The rector of the University of Palermo, Massimo Midiri, and the managing director of Axians Italia, Michele Armenise, have signed a 5-year cooperation agreement covering the joint development of innovative projects in a number of areas relating to digital transformation. The aim is to help local young talent to expand their skills.

The agreement seeks to establish strategic areas of common interest for Axians and the University of Palermo, as well as for Sicily as a whole. The Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing technologies and artificial intelligence are among the most promising areas already identified. Particular attention will be paid to training and selecting talented young people so as to direct them towards internships that match their skills and towards targeted post-graduate programmes like Master’s degrees and vocational training courses.

Axians Italia is very keen to bolster its presence throughout Italy and more specifically Sicily. The partnership with the University of Palermo plays a fundamental role in this strategic choice, thanks also to the university’s strong interest in driving regional innovation – especially in digital technology.

“We are proud to have signed a cooperation agreement with an institution as dynamic and innovative as the University of Palermo. We hope it will lead to intensive and fruitful collaboration that will enable us to harness the vast potential offered by our two environments. We will do this by devising, designing and developing highly innovative digital solutions that can be applied in tangible ways towards improving quality of life. There is no better place than a university to show how important it is today to have digital skills,” said Michele Armenise, managing director of Axians Italia.

“The University of Palermo has firmly decided to invest in digital innovation, seen not only as a specific field but also a tool to support competitiveness and the expansion of a wide variety of disciplines that in today’s world cannot do without digital technology,” said the rector of the University of Palermo, Massimo Midiri.