PEOPLE
Reseach Director: Andrea Appolloni (Tor Vergata University of Rome)
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The Sustainability Science and Technology (SuSTech) research area integrates innovative technological solutions with rigorous scientific research to foster sustainable, resilient and inclusive ecosystems. SuSTech serves as a dynamic virtual hub for global collaboration. By connecting the brightest minds in research, the agility of industry, and the vision of policymakers, create, design, and deploy transformative, innovative solutions to achieve sustainable development. This is an interdisciplinary lab where academic researchers, industry leaders, and policymakers collaborate to accelerate technological and sustainable transitions and improve resilience. The aim of the lab is to blend sustainability, science, and recreational aspects to explore new scientific insights and support companies and organisations in advancing sustainability and technological innovation. The SuSTech would like to facilitate international collaboration to tackle global climate and environmental science challenges using emerging technologies and high-impact solutions. We would like to sustain the inclusive, interdisciplinary strategy that connects researchers across science, technology, and engineering, united in a shared vision to create a more sustainable planet by addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
RESEARCH PROJECTS AND RESEARCH AREAS
SuSTech focuses on interdisciplinary solutions to environmental, social, economic and technical challenges, driving sustainable development through innovation. Key areas include New Technological Innovation, Sustainability (Environmental, Social, and Economic), and Smart Resilience solutions, aiming to align scientific solutions with diverse research methodologies to support science, business and society sectors. The people involved in this research area have gained valuable experience in managing innovative projects across research, teaching, and consultancy. We can use a theoretical and empirical approach, elaborating on qualitative and quantitative data. The research group focuses on economics, social sciences, and management, including engineering and science research areas.
Specific sectors under scrutiny include:
Cluster 1: Resilient & Sustainable Management
Cluster 2: Circular Economy & Industrial Ecology
Cluster 3: Emerging Technology for Sustainable Development
Cluster 4: Coopetition Strategy in Global Sustainable Governance
Cluster 5: Socio-Technical Resilience & Policy
RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS
Collaboration on a wide range of initiatives includes national and international research projects in the area of Innovation and Sustainability. The main relevant including Horizon 2020, PNRR - National Recovery and Resilience Plan Project, FISA - The Italian Fund for Applied Sciences and more. We have collaborated on some projects with Tianjin University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dalian University of Technology, ShanghaiTech University, and Nanjing University in China. University of Tennessee and Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the USA; Cranfield University and University of Sussex in the UK. We also collaborate with the ASI- Italian Space Agency, ESA - European Space Agency, UNEP - The United Nations Environment Programme, ITU - International Telecommunication Union, FAO – Food and Agriculture Organisation, WCO - World Customs Organisation, CNR - Italian Research Council, Confindustia - Confederation of Italian Industry and more organisations. Also, with some companies such as Ferrari, IBM, Ferrero, BCG, McKinsey, ENI, Sanofi, ENEL, Leonardo and more.
CONFERENCES
SuSTech Forum is an annual conference held in Rome, Italy. This is an event to share and present new research ideas, meet companies, and create value through networking.
PUBLICATIONS
The group has published a remarkable number of papers in top international journals across management, econometrics, economics, engineering, science and technology management, with both applied and methodological contributions. The following is the list of main journals where articles have been published: Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing, Digital Engineering, Computers & Industrial Engineering, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Environmental Science & Technology, Journal of Environmental Management, Sustainable Development, Technology in Society, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, Ecological Economics.