InnoMat, Trem2Meds, TalentPass, Cradle-Alp, CONE, GPP2Adrion, and several others, in collaboration with universities, research centres, SMEs, large enterprises, and public administrations across Europe.

Type of cooperation sought
UniSMART is interested in joining consortia as a partner providing project management, impact assessment, communication and dissemination, stakeholder engagement, exploitation and innovation services. The foundation also supports consortium building and proposal co-design for Horizon Europe CL5 topics (2026 calls), leveraging UNIPD’s multidisciplinary expertise. UniSMART is open to collaboration with universities, research organisations, public authorities and industry partners aiming to develop high-impact R&I initiatives in climate, energy, mobility, circular economy, and related areas.