RESTART research program

In line with its commitment and the Sustainable Development Goals SDG9 “Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure” and SDG11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities,” Open Fiber participates in RESTART — “RESearch and innovation on future Telecommunications systems and networks, to make Italy more smART,” a program funded by the European Union under NextGenerationEU through the resources of the PNRR (Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.3).

RESTART is one of the 14 extended Partnerships established within the PNRR to create widespread networks of universities, public research bodies, and other public and private entities engaged in shaping the Telecommunications of the future. The participants in the research activities are recognized as highly qualified and organized according to a “Hub & Spoke” governance model. It is the largest funded project ever carried out in Italy in the Telecommunications sector, in which Open Fiber participates, acknowledging its value and the opportunity to develop new skills, innovation projects of strategic interest, and the possibility of launching further initiatives.

The RESTART Program was launched in January 2023 and will run over a 3-year horizon involving 26 Partners affiliated with 8 Spokes dedicated to the major scientific themes on which the research projects are developed. The total resources assigned to the Program amount to 118 million euros over 36 months, divided as follows:

• 74 million euros for Universities and Research Centers
• 11.5 million euros for companies
• 2.5 million euros for external entities awarded through cascade calls

Besides Open Fiber, the partners involved include the University of Rome Tor Vergata, the National Research Council (CNR), the Polytechnic University of Bari, the Polytechnic University of Milan, the Polytechnic University of Turin, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, the University of Catania, the University of Florence, the University Federico II of Naples, the University of Padua, the University of Reggio Calabria, the University of Rome La Sapienza, the National Interuniversity Consortium for Telecommunications (CNIT), the Ugo Bordoni Foundation, and companies such as TIM, Vodafone, Wind Tre, Ericsson, Prysmian, ITALTEL, LEONARDO, Athonet, and TIESSE.

Open Fiber joined the RESTART Foundation, the implementing entity (Hub) of the Program, responsible for launching, implementing, and managing the Innovation Ecosystem throughout its duration.

Within the Program, Open Fiber will be engaged with a total budget of 1.6 million euros, dedicated to developing project ideas in the following research areas:

• Optical communications and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) to promote communication security through quantum technology
• User-centric Pervasive Internet and the definition of new architectures for edge computing
• Definition of an innovative regulatory framework suitable for the development of future Telecommunications
• Fiber sensing, an evolution of the MEGLIO project already started by Open Fiber, aimed at creating new pervasive and real-time monitoring applications and services based on the use of optical fiber for monitoring both territories and buildings
• Development of the street cabinet (Secondary Flexibility Point in the Open Fiber network), fully optical and remotely programmable
• Smart grids, energy communities, and the development of innovative solutions supporting the energy transition

RESTART recently launched the “Grand Challenges,” transversal initiatives on the new frontiers of Telecommunications research. These challenges cover multiple areas, demonstrating how innovation requires a multidisciplinary approach.

The Challenges in which Open Fiber is involved are:

• Challenge 0 – Create a vision of the future evolution of the telecommunications ecosystem in Italy and internationally, coordinated by the Net4Future project, also involved Challenge 15 – Investigate the role of hyperscalers and app developers in network design
• Challenge 4 – Expose network infrastructure to services through digital twins, and Challenge 10 – Make the network a platform for programming and running applications, involving the RIGOLETTO project
• Challenge 7 – Digitalize the environment for a sustainable world, involving the PESCO, Sensing Net, and TeleSmEg projects
• Challenge 11 – Sensing and protecting the world with communication signals, structured on the Sensing Net project
• Challenge 18 – Building the future highways for fiber communications, coordinated by the RIGOLETTO project and of particular interest regarding the Sensing Net and GrapHICS projects