The iNEST (Interconnected Nord-Est Innovation Ecosystem) project, financially supported in the frame of the PNRR, is aimed at extending the beneficial effects of digitalization to the key specialization areas of “Nord-Est” (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto and Province Autonome di Trento e Bolzano): industrial and manufacturing sector, agriculture, marine and mountain environment, architecture and construction, tourism, culture, wellness and food are the fields addressed. iNEST is organized according to a structure consisting of a HUB and 9 Spokes, involving all Universities of Nord-Est as well as the main Research and Technology Transfer Organizations active in the territory.

Eurac Research will contribute to the project as an affiliate to Spoke 1 – "Ecosystems for Mountain Innovations", led by the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The main general objective of the Spoke is encouraging the development of new products, processes and lifestyles capable of consolidating or supporting local traditions that guarantee the survival and demographic vitality of the mountain contexts from any standpoints (economic, environmental and social).

Five Eurac Institutes and Centers are involved in the project. The Institute for Alpine Environment, the Institute for Earth Observation, the Center for Climate Change and Transformation and the Institute of Mountain Emergency Medicine will contribute to the Research Topic 1B. The latter aims at identifying and implementing strategies for improving the resilience and the habitat quality in mountain areas, the safety and the healthcare system, focusing on problems and risks deriving from climate change dynamics as well as on those connected to several aspects of health and safety in mountain contexts. The Institute for Renewable Energy will contribute to Research Topics 3A and 3B, that aim respectively at identifying and implementing solutions for improving sustainable energy strategies in mountain areas, and at identifying, studying and developing proper strategies for low-carbon mountain transport and logistics systems.