Everything is ready for the inauguration of Lutech Group’s new Technological Innovation Hub at the Parco Scientifico Tecnologico Tecnopolis of the University of Bari in Valenzano.

Thanks to a strategic investment totaling fourteen million Euros, the Group will significantly expand the existing Valenzano site with the immediate addition of 60 staff members, both new graduates and expert technicians, for which selection is already underway, as well as the creation of a new data center. The plan provides for further investments for the hiring of 100 technicians a year for the next five years, making the Bari site a fully-fledged nearshoring center for Lutech Group.

This Group initiative, promoted within the Lutech Digital 4.0 project and within the context of the Regional Program “aiuti ai programmi di investimento delle grandi imprese” (assistance in investment programs for large companies), was the subject of the regional resolution of 15 February 2022 and is being carried out in partnership with the Apulian capital’s university and polytechnic university. The goal was to create an innovation hub for the development of application solutions based on Microservices architectures, together with innovative technologies using sophisticated Artificial Intelligence algorithms and with extensive application of Extended and Augmented Reality.

In this initial phase, Lutech Group will be concentrating on the development of solutions for the eHealth, Fintech and Loyalty Programs sectors, before branching out into the Energy, Manufacturing and Retail sectors thanks to the creation of solutions based on IoT and Blockchain technologies.

In order to incentivize staff uptake, the project provides for the involvement of local highly specialized companies, and the planning of hires in close partnership with the Polytechnic University of Bari, Aldo Moro University in Bari, and other educational institutes in the region of Apulia. In this context, an extensive program of educational support has been laid out which provides for internships during and outside of courses, academies, master’s degree courses in innovative disciplines for STEM graduates, workshops for the public and private sectors, pathways of excellence and digital transformation paths, and scholarship financing.

The five-year development plan presented by Lutech Group to the Apulian institutions involves participation in extended partnerships, national samples and innovation ecosystems in accordance with component 2 of Mission 4 of the RRP “From research to enterprise”. In particular, Lutech has already expressed its interest in partnering with the University of Bari and Polytechnic University of Bari for the national “human and environmental health” ecosystem. In particular, with the Polytechnic University, the partnership will also be extended to the national sample on “sustainable mobility”.

“The Bari innovation hub,” confirms Tullio Pirovano, Lutech Group CEO, “represents a great opportunity for both the Lutech Group and the whole local ecosystem in Apulia. Thanks to major investment, we will develop highly innovative projects alongside the local resources, contributing in a proactive manner to the technical innovation of the local organizations and the whole national system.”

In meetings with the local press, the representatives of the institutions and universities have shown themselves to be deeply involved in the Lutech Group project; in particular, Alessandro Delli Noci, Councilor for Economic Development, Apulia Region, stated: “The intentions of Lutech Group shows that Apulia is an attractive area. This is for two main reasons: the focus that the region is able to offer to companies wishing to base themselves in Apulia, and the contextual conditions in which new investors are placing themselves.”

Stefano Bronzini, Rector of University of Bari Aldo Moro, highlighted that: “The commitment of the University of Bari Aldo Moro, and in particular its IT department, is to partner with companies such as Lutech to develop new products and services in perfect coherence with the topics of human and environmental health and safety, chosen to characterize the entire Apulian research and education ecosystem.”

The Rector of Polytechnic University of Bari, Francesco Cupertino, added: “As regards the R&D plan, we are very willing to provide support to the project with our researchers and labs.”

Eugenio Di Sciascio, vice mayor of Bari, finally highlighted that: “The great challenges of the digital and energy transition will be overcome on the basis of expertise, on the ability to train professionals who can take leading roles. Bari confirms itself to be a virtuous innovation ecosystem able to attract new companies. We need to continue working like this, promoting the development of work and the local area.”

The institutions’ representatives also highlighted the unique opportunity of these types of projects in terms of reskilling, of attracting local resources back to the region, and the further opportunity to rebuild a professional pathway suitable for the skills attained without the need for people to leave their place of origin.

Download the press release (Italian)