15.07.2021

Press Release
(English translation)

Bologna University and Italian Exhibition Group:
the Advanced Training School is born for ecological transition,
addressing enterprises, organizations and associations

The agreement inked between the Expo organizer and the University,
has resulted in a course and important training initiatives for enterprises and professionals
ready to grasp the business's sustainable revolution, with e-learning and in-person activities in the context of Ecomondo (26-29 October, Rimini Expo Centre, Italy).
All the IEG's industrial chains and the conference area involved

Bologna-Rimini (Italy), 15th July 2021 - The University of Bologna and IEG - Italian Exhibition Group – have signed a three-year agreement to collaborate in an in-depth manner on the issue of the Circular Economy, currently very topical and of strategic importance.

The context of the agreement includes the organization of an Advanced Training School for Ecological Transition addressing enterprises, organizations and associations promoted by Ecomondo - Italian Exhibition Group and directed by the University of Bologna, in collaboration with Rete Ambiente.

The initiative is strategic, from the point of view of the sustainable revolution of business that will run across Italy's economy in an increasingly in-depth manner, and targets all those professionally involved in the innovation of the circular economy, starting with the managers and directors, through to administrators, technicians, consultants and operators. In particular, the School addresses players such as waste, sustainability and energy managers, but also quality managers, HR, marketing, and tender managers, facility managers, compliance legal affairs, in other words all those professionals involved in the turning point in sustainability.

UNIBO Rector Francesco Ubertini states, "In recent years, the circular economy and ecological transition have been at the centre of numerous national and international projects, in close collaboration with the enterprises. Also regarding educational facilities, these topics are increasingly featured on our courses, with an approach that combines interdisciplinarity and innovation. We are therefore very pleased to launch this Advanced Training School, in collaboration with IEG and other institutional and entrepreneurial bodies, with whom we have established interaction, in particular thanks to the experience of Ecomondo."

IEG President Lorenzo Cagnoni says, "Ecological transition is currently the necessary direction as well as the most valuable goal. Thanks to our company's lengthy experience and international relations, built up not only in 23 editions of Ecomondo, but in the entire green concept of our expo and conference facilities and our organization, we are ready to make our business contribution to companies and all the industry members and professionals who intend investing in the Circular Economy."

The Advanced Training School for Ecological Transition is part of a project launched approximately a year ago by the University, to respond to the numerous requests for continuous training received from companies, which foresees the possibility of co-planning and realizing single courses or more in-depth programs, tailor-made to meet enterprises' necessities, in particular those of SMEs.
The course will last eight weeks, from 15th October to 10th December 2021, and will be divided into four thematic two-week units. The 128 hours of training activity will have the aim of integrating various fields of knowledge and developing new means of guiding corporate strategies towards innovative sustainable development in the major industries.
During the next edition of Ecomondo and Key Energy at Rimini Expo Centre (26-29 October 2021), face-to-face activities are also planned, to create opportunities for cultural and operational integration between the expo and the university.

The School's board: as well as director Fabrizio Passarini, Associate Professor – "Toso Montanari" Department of Industrial Chemistry, the Scientific Committee includes Alessandra Astolfi, Group Exhibition Manager IEG, Alessandro Bratti, General Director, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Giovanni De Santi, management, "Sustainable Resources" - Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Fabio Fava, Professor - Department of Civil, Chemical, Environmental and Materials Engineering, Director, Centre Interdepartmental Alma Mater Institute on Healthy Planet, Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, and Paola Ficco, environmental jurist, editor of the magazine "Rifiuti-Bollettino di informazione normativa".

The initiative has the support of: CONAI, CIB, CIC, GRUPPO CAP, NOVAMONT, ISPRA, GARC, FORUM FINANZA SOSTENIBILE, FANTOZZI&ASSOCIATI, CONOU, ERION as Support Partners particularly sensitive to the issues of training and always to the fore alongside Ecomondo to favour its growth and strengthening as the European platform for green innovation.

Media Partner of the Advanced Training School for Ecological Transition is press agency Adnkronos.

For further information: www.safteformazione.it

Please download:
Press release
Picture of UNIBO Rector Francesco Ubertini
Picture of IEG President Lorenzo Cagnoni

About Bologna University
The origins of University of Bologna go way back: founded in 1088, it is è indicated as the oldest University in the Western world. It has over 87,000 students, 232 degree courses, of which over 80 are international, distributed over 5 Campuses: Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna and Rimini. It has 33 Departments, 48 PhD programmes, 59 Specialisation Schools, approximately 100 Master programmes of first and second level and an annual average of 11,000 researches produced. The University of Bologna is among Europe's top universities as far as the number of students participating in its programmes is concerned (both outgoing and incoming).
https://www.unibo.it/it

About Italian Exhibition Group
Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), listed on the Screen-based Share Market (MTA) organised and managed by Borsa Italiana S.p.A., is a leader in Italy in the organisation of trade fairs and one of the main operators in the trade fair and conference sector at European level, with structures in Rimini and Vicenza, as well as further sites in Milan and Arezzo. The IEG Group is notable in the organisation of events in six categories: Food & Beverage; Jewellery & Fashion; Tourism & Hospitality; Wellness, Sports & Leisure; Lifestyle & Innovation; Green & Technology. In the last few years, IEG started a significant expansion process abroad, also by means of joint-ventures with global or local organizers (for example, in the United States, Arab Emirates, Mexico, China and India). www.iegexpo.it

About Ecomondo 2021
Category: International exhibition; Organizer: Italian Exhibition Group SpA; Frequency: annual; Edition: 24th; dates: 26-29 October 2021; e-mail: ecomondo@iegexpo.it ; Web sites: www.ecomondo.com ; Facebook: www.facebook.com/EcomondoRimini ; Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ecomondo ; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecomondo-the-green-technologies-expo/

About Rete Ambiente
ReteAmbiente is the Newco that from the beginning of 2020 took over all the activities of Edizioni Ambiente, since 1994 the key publisher in Italy for environment and sustainable development issues. Conceived from the outset as a provider of specialized content and services on topics connected with the culture of sustainability, through the years the publisher has expanded its activities in the field of books, specialist magazines and services for professionals and enterprises, in particular with the web sites dedicated to environment regulations and energy.
More recently, the publisher has focussed its activity in depth on innovation in the relations between environmental resources, economy and society, flanking the international magazine "Materia Rinnovabile" with the magazine "Rifiuti – Bollettino di informazione normativa" and creating a dedicated research unit, the Centro Materia Rinnovabile (renewable matter centre).
Edizioni Ambiente is currently at the centre of an extensive network it which it collaborates with enterprises, associations, research centres, foundations and public administrations at national and international level.

About Adnkronos
Adnkronos is a large complex publishing group, owner of 5 press agencies (one generalist and three thematic, in the sustainability, health, work and geopolitical information sectors), a specialist television channel for doctors and chemists, as well as television and radio formats aired by over 150 TV broadcasters and 160 radio stations all over Italy. It produces a total of over 2,000 new items daily, addressing the media, institutions and companies; approximately 200 news items daily are also made available to readers on the web site www.adnkronos.com, which reports the highest number of readers among Italian press agencies (over 11.5 million unique visitors, - source: Comscore May 2021). Lastly, it distributes content on over 150 publishing sites of utmost importance, thus becoming a unique organization on the Italian publishing scenario.

Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna Press Office
Via Zamboni 33 - 40126 Bologna
+39 051-2088664
ufficiostampa@unibo.it

ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP PRESS CONTACTS
Head of media relations & corporate communication: Elisabetta Vitali; press office manager: Marco Forcellini; international press office coordinator: Silvia Giorgi; press office specialist: Alessandro Caprio media@iegexpo.it