Ten years after their first agreement, Pirelli, Politecnico di Milano and Fondazione Politecnico di Milano are renewing their “Joint Labs” programme focused on research projects for continuous innovation in tyre technology. They are extending their collaboration for a further three years, with new challenging objectives and more advanced tools. Pirelli’s new STATIC simulator installed at its R&D centre in Milan and the dynamic driving simulator at Politecnico di Milano will be central to the programme.

Alongside exploring the potential of virtual environments, this new phase of the agreement (2021-2023), with its expected 2-million-euro investment, is concentrating on two broad scope research streams, materials, for developing innovative solutions and modelling the mixing process, and product and cyber development, for integrating static-dynamic simulation.

Ferruccio Resta, Rector of Politecnico di Milano:

“Driving simulators, virtual reality and new materials are the central points in a ten-year understanding between Politecnico di Milano and Pirelli, now being renewed in the wake of common objectives, in step with technological innovation and with an eye on sustainable development. Under our agreement, this programme will unfold along these lines, with five of our departments being involved in the programme. The Joint Lab programme fully encapsulates and highlights the importance of enduring and constructive university-company relationships, which is one cornerstone of Italy’s National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. Research and education are the foundations for forward-looking industrial development. The agreement between Politecnico di Milano and Pirelli is firm and solid, and lays out the direction we intend to pursue.

Marco Tronchetti Provera, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO at Pirelli:

“Innovation is the engine driving our company. Being able to bank on a network of research centres and universities that are global leaders, such as Politecnico, means investing now to respond to the future challenges of mobility. Sustainability, advances in automation, virtualisation and connectivity are all high-priority areas for us, a fact that we have also stressed with the “Joint Labs” programme. Our collaboration with Politecnico underlines our commitment towards strengthening the core of our group’s know-how in these areas within Italy.

Andrea Sianesi, President of Fondazione Politecnico di Milano:

“Pirelli was present when our Foundation was established, and is also one of the first companies to believe in our capacity to create synergies at local and national level to promote and exploit the scientific research emanating from Politecnico di Milano. Today, we are talking of sustainable mobility and, with this agreement, we intend to establish strong connections leading to long-term investments, and so implement advanced research that is highly experimental and innovative. Strategic partnerships such as these set the ground for constant dialogue between companies and universities, and are the basis for sharing needs, strategies and vision.”