In our innovation hub, research, industry and public institutions continue to form partnerships and work jointly on projects. A recent example of this is the collaboration between the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (unibz), the Italian Civil Protection Agency and a group of local businesses coordinated by Patscheider & Partner Engineers, who joined forces with the aim of developing an innovative flood control system.  

Water technologiesare one of the main areas NOI research focuses on. The goal is not only to foster innovation to keep water consumption as low as possible, but also to develop technologies that preserve, monitor and improve water resource quality, and forecast and prevent extreme weather events such as droughts and floods. 

Flooding is the focus of a project in the town of San Candido funded by the European Regional Development Fund. In the past, heavy rainfall has often caused flooding in the town centre. A new tunnel to the east of San Candido will divert water from the Sesto stream into the River Drava in the future. During flooding, the new tunnel will act as a drainage channel for the Sesto; in normal weather conditions, it will be part of the new road connecting San Candido and Sesto. For those who live in the area, this means the tunnel serves two purposes and offers two advantages. However, the project has presented challenges in terms of planning, as nothing similar has ever been done before in the Alpine region. 

The project team was supported by a research group led by Professor Maurizio Righetti, who is head of the Thermo Fluid Dynamics Lab at NOI. This applied research laboratory establishes unibz as an important partner for companies and public institutions. For this particular project, the laboratory developed a model of the Sesto to help designers understand how water is collected and returned to the Drava. This weak points to be identified and improved, ensuring effective flood protection even in emergencies. 

The Thermo Fluid Dynamics Lab is one of 70 scientific laboratories at NOI where companies and institutions can conduct R&D work. Reach out to find the most suitable research lab for your project: labs@noi.bz.it. 

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