The Politecnico di Torino and TXT Group are pleased to announce the launch of the ISM4Italy project, an innovative initiative aimed at creating a multifunctional experimental center for research and innovation in the aeronautical supply chain with the aim of stimulating the development of innovative technologies and facilitating the transfer of knowledge to produce concrete solutions and significant advances in the aerospace sector.

The project, approved in March 2025 through the ISM4Italy call for a total investment of 4 million euros, will see co-financing by TXT and the Politecnico through funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) for Mission 4 (Education and Research), in its component dedicated to accompanying technologies in the transition from research to business.

ISM4Italy is developed around the creation of a technological innovation infrastructure distributed between Milan, at the TXT Group headquarters, and Turin, near the headquarters of the Polytechnic University of Turin. With the completion of the investment activities expected by the end of the year and the operation of the infrastructure starting from 2026, both centers will host three state-of-the-art laboratories: the XR Lab, SimLab and DroneLab.

While the XR Lab will specialize in the application of Extended Reality in different sectors, with a particular focus on the training of aircraft maintainers, the SimLab, on the other hand, will focus on the design of innovative solutions for flight simulation, developing MSaaS systems, distributed simulations with AI-controlled automata and advanced HMI interfaces for the pilot. Finally, the DroneLab will be dedicated to autonomous flight research, the development of mission systems and advanced ground stations, as well as integration and collaboration between drone swarms.

The words of Daniele Misani, CEO of TXT Group: “Our collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Turin represents a unique opportunity to innovate together and develop cutting-edge solutions that meet the needs of customers and the aerospace market of the future, the investment in this infrastructure will allow us to have a place that is a further stimulus for the innovation process. The Politecnico di Torino has always been a symbol of academic excellence, technological innovation and international vision. With its ability to train talent, promote advanced research and build concrete bridges between academia and industry, it represents a fundamental point of reference for the entire innovation ecosystem. For TXT Group, collaborating with such a prestigious institution means sharing fundamental values such as the centrality of people, the culture of innovation and investment in the future“.

The Vice-Rector for Scientific and Technological Innovation of the Politecnico, Giuliana Mattiazzo, commented: “For our University, the research infrastructure model has become truly central to the development of our activities and thanks to the PNRR funds we have been able to further increase our ability to promote the transfer of knowledge from academia to business. This new infrastructure, then, insists on a sector, that of the aeronautical supply chain, which for Turin and Piedmont has been in the past and will certainly be in the near future crucial for the economic development of the territory and in which the Politecnico can boast a tradition and a leading international role”.

ISM4Italy integrates industrial initiatives and research projects, aiming to promote solid cohesion between universities, companies and research centers , in particular on projects with a high level of technological maturity, an absolute novelty for the national scene. The call is part of the ambitious innovation ecosystem outlined by the National Center for Sustainable Mobility (MOST), representing its natural continuation. A significant strength is the strategic collaboration with the center, in which TXT Group is actively involved in four projects as part of Spoke 1, dedicated to sustainable air mobility and in the IOSCA observatory where TXT Group is a digital partner of the initiative. This approach, which combines academic research, industrial innovation and emerging technologies, will have a decisive impact in strengthening the Italian aerospace ecosystem, increasing the competitiveness of the sector on a national and European scale.

(Source: Politecnico di Torino press release)