The Corimav (Consortium for research on advanced materials) is among the best practices cited by the European Commission for intersectoral mobility and collaboration between universities and industry. Born in 2001 from the agreement between Pirelli and the University of Milano-Bicocca, it was included in the Final Report of the European Commission "Study on Fostering industrial Talent in Research at European Level" which focuses on the promotion of intersectoral mobility (Ism, Inter- sectoral mobility) and reports examples of good practices for each country of the Union. A recognition that demonstrates the attention of the institutions and the European Union for a virtuous path that for almost 20 years has managed to transform the fruits of research into products launched on the market with the aim of raising the rate of innovation while promoting the diffusion of increasingly “eco-friendly” solutions.
Among the products recently developed thanks to the activities of Corimav there are tires for bicycles and motorcycles made with more sustainable materials such as the natural fiber "SmartNet Silica", covered by an international patent, capable of reducing rolling resistance and fuel consumption . The "SmartNet Silica" technology was created by the Pirelli R&D group, directed by Thomas Hanel, in collaboration with the Chemistry team of inorganic and hybrid materials of the University of Milano-Bicocca.
At least one patent filed every year and numerous scientific publications bear witness to the value of the technical-scientific result obtained thanks to the awarding of 44 scholarships and 36 doctoral scholarships focused on ecological and innovative materials. The Corimav consortium was renewed in October 2016 for another six years during a ceremony which saw the participation of Marco Tronchetti Provera, CEO of Pirelli, and Cristina Messa, rector of the University of Milano-Bicocca. The objectives: to develop cutting-edge technologies in the field of new materials, to support research and experimentation activities with the aim of patenting, to promote professional training and updating initiatives for young researchers.
Since 2010, the project themes have been oriented towards the “Tyre” area, a sector on which Pirelli's strategy is focused. Since that year, the consortium has concretely implemented its transformation into a tool for the transfer of knowledge and resources from the University to the company and vice versa: one of its main strengths lies in fact in the ability to train highly specialized professionals who can be employed in Pirelli's internal research and development activities.
