Alessandro Fontana
A. Fontana - Research and teaching for a sustainable industrial transition
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Alessandro Fontana, senior lecturer and researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Production Systems and Technologies (ISTePS) and member of the SUPSI sustainability group, discusses the importance of research, teaching and innovation in driving sustainable transition in manufacturing and society.
How do you envisage the evolution of the role of academic research in driving the transition towards sustainable development, understood not only as an ecological transition, but also as a transformation of economic, social and cultural models?
Process digitalisation, artificial intelligence (AI) and new legislative protocols are now among the main drivers of research and innovation in the field of industrial sustainability. Issues such as eco-design, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and sustainability reports, driven mainly in Europe by evolving regulations, are redefining design criteria and how the life cycle of products and business processes is managed. Research is therefore called upon to develop methodologies, tools and technologies that support companies, especially SMEs, in their decision-making processes towards a sustainable transition in all its dimensions. Digitalisation and AI also show great potential in supporting industrial sustainability, but they are still underutilised and need to be explored further. In this case, applied research is called upon to promote the digitalisation of business processes and to develop AI-based tools that simplify and facilitate the transition without compromising effectiveness and efficiency. However, technological innovation must also be accompanied by social change: sustainable and circular production cannot be envisaged without corresponding social acceptance. Here too, universities of applied sciences play a crucial role as agents of change. All this is reflected in the evolution of research calls, where social and humanistic aspects are increasingly present, requiring transdisciplinary approaches and collaborations to ensure a systemic perspective.
What impact do these changes have on the educational approach to training future engineers? What skills are essential today to prepare them for a constantly evolving world of work and society?
The evolution of applied academic research in the field of industrial sustainability directly influences the training of future engineers. While it is essential to provide up-to-date technological skills on new emerging issues, it is equally important to develop a mindset capable of interpreting sustainability as a strategic and cultural lever, not just as a response to regulatory obligations or market pressures, which often translate into a sterile race for certification or reporting. Sustainability, on the other hand, must be a driver of continuous improvement and innovation, an integral part of design and management thinking, and an opportunity for business and corporate resilience. With this in mind, engineering education must aim to develop analytical, critical and systemic skills that enable future professionals to develop strategies, tools and technologies geared towards creating shared value, both for businesses and for society. Transversal skills therefore become essential: the ability to work in multidisciplinary contexts, to integrate technical, economic and social dimensions into decision-making processes, to communicate the complexity of sustainability and to drive organisational change.
Have you seen an increase in interest in these issues among students?
Even before seeing an increase in interest, I noticed an increase in knowledge. About 15 years ago, sustainability was still a novelty. Today, even freshmen have a smattering of knowledge on the subject. Interest has therefore certainly grown and is still growing. In response to this evolution and the needs of local companies, in addition to the well-established Sustainable Production and Supply Chain course, the Bachelor's degree in Management Engineering has introduced a specialisation in “Industrial Sustainability Management”, which explores aspects related to the sustainable transition of companies. In the future, the challenge will be to integrate sustainability into other Bachelor's degree courses as well.