Activity Report 2020/21 Activity Report 2020/21 Table of Contents

We rearranged furniture, missed seeing our colleagues and found ourselves in new routines. We were already familiar with smart working tools and conditions. We used the time to develop free e-learning courses. Will hybrid events be standard in the future? Medical research groups have helped expand our knowledge of the virus. Scientificproductivity has focused on reworking. We submitted 25 percent more proposals for EU projects. The wheels of industry kept turning and we received assignments from 45 companies. On average, about 20 partners are involved in the largest projects. The pandemic has overwhelmed not only our lives but also our vocabulary.

Editorial 5 New balances/ Confidently through the 23 Researching the virus - and its effects storm/ Science in crisis An overview of studies focusing on the pandemic, How profoundly the pandemic has changed our lives CHRIS Covid-19 study as well as all the initiatives to from biomedical to socio-economic research is obvious, and although not much else has garnered support sanitary operations in sequencing the viral 7 Smart work vs lab work as much attention recently, where else to start reflect- genome to identify variants, designing studies and Whether in the home office, in the labs or in 26 Hand in hand with the local Health Service ing on the past year? Almost all of our researchers - storing samples in the biobank and our biostatistical the field: we made better progress than expected An infographic on how we helped Sabes - our local with the exception of the laboratory staff - had become monitoring were indispensable in assisting the local health authority Smart Workers by the end of February 2020. The transi- health authority and gaining insights into the un 8 365 days of Corona Task Force tion was so smooth because we had already introduced precedented events of the previous year. An infographic of an emergency year 37 A virtue of necessity: writing and growing this working model back in 2018. Congresses were Our research groups have also been looking into the in isolation either postponed or held in virtual form, and although impacts of the pandemic on people and communities, 10 Smart Working How the virus inspired us to think outside the box, there were some time shifts in research in the labs and studying its social and economic impact to better pre- New routines, new events and in spite develop projects and write more publications the field, they were smaller than expected; scientific pare us for what’s to come - there have been studies on of all the obstacles...new members of our team productivity focused on analysis and processing. The energy behaviour, consequences for tourism as well as 38 Developing EU projects number of technical publications increased, and we possible socio-economic scenarios for the future. 13 When a computer is not enough 40 ...and scientific publications are now managing almost 50 percent more European Our activity report has also changed: we have reduced An overview of our lab and field activities 42 Staying connected funding than compared to 2019. the texts and used more data and infographics to 44 Personnel The number of large projects with significant research present the main developments and achievements of 19 The wheels of industry keep turning 46 Finance funding also increased by about 10 percent and, having the past year. Strict safety precautions guarantee continuity 47 Institutes and centers submitted almost 26 percent more applications to in testing for industry 56 Organigram various European funding programmes this year, we 57 Committees are confident about our research output for the near 21 Reaching out to schools in new ways 58 Scientific Advisory Councils future. Research groups from the medical field have We hope you enjoy this year’s edition! Workshops, classes and research go digital helped to increase our knowledge of the virus. The Roberta Bottarin, Stephan Ortner, Roland Psenner

Eurac Research is a private research of improving life in the societies of the centre, established in 1992 in Bolzano. future. Often, in response to regional Our research activity is rooted in local problems, Eurac Research develops issues which are then developed on a concrete solutions that can be applied global level, thanks to a multidiscipli- in different contexts, exploring new nary approach and an international avenues based on interdisciplinarity vision. Studies focus on issues that and scientific excellence. Today, Eurac affect people, their health and the en- Research has more than 500 employ- vironment around them, with the aim ees from over 35 countries.

—03 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21

New balances It’s strange to realise how quiet it can be, especially at night. Then, at first light, the dawn chorus fills every corner of the empty and quiet space, it seems as if the number of birds has never been as numerous as this and their songs sound like lively discussions and chatter. But nothing’s really changed, they’re just singing as usual, it’s our attention that has shifted, our perception of what’s around us and the background noise that has diminished. You notice each car passing by, whereas the norm before was constant traffic. You don’t rush to the office, but - often still in your pyjamas – you log on from home, work and try to produce as much as possible. And the result, the ‘lockdown to birdsong’ effect has been astonishing: productivity indicators have soared, project proposals skyrocketed and publications shot up significantly. It just goes to prove; we weren’t limited by the lockdown. Roberta Bottarin, Vice Director

Confidently through the storm What has given me personal support and hope in this very different year is trust: not only my trust in science in general and in my Eurac Research colleagues in particular, but also the trust placed in me as a leader. When it became clear in February 2020 that the virus had arrived in Italy, I assembled an eight-member task force consisting of employees from a wide range of areas - occupational safety, human resources as well as the legal, research and communications offices. Together we managed to steer Eurac Research through stormy waters without any major accidents. Our formula is to approach problems from every conceivable angle. We were thanked in the Great Place to Work survey and 2020 saw us achieve 14th place, the best result on national level so far. Stephan Ortner, Director

Science in crisis While some of us would like to erase this strange year from our memories, I’d like to take a second look at 2020. On the one hand, science has proven to be crisis-proof, that is, its contribution to coping with the pandemic has become visible and tangible. Not only am I referring to the achievements of biomedicine, but also of the scientific institution that is Eurac Research: of the care for our staff, especially those with school-age children. On the other hand, we all became aware of how short-lived scientific truths are when they have to be obtained under maximum time pressure and the repercussions of both experiences will echo into the future. Trust in research is… a parabolic flight above the pandemic, to test zero-gravity automatic heart Roland Psenner, President massage techniques for future use in space missions and suborbital travels.

11 June 2020, skies above Dübendorf military airport in Switzerland, Andrea Forti (left) and Giacomo Strapazzon (right), annual flight campaign organised by the Swiss Sky Lab foundation to allow various institutions and companies to conduct experiments and studies in and on microgravity.

04— —05 Smart work vs Lab work

Moving offices home was a seamless shift - the conditions were already in place. And even though our lab and field research slowed down because of the pandemic, it was by far less than expected. ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

23rd October 365 days of Corona Task Force The plan for reacting to a positive case is published, outlining what to do in Safety in a year of insecurity cases of direct or indirect contact, having children needing to quarantine or advice for having to isolate 23 February 2020 Setting up the Corona Task Force

4th May Cor ona-group “Phase 2” begins with partial openings where possible, Stephan Ortner Hello everybody although Smart Working is have formed a gr, as a precaution I oup so that the still recommended between us. I have the queasy 28th February 15th October feeling that something like a Smart Working Rapid test station is set up tsunami is coming and we should is advised be ready for crisis management Let's hope that everything will only . be half as bad as I pr we'll just shut down theedic gtr, then again. I hope you agr oup perhaps for ee. Have I gotten someone? So long. Stephan 26th June 8th March Smart Working becomes mandatory Camp begins; a total of 62 Eurac

+50% 7,046 77,232 increase in health 176 WhatsApp messages sent euros of budget allocated and safety costs Litres of hand between the task force over the for the emergency compared to 2019 sanitiser used course of the year 25,800 1,323 surgical masks rapid tests carried out in the distributed test station over 3.5 months 378 hours on the phone 1,630 for internal contact FFP2 masks distributed tracing ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

Brain Gain never stopped (although it may have slowed down)

NEW ARRIVALS OTHERS STAYED LONGER THAN PLANNED ... Sustainable heating and cooling expert Our researchers Lydia Pedoth and Felix 5 Amir Jodeiri Khosbaf joined us from The Ethiopian federalism expert Yonatan Greifeneder at their flat in Bolzano/Bozen. new hires from Iran in January 2020. T. Fessha was the first scientist to join Lydia works in risk management and risk EU countries Eurac Research with a Marie Skłodows- communication in relation to natural hazards, Felix in environmental monitoring with remote Iran, Dubai, Holland, Australia, France, ka-Curie Fellowship. This EU funding sensing techniques. Spain and now Italy - how did you come programme supports mobility between to Bolzano? research institutions. Last summer, 5 After my Master’s at Groningen Univer- Fessha should have returned to the Uni- new recruits from sity of Applied Sciences, I went back to versity of Cape Town, but the pandemic non-EU countries - Iran and applied for a PhD position at gave us a good reason, to keep him more than in the Eurac Research; there were none so, here longer. He researches the role of previous year, despite I got hired as a researcher instead. intergovernmental relations in divided more complicated societies, such as ethnic conflicts. The Smart working bureaucratic procedures What are you working on? Ethiopian government consulted him and adventurous I am mainly involved in modelling hot when war broke out in Tigray. journeys water storage for district heating. To Like millions of people around the world, we suddenly had to move our work- reduce simulation time, I do the model- Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowships places to living rooms, bedrooms, or kitchens. We rearranged furniture, missed ling in 1D instead of the usual 3D. Following the conclusion of Yonatan seeing our colleagues, found ourselves in new routines and even discovered T. Fessha’s time with us, hosting the advantages. Did the pandemic affect your research fellowship hasn’t stopped. Of the appli- work? cations submitted in 2020, five were se- Prior to the pandemic, 31.5% of our Not at first, I worked in direct contact lected for fellowships: These scientists contracts already included smart 80% with colleagues, and since I was new to from around the world will now be able working and 8.5% teleworking. of staff worked and are still working research, it was very efficient. During to conduct research at Eurac Research In early March 2020, smart working from home the first lockdown, communication for two more years. Six other applica- was extended to 100 percent of con- with the team was more difficult, every- tions received the Seal of Excellence, tracts. During 2020 spring’s lockdown it one had to get used to it. The research which serves as a recommendation for was mandatory, but many people have 5% continued, but at a slower pace. alternative funding. stuck with it. The transition was couldn’t because of their roles as tech- facilitated by the fact that every nical staff in laboratories or mainte- How were you privately affected? employee already had a laptop and VPN nance workers I didn’t see my wife for nine months, or cloud access. but she has since come to Bolzano/Bo- 33% Many previously cautious managers zen. But even if I had known how hard Eurac Research’s success rate of have come to their senses: “Smart 15% it would be, I would do the same again: applications for a MSC Individual working is productive and, with the are currently working partly from Bolzano/Bozen is beautiful, Europe- Fellowship is more than twice that right balance, will continue in the home and partly from the office. an culture is very similar to Persian of the European average (14%). future. culture.

10— —11 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

Events that changed events When a computer is not enough...

An essential part of research is fieldwork. Conducting experiments in the laboratory, taking samples or measurements in nature is indispensable for increasing knowledge and testing theories. The pandemic inevitably slowed down some activities, but on the whole, it went better than we’d feared.

Biomedicine laboratories

Whether it’s Sunday, Christmas or an unknown virus which they are growing. Even during the lockdown, 88 scholars from 16 countries rubbed would once have seemed normal to us is raging outside, to keep the cells alive for our taking each sample strictly in turn, our researchers shoulders for four days to discuss and unnecessary to communicate, is experiments we have to look after them on a daily looked after the cell cultures. Deadlines for the various hydrology, climate and ecology. On the now a nostalgic pre-pandemic snap- basis. We have to feed them by adding microscopic studies were more or less maintained whilst pande- final evening, the well-known Italian shot - who would have thought that it amounts of nutrients with a pipette to the flasks in mic-related activities were added (from page 22). meteorologist Luca Mercalli gave a would be the last big event in person? which they are stored; we also have to regularly A few facts and figures show the impact of the health public lecture with many teachers and (Snow Hydro International Congress, ‘change the sheets’ by cleaning the containers in crisis on life in the laboratory. young faces in the audience. What January 2020)

Cartoplast - biowaste bins: we used fewer of Latex gloves: consumption dropped from them in the lab (450 compared to the 600 used 40,000 pairs in 2019 to 29,000 in 2020 due to in 2019), however at least 150 were destined researchers’ limited access to our laboratories. for our Covid test station. Even today, to ensure minimum risk, the presence of the 40 people who usually work in the laboratories has been reduced by 60%.

“We have built an economy like a car without spare Stiglitz is speaking from his living room in New York. Tips are the plastic ends that fit onto pipettes tyres. Sure, it saves you a little bit in the short term Although attendance took place partly in the auditori- to take and transfer tiny amounts of liquid. because you’re lighter and you consume less, but it’s um with the host, most participants joined us from They have to be replaced every time they are crazy.” Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz shares his their homes. Since March 2020, we have broadcast used to avoid contamination. Deliveries of The rt-pcr master mix, a reagent used to am- vision of a green economy to almost 600 people 19,236 minutes of events online, with 5,754 individual tips for 1 ml pipettes (p1000 tips) are current- plify genetic material, has become an even attending the Global Mountain Sustainability Forum at connections. Of course, it’s not the same thing, but ly being delayed by more than eight months. more unobtainable commodity. Normally the public event organised together with the Free who knows whether Stiglitz would have been able to This is the size that is used for analysing used in laboratories that handle DNA, it is University of Bozen-Bolzano and the Fondazione Cassa fit a trip to South Tyrol into his agenda or whether we swabs and priority is justifiably given to hos- indispensable for analysing molecular buffers di Risparmio (October 2020). Behind him we can see a could have afforded all the expenses... What if hybrid pitals and Covid bio-analysis laboratories. and is therefore currently sought after world- fireplace, a huge TV and the ubiquitous bookshelves; events will be standard in the future? wide.

12— ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

Biodiversity: Monitoring continues with in-depth research projects

2018’s epic storm Vaia caused a catastrophic wind- continued as planned, with 64 sites investigated in the throw. How has the forest reacted and how is the last year. Three quarters of the fauna of South Tyrol biodiversity changing? Our research team is now and almost half of the flora have been detected so far, studying the effects. The study in the area of proving the dense network of monitoring observation Welschnofen/Nova Levante is one of several special points laid across the country is suitable to represent projects in which the Biodiversity Monitoring South biodiversity and trace developments. In total, the Tyrol research team is collaborating with various research team will examine 320 terrestrial and 120 partners such as the Office of Forest Planning and the aquatic sites in all habitats. In order to gain an Provincial Domain. Other special projects include the accurate picture of species and ecosystem diversity as promotion of biodiversity in intensive orchards or well as their change, the surveys will be repeated every grassland birds. Apart from the special projects, the five years in exactly the same locations. standard program of the Biodiversity Monitoring https://biodiversity.eurac.edu

CLIMATE CHANGE AND MIGRATORY PLANTS 2,800

Ornithologist Matteo Anderle 1976 2,600 2018 during a survey of windthrow The Carex humilis grass species in the Matscher/ areas in the Eggental/val Mazia valley has migrated by 214 metres in alti- 2,400 d’Ega valley tude over the past 40 years as demonstrated by ecologist Harald Crepaz, who mapped the distri- bution of the grass and compared it with map- 2,200 pings from 1976. The expansion is clearly related 2,000 to rising temperatures. From climate data, Crepaz and his colleagues calculated that the mean tem- 1,800 perature in the valley has increased by 0.84 degrees since the temperature recordings began. Our team of scientists in the Matscher/Mazia Valley has been studying how climate change Since 1976, in the Matscher/Mazia affects ecosystems since 2014 as part of the in- valley, the Carex humilis grass species grows at an elevation of 200 metres ternational LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) higher than it used to in and the network. average temperature in the valley has http://lter.eurac.edu risen by 0.84 degrees.

14— —15 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

Nutrition and microbiome Nicola Segata’s research group from the University of of our ancestors Trento, is therefore of significant and current interest. In addition, the research team also hopes to understand the methods that went into early forms of food The prehistoric salt mine of Hallstatt, Austria is the processing by combining molecular genetic and oldest in the world. Due to the special conditions in its microscopic analyses. tunnels, millennia-old remains such as textiles, tools and food remnants, - have been exceptionally well preserved. The site is also home to a wealth of fossilised Secrets of faeces - an archaeological treasure trove for our mummy researchers who have been examining the a lady from Basel coprolites from Hallstatt in microscopic and molecular-genetic detail over the past months, not only to Anna Catherina Bischoff, a pastor’s wife, died in reconstruct the diet, but also to gain information on 1787,- she was the woman whose mummified body the bacterial colonisation of the intestine by analysing was found in the Barfüsserkirche, the former church ancient DNA. of the discalced friars in Basel, Switzerland. The Using the coprolites from Hallstatt, the research team mystery of her identity had already been solved based at their NOI Techpark laboratories, can investi- thanks in part to our researchers, but Anna Catheri- gate how changes in diet affected the gut microbiome na’s remains continue to merit scientific investiga- of our ancestors over a period of 3,000 years, from the tion. Following examinations in the laboratory, Albert Bronze Age to the 18th century - the most recent of the Zink’s team found Helicobacter pylori bacterium in samples analysed come from a Baroque miner. her stomach - and can now compare the germ with According to previous research, the diet at of the Ötzi’s version of the bacterium and, the one that is ancient Hallstatt inhabitants already differed signifi- common today. The researchers are also looking into cantly from the diet of The Bronze or Iron Ages. Cereals, the cause of Anna Catherina’s death which had for example, were already more processed than they previously been suspected to be a result of syphilis, had been previously and the team of scientists is but this theory has come into question since the team particularly curious about how this affected the have now found a different infectious agent in her microbiome, as microbiologist Frank Maixner ex- remains. Genetic analysis has also revealed the plains: “Did people 300 years ago carry a microbiome woman’s appearance: dark hair and eyes that weren't that was more like that of their ancestors thousands of blue and a medium complexion with freckles. years ago or more like that of a person in Europe today?” The toll that the lifestyle and diet of western industrial societies has taken on the microbiome is now recognised by scientists as an important factor in connection with numerous diseases, although its Fossilised excrement from the Hallstatt salt many aspects are still not fully understood. The study mine over the ages. From left to right -a 3,000, MEASURING SNOW shows that there is less snow in 78% 2,000, and 300 year old sample. The fossilised Kitted out and climbing up more than of mountain areas around the world in Hallstatt, in which our researchers are working remains have brought a plethora of information a thousand metres in altitude to reach and the first study analysing data from closely with Kerstin Kowarik and Hans Reschreiter to light through microscopic and molecular various snowfields in the Schnals/ 800 monitoring stations across the Alps from the Natural History Museum in Vienna and with genetic analyses. Senales Valley, South Tyrol, Alps, our confirms that in our mountains, the snow researchers (Riccardo Barella snow season has shrunk by an average pictured) carry out their investigations; of 22-34 days since 1971. The impact on measuring the height, consistency the ski industry and water availability and weight of the snow. In the office is severe. Two new snow projects have they combine the measurements with just been initiated in collaboration satellite data and create models to un- with the European Space Agency, other derstand how the situation is evolving research bodies and private compa- and what we can expect as a result of nies such as Mobygis, in Trento, Italy. climate change. One thing is certain: The “Snow” dossier and other popular this snow-rich winter will not be the science articles can be found online in norm. Two of our recent publications our magazine: warn: the first global snow cover map https://beta.eurac.edu/it/magazine

16— ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

A SMART CITY IS A SUSTAINABLE ONE Following the conclusion of the European The wheels of industry project Sinfonia last autumn, we can report that more than 300 families in Bolzano/Bozen keep turning are living in more comfortable and safer flats that consume 50 percent less energy. In a year that saw both wellbeing and energy efficiency in houses being more important than ever, the Despite lockdowns and multiple restrictions and thanks to the contemporary façades, solar installations, lifts, determination of partner companies and strict precautions to keep new windows and balconies, district heating, labs Covid-free, most of the industry testing we’d planned went geothermal systems, advanced insulation and ahead without a hitch. heating technologies, mechanical ventilation systems and other measures that fell under the project’s scope certainly provided both. And that’s not all: with a total investment of more than 30 million Euros, South Tyrolean partners - Eurac Research, the Municipality of Bolzano/ Perfect timing for testing Bozen, the Provincial Institute for Social Hous- heating-saving applications ing, Alperia and Agenzia CasaClima - have been collaborating on many other innovative fronts to initiate a transformation towards the smart city. The pandemic saw both higher energy consumption cial boilers. The non-invasive technology optimises due to more time spent indoors and Italian govern- flow temperature to the radiators, reduces the energy ment incentives to facilitate renovations, making this supplied to the system by 48 percent and promises - the right year to review energy habits, energy efficien- according to the company - bill savings of up to 35 cy in buildings and in particular heating and hot water percent. In the laboratory, we simulated various hot storage systems. water production and heating conditions. “Combining In 2020, the Energy Exchange Lab, one of our laborato- an in-depth view of the market and its evolutionary ries for testing heat pump systems, tested an applica- dynamics with innovative technical skills is the way to tion Sybil CT developed by the Alperia Bartucci a sustainable future,” says Giovanni Bartucci, execu- company. Originally developed to regulate the on/off tive vice president of Alperia Bartucci and project cycles of large blast furnaces, the application has now coordinator for the company. “This collaboration and been adapted and patented for domestic and commer- its encouraging results have proven it.”

AT THE FOREFRONT WITH OUR PHOTO- INTUITIVE ONLINE MAPS VOLTAIC LABORATORY Thanks to a platform that has been further The Solare PV Lab has been recognised by the enhanced in terms of calculation and storage Italian accreditation body Accredia, by testing capacity, the Maps Portal allows us to share activities in accordance with the requirements environmental data by collaborating with of UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018. The lab sit- project partners, private companies and pub- uated in South Tyrol’s innovation district NOI lic administration. Thanks to an intuitive web Techpark now guarantees high quality stand- interface, it is now easy to share geospatial ards that serve as a model for further accred- data and create interactive maps even for the itations. In addition to technical test labora- uninitiated. tories in the field of renewable energies, the https://maps.eurac.edu/ NOI Techpark also houses four Institute for Mummy Research laboratories, the Sensor System Technologies LAB and the terraXcube.

18— ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Smart work vs Lab work

Reaching out to schools in new ways

Having dispensed with face-to-face workshops and direct classroom surveys, we’ve come up with some innovative ways of sharing our science with schools.

Digital learning

From climate change to autonomy and neuro degenerative disease, our team has developed a range of interesting online courses…for all ages. Pandemics aside, so far about 2,500 students per year have learned about our science and research and we hope to return to this normality and our workshops again soon. However, this exceptional time has come Used for agriculture and the head, chest, hands and with benefits and seen us develop free e-learning 45 produced by Lochmann feet. Outside, the Large Cube’s courses that may not replace contact with researchers companies Cabine Srl, a company based thermometer reads minus and the joy of exchange and experimentation, in Truden/Trodena, South 20 degrees. The test pictured commissioned Tyrol, the cabin seen here assesses how quickly the cab- but that do reach a much larger circle of interested assignments from shows a dummy covered in’s interior takes to reach 16 people. The courses are regularly updated and Eurac Research in in numerous sensors that degrees and how long it takes expanded, and constantly contribute current results the past year. In measure temperatures around the windscreen to defrost. to our research. addition, many more https://e-learning.eurac.edu companies are partner in research projects. 26 of them are South Tyrolean. Distance Research on Learning Processes

Extreme simulations As schools change, so does research on schools, and and check how motivation, linguistic background and in the terraXcube thanks to “distance research” our insights into behaviour influence writing. The goal is to collect learning have not been put on hold. In fact, our questionnaires, proficiency tests and two written The “Real Time Controller” is the super computer that volcano (4,207 m). This test, as well as the Lochman linguists, in collaboration with the teaching staff, are works from a significant sample of 7-800 school age the Bolzano-based company Microgate is developing cabin test (see above) were both initiated in 2020. In now organising themselves to collect more informa- students who study Italian as their first language. The for the largest telescope in the United States - the addition, both drone testing activities and the tion and data online, rather than in person. A number study “Teaching skills in the multilingual classroom” Keck Observatory on the Hawaiian Islands, operated ongoing collaborations with Iveco, Alpitronic and the of pilot tests have already begun within the frame- (COMPASS), which forms part of the SMS 2.0 project, by the California Institute of Technology, the Univer- University of Ulm have been continuing. terraXcube work of ITACA, with the first study about Italian as a has also launched a new survey on multilingualism in sity of California and NASA. During its terraXcube is Eurac Research’s centre for extreme climate first language in South Tyrol (the local schools can South Tyrolean schools - for all three of our region’s testing phase we took it to an altitude of 4,000 metres simulation, located in the NOI Techpark. use three official languages as first language: German, language groups. An informative dossier on multilin- to test the efficiency of its cooling system. Its final https://terraxcube.eurac.edu Italian or Ladin). The research aim is to analyse the gualism and the learning materials produced so far is destination will be the summit of the Mauna Kea degree of textual coherence in written productions available at https://sms-project.eurac.edu.

20— —21 Smart work vs Lab work

Researching the virus – and its effects

From the very first hour, the pandemic has been a subject of our research. On the one hand, we used our biomedical expertise to gain a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2; on the other, we examined the consequences of the health emergency in the various areas we have been studying for years. However, our aim remains the same: to provide decision-makers with as many tools as possible to make informed choices. ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Researching the virus – and its effects

CHRIS Covid-19 study Exploring genetic correlations, immune response and long-term consequences

13 July 2020 - the first day of the CHRIS Covid-19 genes and the severity of the course of the disease or study in Vischgau/Venosta Valley saw almost one the genetic and biological risk factors for a disease, as hundred people come to Latsch/Laces to be tested for well as the long-term consequences after an infec- Tests for the CHRIS the SARS-CoV-2 virus. At that time, the first wave of tion. To investigate this, the research group has been Covid-19 study in Mals/Malles, the pandemic in South Tyrol had just been overcome, utilising the CHRIS study, which has been in exist- Vinschgau/Venosta Valley, and in Vinschgau/Venosta Valley, with less than 20 ence for more than ten years. The population study is South Tyrol. people testing positive, there had been exceptionally a unique resource for biomedical research, each of few cases compared to the other districts. At the same the approximately 13,500 people who have been time and as the start of the CHRIS Covid-19 study, involved up to now, represent a wealth of relevant prevalence studies were taking place not only in information such as genetic data, data on lifestyle, on South Tyrol, but throughout Italy. The prevalence the health status of the cardiovascular, nervous and studies recorded on a large scale how many people metabolic systems as well as on disease history. had actually come into contact with the virus. While Furthermore, this existing and readily available data the number of participants in these studies fell far can now be combined with the new Covid-19 surveys. short of the health authorities’ expectations, the At the same time, the study is monitoring the spread RESULTS OF THE CHRIS CHRIS Covid-19 study achieved more than sufficient of the virus with the help of an ongoing online survey COVID-19 STUDY SO FAR numbers, with 845 people tested. The biomedical on symptoms and possible Covid-19 disease, in research team was able to extrapolate that one person which more than 4,000 people have so far taken part. Regular follow-up testing of the positive cases in a hundred, had come into contact with the CHRIS study participants as well as their relatives showed that the majority of them maintained an coronavirus in Vinschgau/Venosta Valley by the have been participating regularly and their data immune response for more than five months summer of 2020. Twenty times more than compared showed that in autumn 2020, the number of infected In terms of symptoms associated with Covid-19, following infection - a finding that will be veri- to the numbers reported in the district during the people in Vinschgau/Venosta Valley rose to four findings are consistent with other studies on the fied and developed in the further months. first months of the pandemic, when it was mainly percent, which indicated an imminent new pandem- disease: the most common symptom was loss of only the more serious cases of the disease that were ic wave to the research team and the health service. the sense of taste, followed by aching limbs, fa- tested. The CHRIS Covid-19 study will be completed at the tigue and flu-like symptoms. But the study, which Eurac Research is conducting end of July 2021. Follow-up surveys of those who together with the South Tyrolean Health Authority, tested positive will continue for another year; Data from the CHRIS Covid-19 study fed into the goes far beyond a snapshot of infections in the valley. research into the long-term effects of Covid-19 will be largest global genomics study (COVID-19 host The biomedical research team is also investigating integrated into the CHRIS study, which will continue genetics initiative) investigating SARS-CoV-2. The the immune response - i.e. how long those who test after a pandemic-related pause, in autumn 2021. Between July 2020 and 28 February 2021, 70 of consortium compared data from 1.5 million peo- positive have antibodies for, the connection between https://en.chris.eurac.edu/ the 845 people who took part in the tests tested ple tested - both those who tested positive and positive, most of them between September and negative - and identified 15 genetic signals that February 2021. Over this period, the study record- are risk factors for infection and severe disease ed and monitored the spread of the virus in Val progression. This finding is the basis for learning Venosta and provided the South Tyrolean health more about the biological mechanisms of SARS- service with valuable information on the course CoV-2 and for developing better and more target- of the pandemic. ed treatment for Covid-19 sufferers.

24— —25 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Researching the virus – and its effects

Our animation ‘The coronavirus Hand in hand with the local Health Service explained to children’ was seen over a million times worldwide and has even been translated into Kazakh, Filipino, Turkish and the indigenous Peruvian Machiguenga language.

the trilingual and internationally connected emergency medicine team, became an important information hub, translating and sharing the 6,000 experience and protocols gained from real samples experiences in Italian hospitals to anaesthetists from various and intensivists all over the world. Covid-19 studies are being stored in the CHRIS biobank and are available for further studies.

The biostatistician Markus Falk, is conducting important studies on the spread of Covid-19 in general as well as

involved in a large study Loaning equipment from our biomedical laboratories: biological hoods, a viral DNA extractor, thousands of consumables (pipettes, pipettors, Since March, we have been helping to sequence We developed a concept for safe etc.) and three cryo-freezers to the genome of the SARS-CoV-2 virus for new re-opening by implementing preserve vaccines. variants in our biomedical labs on behalf of the tests and immunity detection. health authority's Microbiology and Virology Laboratory. So far, we have been analysing up to 200 samples per month employing the skills and tools that we have been using for years in human genome sequencing, including the Next Genera- tion Sequencing (NGS) technology.

Simon Rauch, a resuscitation physician and mountain emergency medicine researcher, is co-responsible for the Covid Intensive Care Unit The rapid test station we set up in the The ten-year experience gained by our in Meran/Merano and South Tyrol's innovation district NOI biomedical research group in the other Eurac Research Techpark was part of November 2020’s CHRIS population study is currently are also - being incorporated into the design volunteering in various ed at the beginning of 2021. The tests are and ethico-legal framework of other Covid-19 units both in the all carried out by CHRIS study nurses. Covid-19 studies in South Tyrol. ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Researching the virus – and its effects

Setting the record straight

In the first months of the pandemic, our mountain emergency medicine experts debunked two theses by respond- ing to the following questions circulat- ing in international medical circles. • Could Covid-19 be treated in the same way as high-altitude pulmonary oedema? No. On the contrary, the usual therapies (oxygen and vasodi- lator drugs) could in fact worsen the condition of Covid-19 sufferers. • Are people living at high altitudes more protected from infection? No. Rather than physiological characteristics, the spread of the virus in remote mountain areas could be curbed by low population density - high-altitude cities such as La Paz or Mexico City have not been spared. Details of these studies are available in our online magazine.

Nurses usually involved in the CHRIS health study have also been working in our rapid Covid test station.

—29 Researching the virus – and its effects

HOW DO WE WANT spectrum of perspectives and options TO LIVE IN 2030? for action. Four future scenarios were Here are the “commons”! Energy habits during drafted in the first phase; as a next the first lockdown Sustainability was the focus of a fu- step, stakeholders in the province In these months of social distancing, ture study for South Tyrol, in which a have now been invited to express their people have re-evaluated the advan- research team from Eurac Research ideas on future development. The tages of living in mountain villages, In April 2020 a group of researchers from Eurac and Steinbeis University, School of goal: to address opportunities and literally on the doorstep of nature. But Research prepared and distributed an online question- International Business and Entrepre- challenges in order to create the future the grass is not always greener on the naire to observe changes in energy behaviour follow- neurship (SIBE), developed a broad we want, by acting in the present. other side. Living in these areas can be ing the first and the strictest lockdown. More than very challenging, not just because of 3,500 people responded, mainly from Northern Italy; the distance from the main centres but a non-representative sample, but still large enough to also because of harsher environmen- reveal interesting insights. As the shortage of yeast on tal conditions. This is well known by supermarket shelves had suggested, those who took those who seek to revive an approach part in the questionnaire confirmed that they had that was common in the past, but indeed used their ovens (40 percent of the sample) and which has faded over time: the tradi- hobs (almost 35 percent of the sample) much more tion of self-government and collective than they had before the lockdown. In general, there is management by the local community a perceived increase in energy demands in the living – the so-called ‘commons’. For example, environment. The value of these numbers, even a century ago it was normal to man- though they relate to a small part of the population, age forests, clean canals and organise should be read with the idea that an increase in energy community services together. Today, demands always corresponds to a potential for energy this is being done again by creating job savings. There are two important indications on the opportunities, caring for the landscape characteristics of the houses: a low level of thermal and creating recreational and leisure insulation and a reduced presence of systems to The “World of Individual Free- spaces for areas at risk of depopula- produce renewable energy, confirming the fact that bu- dom” is one of four equally tion. To reflect and share experiences, reaucracy is still a significant barrier to retrofitting, important scenarios illustrat- ed by Studio animanova’s we are launching a new blog: Living especially in apartment buildings. professional scenario artist Mountains. The very first post traces The full study is available online in our online maga- Christoph Kellner. “commons” around the world and tells zine. the story of four young people from Trentino, Italy who want to manage mountain pastures collectively. www.eurac.edu/en/blogs

What does the pandemic mean for tourism in South Tyrol? 78.1% Three surveys have provided important clues for members of the HGV, the local hotelier and restaura- of households don’t have any setting the post-Covid course. teur association, and almost 900 guests were inter- renewable energy systems. After the first wave of the pandemic, in the late viewed. How the Covid-19 pandemic affected the 50,000 summer and autumn of 2020, a research team had South Tyrolean population’s perception of tourism Eurac Research Blog already begun to build a picture of the impact of the was then investigated in December 2020 by means of views in 2020. The 5 virus that went beyond a collapse in bookings and a representative household telephone survey. This most read pieces were revenues. How did the hospitality industry respond? revealed not only a scepticism about the risk of from our “Covid-19 And What strategies proved helpful? infection, but also great solidarity with the industry. Beyond” blog. What was the perception on the part of guests, how Above all, however, it became clear that people in 21.9% did priorities shift? Did the relationship between South Tyrol are more concerned with the role of have one or more renewable guest and host change? In two surveys, more than 600 tourism than they were prior to the pandemic. energy system.

30— —31 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Researching the virus – and its effects

Federalism and the fight Women against the pandemic in lockdown

How different constitutional systems have fared in In your opinion, what works better in such crises: The Corona crisis is not gender-neutral: women, for interviewed women who’d organised themselves in the Corona crisis so far is an intensively debated federal systems or a strong unitary state? example, were not only laid off more often, they also spontaneous initiatives, established organisations or question in expert circles. Our federalism researchers Zwilling: There is a difference between theory and bore the brunt of most home-schooling and childcare. social media enterprises in some way. have contributed to the ongoing discussion with practice: in theory, I think federalism would be more How women in South Tyrol dealt with the lockdown publications, conference papers and webinars. advantageous, but the question is whether one actually experience is being investigated by our researchers First results? Francesco Palermo and Carolin Zwilling compare the uses its possibilities. In the acute initial phase, the together with unibz. Verena Wisthaler is leading the Some of the women experienced this time almost as a Italian and German experience. strong unitary state was also able to react more project with the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano retreat, in which they concentrated on the nuclear quickly. researcher Claudia Lintner. family and consciously blocked out outside influences, How did the handling of the pandemic differ in Palermo: To put it bluntly, the great advantage of including social media. These were mostly women who Germany and Italy? federal systems is that you have a choice. The subna- How did you yourself experience the first lockdown? had economic security. Women with a migration Francesco Palermo: In practice, not so dramatically: in tional entities can decide what they do and they don’t It wasn’t easy to be both researcher and mother: the background kept closer contact with home - out of the first phase, in which everyone was caught una- want to delegate to the federal government. Therein daytime revolved around children and household concern, and to pass on information and advice. For wares, the central government took control in both lies an opportunity. Because if the central government chores, and afterwards you sat at your desk until well some of them, Corona was not their first crisis situa- countries. But the procedure was quite different. In makes bad decisions - for example, against compulso- into the night, trying to concentrate and get as much tion: they had experienced war, for example, which was Germany, no state of emergency was declared, and the ry masking in the US - the various subnational entities work done as possible. Back then, we often exchanged their comparison. This probably made them a little "Länder" retained their powers and decided amongst don’t have to follow. In the USA, this meant many lives ideas among colleagues; this networking, also infor- more resilient. But most women saw the lockdown as themselves to delegate to the federal government. In were saved as a result. mally in chats, was important, a kind of anchor. And an extreme burden; only a few had the energy to contrast, Italy’s separate regions were disempowered so, the idea arose to investigate it in a study focussing network and become active. Those who joined forces, by legislative decrees and administrative acts from In Italy, could the experience of the pandemic - on the challenges for women at that time. What started petitions or demonstrated, however, spoke of above. the effects of which were very different in the strategies did they have to deal with them? What role great solidarity and commitment. Carolin Zwilling: In both countries the shift towards regions - advance regionalism? did networks play? the executive was similar: the parliaments, both Palermo: I fear that the development is going in the national and regional, didn’t play a major role. opposite direction. The majority - in politics, but also Who did you interview? among scholars - is very much in favour of taking All kinds of women. Working women and housewives, Were there changes in the second wave? health competences away from the regions altogether women with and without children, immigrants to the Palermo: In Italy, the traffic light system, that divides or at least severely curtailing them. region and also women who’d been born here. We also regions into three categories based on how severe the coronavirus situation is, made differentiation possible; however, it is always the state that decides - so legally nothing has changed. In terms of content, however, it has changed: the measures are now discussed with the regions, which at least have the 45 INEQUALITY AND RESILIENCE opportunity to exert political influence. Actually, it is a consultancy assignments paradox: when the situation in the various regions was Eurac Research received A project that compares the experiences of South A successful webinar series on “Minorities and Cov- very different, uniform measures were enacted for all, from governments and Tyrol, Bavaria and Styria aims to make regions more id-19” highlighted how the pandemic exacerbated but since the infection situation has become much administrations last year. resilient to health crises so that they can all learn exclusion, inequality and political conflict. more uniform, tailor-made solutions are now allowed. from each other. The “democratic” virus was sometimes described Zwilling: In the second wave, Germany looked much Education and care are at the centre of the case as a great equaliser at the beginning, but in reality more centralised than it actually is, because the studies, as these areas were hit particularly hard by the opposite occurred, as more than 40 experts from "Länder" made joint decisions throughout. They could the pandemic. The research team has not just been around the world outlined in eleven virtual events. have created competition by pitting sides: who took analysing the legal framework, competences and Almost 1,000 participants followed them live on the best action against the pandemic? Then they could actors, but the experience of the professionals di- Zoom. have learned from each other, but that’s not what rectly involved: what worked well, what could be happened. improved?

32— ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Researching the virus – and its effects

Digital technologies and old age

The Corona pandemic has greatly increased the easier, they have to be adapted to the needs of the user. importance of a field that a research team from Eurac Up to now, South Tyrol has lacked reliable and Research has been working on for years: the use of systematic data on how older people view technology, technologies for a self-determined and safe life in old how they use it, what information is needed and what age. To make the enforced isolation more bearable, old barriers exist. The researchers have now created a data age homes provided tablets and municipalities basis, as a prerequisite for targeted further develop- brought laptops including surf sticks, into the homes ment, with a representative survey of middle-aged, of elderly people. However, for technology to make life elderly and very elderly people.

The pandemic of words

The pandemic has overwhelmed not only our lives terminology ranges from administrative, labour and but also our vocabulary: certain terms, such as social law to commercial, public and criminal law and ‘asymptomatic subject’ we’ve learned from specialist is expressed in Italian and German in the variants of contexts, others, such as ‘positive person’, have South Tyrol, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the changed their meaning and associations. The media European Union and international law with a range of have put their own spin on it, sometimes preferring terms relating to health emergencies, social economic different words to those used by institutions, for recovery plans, distance learning, tests and vaccines Threats other than those Governor Arno Kompatscher example ‘curfew’ instead of ‘travel ban’, and with time and more. posed by the pandemic are at and Eurac Research Director the centre of our cooperation Stephan Ortner). The occasion the meaning of certain terms has changed nuance: the http://bistro.eurac.edu with the United Nations of her visit officially sealed first ‘lockdown’ was quite different from those that University-UNU which moti- the cooperation, with the came later. And if it wasn’t already challenging vate our collaboration to con- hoisting of the blue UN flag enough to understand each other in the same lan- duct applied research in the in front of the Eurac Research guage, the matter became even more complicated fields of climate risks, sustain- headquarters cementing the 1,100 able development and disaster alliance. From the far left side when translating had to take place, especially in the pandemic-related terms prevention in mountain areas. of the picture Eurac Research’s legal field. To support those who translate, write or have been added to Mountain areas in particular Stefan Schneiderbauer, who have to interpret technical texts in German and the Bistro database to are strongly affected by global heads the research pro- Italian, our team of terminologists has updated the date. If we count all the warming and are therefore es- gramme together with Joerg Bistro, our Information System for Legal Terminology, German variants, the pecially vulnerable to natural Szarzynski from the UNU (next hazards, as Shen Xiaomeng, to him). President Roland in collaboration with the Autonomous Province of number reaches over the UNU’s Vice-Rector for Eu- Psenner stands to the right South Tyrol’s Office for Language Issues. The new 1,500. rope, emphasised in Bolzano/ side of the photograph. Bozen (pictured between local

34— —35 Smart work vs Lab work

A virtue of necessity: writing and growing in isolation

Research trips, congresses, project meetings - unfortunately all cancelled. But the enforced rest also meant more time to write technical papers, develop project ideas and write funding applications. ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 A virtue of necessity: writing and growing in isolation

135,017,908 € + 47.1 % 91,780,580 € Is how much the total Developing cumulative budget we administered in 2020 EU projects 47,038,363 € for all our ongoing EU 44,206,383 € 45,030,779 € projects increased by. Almost 22% of which International collaboration wasn’t always easy. Pandemic peaks was retained by Eurac didn’t always coincide as well as lockdowns with having to put Research while the the brakes on certain activities. In general, however, the data is rest was distributed to 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 uplifting. Especially with regard to new proposals. project partners.

7.5 million euros In funding was received for EU projects that 2019 21 70 + 25.7 % started in 2020 alone. more project proposals 2020 28 6 88 than in the previous year. We were inspired in our isolation! Not approved approved under evaluation

We submitted 88 project proposals in 2020 and had an acceptance NEW EU PROJECTS: rate of 31.8%. GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES

The projects are part of several funding programmes. For the first time, Eurac Research is involved in a Directorate General European Civil Protection MEZeroE, which deals with near-zero energy and Humanitarian Aid project for the EU - and 9 buildings, has the highest total budget of all moreover as lead partner. The Trans-Alp study 24 8 2 1 projects launched in 2020 weighing in with a aims at assessing the risk of extreme climate 4 2 5 1 total of 17,133,862.50 euros. Eurac Research, as events in the Alps more accurately as well as 12 2 1 1 lead partner of the project, manages the largest evaluating their impacts through transnation- 5 1 1 89 portion of the budget: 2,174,125 euros. al cooperation in order to improve existing 42 By December 2020 prevention measures. we had 89 ongoing EU projects. We completed 21 over the course of the Horizon 2020 European Territorial Cooperation (12 Interreg Italy-Austria, year and also started 23 On average, about 20 partners are involved in 5 Interreg Italy-Switzerland, 5 Alpine Space, 2 Central Europe) new ones and are the our new largest projects: 25 in MEZeroE, 17 in European Regional Other programmes (2 Erasmus+, 1 Joint Programming lead partner in LIFEstockProtect (herd protection and wolf con- Development Fund Initiative, 1 European Civil Protection and Humanitarian 8 of them. servation) and 19 in INFINITE (energy renova- Aid Operations, 1 Active&Assisted Living, 1 Adriatic- tion through all-in-one modules for building Life+ Ionian, 1 Danube Transnational, 1 Asylum, Migration and envelopes). Integration Fund)

Cost Action

38— ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 A virtue of necessity: writing and growing in isolation

... and scientific NEW REPORTS publications “There are more people on the move – with different motivations and resources – than you think.” A large number of the conferences and congresses planned for 2020 Rapporto sulle migrazioni – Alto Adige 2020 / were cancelled or postponed and as a result, the number of scientific + 20.4% Migrationsreport Südtirol 2020 presentations fell by more than half compared to the previous year. articles accepted for On the other hand, we were rather productive when it came to publication in scientific “Agriculture uses and influences natural writing! journals resources like no other sector.” Landwirtschaftsreport zur Nachhaltigkeit – In all categories, more than 500 contributions were published (books, Südtirol 2020 / Rapporto sulla sostenibilità journals, etc.) with about 300 articles appearing in scientific journals dell’agricoltura – Alto Adige 2020 alone - more than three quarters of them peer reviewed. The com- 63% plete list of scientific publications is available online in the Bolzano/ percentage of peer Excerpts in German and Italian in our online Bozen Institutional Archive (BIA). Set the “Open Access” filter to find reviewed articles magazine. Free copies can be requested by contributions that can be read in full. accessible in Open email. https://bia.unibz.it Access

Awards 9 RESCUE OPERATIONS IN THE and nominations awards received from MOUNTAINS – A REFERENCE scientific associations STANDARD and administrations 80 authors from all over the Ulrike Tappeiner - Winner of this year’s Research worldwide. world covering all aspects of Award South Tyrol. emergency medicine in diffi- “For her outstanding career and multifaceted cult-to-access mountain terrain research activities, including on biodiversity, on 700 pages: from accidents climate change and ecosystem resilience”. 56 caused by lightning or the rescue employees serve on of avalanche victims to alti- scientific committees tude-related psychoses. Her- or boards of mann Brugger, head of our Claudia Notarnicola - winner of the first edition directors of research Institute for Alpine Emergency of the Women in Science prize – South Tyrol consortia, institutions, Medicine was one of the editors “For her outstanding scientific career in the organisations and trade of the anthology. male-dominated field of aerospace physics”. associations.

40— —41 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 A virtue of necessity: writing and growing in isolation

Staying connected < 3 partners 3-10 partners

Be it a strategic energy plan for the Ukrainian government or a coun- 11-30 partners celling on the subject of rights for the Council of Europe – each year our collaborations are varied and involve, in addition to research > 30 partners partners, bodies and institutions, private companies and public administrations - both locally and internationally.

Our network

partners 915 in research projects

659 171 85

companies and organisations 89 that commissioned assignments

35 14 40

institutions with diverse 126 collaboration contracts

49 54 23

international

Italian < 3 partners

3-10 partners

South Tyrolean > 10 partners

42— —43 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 A virtue of necessity: writing and growing in isolation

Personnel Personnel by nationality

Who we are and how we work: an overview in numbers Italy 434

Personnel European Union Non-EU countries 85 31

staff members make up In addition, there are 550 Eurac Research, of them +6.4% increase to our staff 2 8 compared to the Contracts with a habilitation visiting scientists previous year. More 14 6 (professors and post- new projects equals Continuous and coordinated collaboration (CoCoCo) 25 doc profiles) more new people. In Contractual employees with a PhD degree February 2020, 6 new 138 173 staff members were Permanent employees recruited, whereas in Apprenticeships 337 are PhD students (36 employees and 39 in February 2021 we almost 75 the Grant Programme) doubled that with 11 Other contract types new additions to the Eurac Research team.

Personnel Average age Flexible working time by genderx and personnel by age Apart from the fact that all employees currently have the option of Smart Working (see page 10), 21 292 babies were born >45: 117 21.3%2 69.4% to our employees 258 35-45: 221 40.2%12 work full time

<35: 212 38.5% 12 30.6% 53.1% 46.9% 39 work with part-time contracts

xThis information is derived from databases that record identity card details. We would like to stress that it does not necessarily coincide with (This information concerns those working under each individual’s self-perception. fixed-term, open-ended and apprenticeship contracts) All data from 31.12.2020

44— —45 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

Finance Institutes and Centers

LEGEND

Basic financing 56% from the Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen 26,657,130 € STAFF OUTPUT

Staff members Books

Contributions Third party funding with a PhD degree 44% in edited books PhD students Journal publications 21,354,784 €

Partner funding 891,933 € Contributions in conference proceedings Project partner funding 19,789,130 € (Budget administrated by Eurac Research)* PROJECTS AND ASSIGNMENTS Presentations at scientific conferences

Research projects Courses 199,581 € Contributions to thematic blogs

Meeting management 216,966 € with international partners

Sponsorships 55,750 € Assignments Other revenues 201,424 € (services and consultancies)

with international agencies

Total

100% LABORATORIES AND FACILITIES 48,011,914 € Laboratories and facilities (xaccredited)

* Of the budget administered in the financial year 2020 by Eurac Research (19.8 million euros) 15.6 million euros comes from EU funding. Eurac Research manages 10 million euros of these EU funds on behalf of EU project partners. The total budget also includes 1.2 millions euros provided by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano for special funding of specific projects.

46— —47 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

INSTITUTE FOR ALPINE ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICINE

Head of Institute Vice Head Head of Institute Vice Head Coordinator Research Deborah Technical Ulrike Tappeiner of Institute Peter P. of Institute Vera Amon Group Leaders Mascalzoni, Group Leaders Roberta Bottarin Pramstaller Andrew A. Hicks Christian Cristian Pattaro, Chiara Cantaloni, Fuchsberger, Alessandra Alessandro Francisco Manuel Rossini De Grandi, Lopes da Silva Clemens Egger Domingues,

Staff Staff 33 15 5 74 33

Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities* Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities* 16 11 2 35 19 2 2 2

Output Output 2 43 1 39 1 2 33 8

*Eco-Lab, Open air laboratory Matsch-Mazia *Biomedicine laboratory, Biobank

INSTITUTE FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS INSTITUTE FOR COMPARATIVE FEDERALISM

Head of Institute Head of Institute Coordinator Andrea Abel Francesco Carolin Zwilling Palermo

Staff Staff 24 12 4 23 14 1

Projects and assignments Projects and assignments 21 6 1 31 19 10 10

Output Output 2 5 9 16 31 6 37 30 1 64 17

48— —49 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

INSTITUTE FOR EARTH OBSERVATION INSTITUTE OF MOUNTAIN EMERGENCY MEDICINE

Head of Institute Vice Head Research Head of Institute Vice Head Research Marc Zebisch of Institute Group Leaders Hermann Brugger of Institute Group Leader Claudia Alexander Jacob, Giacomo Hannes Gatterer Notarnicola Claudia Strapazzon Notarnicola, Massimiliano Pittore

Staff Staff 35 15 2 19 9 1

Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities* Projects and assignments 33 19 3 3 1 25 14

Output Output 1 6 30 9 32 52 9

*Satellite Receiving Station

INSTITUTE FOR MUMMY STUDIES

INSTITUTE FOR MINORITY RIGHTS Head of Institute Coordinator Albert Zink Frank Maixner Head of Institute Research Joseph Marko, Group Leaders Günther Rautz Alice Engl, Roberta Medda- Staff Windischer, Verena Wisthaler 12 4 4 Staff

18 10 2 Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities* 14 4 Projects and assignments 9 4 4 18 6 6 6 Output 5 7 4 Output 10 6 14 1 24 11 *Ancient DNA Lab, Modern DNA Lab, Physical Anthropology Lab, Conservation Technology Lab

50— —51 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

Head of Institute Vice Head Head of Institute Vice Head Research David Moser, Technical Kurt Promberger of Institute Wolfram Sparber of Institute Group Leaders Daniele Group Leader Josef Johann Alexandra Troi Roberto Fedrizzi, Vettorato Giorgio Belluardo Bernhart Roberto Lollini,

Staff Staff 129 36 10 11 3 1 Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities*x Projects and assignments 63 45 61 7 9 9 7 6 Output Output 44 34 6 16 2 7 2 3 5 1

*Solare PV Lab (x1785L, accredited according to ISO 17025:2018 by Accredia), Accelerated Life Testing Lab, G-value Lab, Multifunctional Facade Lab, Heatpumps Lab, Hygrothermal Testing Lab, PV Integration Lab, Energy Exchange Lab, Facade System, Interaction Lab

INSTITUTE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Head of Institute Research CENTER FOR ADVANCED STUDIES Thomas Philipp Group Leaders Streifeneder Filippo Favilli, Christian Head of Center Co-Head of Center Hoffmann, Harald Pechlaner Roland Elisa Ravazzoli Benedikter

Staff Staff 26 6 3 18 7 3

Projects and assignments Projects and assignments 34 19 10 6 1

Output Output 3 23 16 19 25 3 10 12 8 22

52— —53 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

CENTER FOR AUTONOMY EXPERIENCE CENTER FOR SENSING SOLUTIONS

Head of Center Up and running for one year now, the Center for Head of Center Marc Emanuel Röggla Autonomy Experience has the goal of bringing Roberto South Tyrol’s model of autonomy and the pro- Monsorno tection of minorities to the world stage: to share Staff experiences, to pass on knowledge, and build a strong international and local network. Staff 3 13 4 Projects and assignments Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities* 3 2 14 6 5 1 1 Output Output 5 1 2 10

*Environmental Sensing Lab

CENTER FOR GLOBAL MOUNTAIN SAFEGUARD RESEARCH TERRAXCUBE

Head of Center Vice Head of Center Head of Center Technical Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS) is Stefan Jörg Szarzynski Christian Steurer Group Leader a collaborative programme and scientific alliance, Schneiderbauer Andrea Nollo which was initiated in July 2019, between Eurac Research and the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) based in Bonn. Staff

Staff 8 2

6 1 Projects and assignments Laboratories and facilities*

Projects and assignments 12 7 14 3 1

4 1 1 1 Output

Output 2 1 2 2 4 4 4 *Extreme Environmental Simulator terraXcube

54— —55 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

Organigram Committees

Statutory Auditor General Assembly

MEMBERS CONTRIBUTING MEMBERS

Scientific Advisory Councils Board of Directors Autonomous Province of Bolzano/ Raiffeisenkasse Bozen/Cassa Rurale Bozen di Bolzano Autonomous Region of Trentino-Alto Südtiroler Volksbank/Banca Popolare President Adige/Südtirol dell’Alto Adige Roland Psenner Bezirksgemeinschaft Burggrafenamt/ Vice President Consorzio Comprensoriale del Massimo Tagliavini Burgraviato Brennercom AG BOARD OF DIRECTORS Free University of Bolzano-Bozen (2019-2023) Health & Safety Committee Director Quality Management Stephan Ortner & Information Security Gemeinde Bozen/Comune di Bolzano Vice Director Gemeinde Brixen/Comune di Bressanone Roland Psenner Data Protection Roberta Bottarin Gemeinde Meran/Comune di Merano President Handels-, Industrie-, Handwerks- und Landwirtschaftskammer Bozen/Camera Massimo Tagliavini di Commercio, Industria, Artigianato e Vice President Agricoltura di Bolzano Institutes Research Support Centers Handels- und Dienstleistungsverband Evelyn Kustatscher Südtirol/Unione Commercio Turismo Philipp Moser Institute for Alpine Environment Communication Center for Advanced Studies Servizi Alto Adige Peter Silbernagl Institute for Applied Linguistics Center for Autonomy Experience Hoteliers- und Gastwirteverband/ Controlling & Accountancy Unione Albergatori e Pubblici Esercenti Institute for Biomedicine Center for Global Mountain (HGV) Safeguard Research Landesverband der Handwerker/ STATUTORY AUDITOR Institute for Comparative Federalism Education & Training Associazione Provinciale dell’Artigianato (2020 – 2024) Center for Sensing Solutions Institute for Earth Observation Messe Bozen/Fiera Bolzano Facility Management terraXcube Raiffeisenverband Südtirol/Federazione Sara Pitscheider Institute for Minority Rights Cooperative Raiffeisen Auditor and tax consultant Health, Safety & Environment Stiftung Südtiroler Sparkasse/Fondazio- Institute of Mountain Emergency ne Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano Medicine Südtiroler Bauernbund/Unione Human Resources Institute for Mummy Studies Agricoltori e Coltivatori Diretti Sudirolesi Südtiroler Kulturinstitut Institute for Public Management Information Technologies Universität zu Lübeck Athesia AG Institute for Regional Development Legal Office Institute for Renewable Energy

Library

Meeting Management

Representing Offices: Research Development Office Rome, Vienna

56— —57 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21 Institutes and Centers

Petra Roter INSTITUTE FOR INSTITUTE FOR Pascal Terrien Scientific Advisory Councils Faculty of Social Sciences, MUMMY STUDIES REGIONAL European Institute for University of Ljubljana, DEVELOPMENT Energy Research, (2017 – 2020) Slovenia Lars Engstrand Karlsruhe, Germany Department of Microbio- Tor Arnesen Ricard Zapata Barrero logy, Tumor and Cell Eastern Norway Research Marko Topic Department of Political Biology, Karolinska Institute Østlands- Faculty of Electrical and Social Sciences, Institutet, Stockholm, forskning, Norway Engineering, University University Pompeu Fabra, Sweden of Ljubljana, Slovenia INSTITUTE FOR ALPINE Donatella Pulitano Richard M. Myers INSTITUTE FOR EARTH Barcelona, Spain Maria Nijnik ENVIRONMENT Central Terminology HudsonAlpha Institute OBSERVATION Vito Claudia Fernicola Social, Economic and CENTER FOR Service of the Canton of for Biotechnology, INSTITUTE Thermodynamics Geographical Sciences, ADVANCED STUDIES Josef Dalla Via Bern and Faculty of Alabama, United States Laura Candela OF MOUNTAIN Division, INRIM (Natio- James Hutton Institute, Department of Innovati- Translation and Interpre- ASI’s Earth Observation EMERGENCY nal Metrology Institute), Aberdeen, United Ireneusz Pawel on, Research and ting, University of Maria Grazia Unit, Agenzia Spaziale MEDICINE Torino, Italy Kingdom Karolewski Geneva, Switzerland Spillantini Italiana, Rome, Italy University, Autonomous Institute of Political Province of Bolzano/ John Van Geest Centre for Peter Bärtsch György Pálfi Virna Bussadori Science, University of Bozen, Italy Stefania Spina Brain Repair, Uni- Roberto Dinale Division of Sports Department of Biological Office for Spatial Plan- Leipzig, Germany Human and Social versity of Cambridge, Hydrographic Office, Medicine at the Depart- Anthropology, University ning, Autonomous Michele Freppaz Science Department, Uni- United Kingdom Autonomous Province ment of Internal Medici- of Szeged, Hungary Province of Bolzano/ Birgit Renzl Department of Agricul- versity for Foreigners of Bolzano/Bozen, Italy ne, University Clinic Bozen, Italy Institute of Business ture, Forest and Food Perugia, Italy INSTITUTE FOR Heidelberg and University Thomas Rattei Administration, Univer- Sciences, University of COMPARATIVE Thomas Glade of Heidelberg, Germany Computational Systems Georg Hauger sity of Stuttgart, Germany Torino, Italy Eva Vetter FEDERALISM Institute of Geography Biology and Department Institute of Spatial Centre for Teacher and Regional Research, Peter Hackett of Microbiology and Planning, Vienna Henning Vöpel Christian Körner Education, University Eva Maria Belser University of Vienna, Institute for Altitude Ecosystem Science, University of Technology, Hamburg Institute of Institute of Botany, of Vienna, Austria Institute of Federalism, Austria Medicine, Telluride, University of Vienna, Austria International Economics, Department of Environ- University of Fribourg, Colorado, United States Austria Germany mental Sciences, Univer- INSTITUTE FOR Switzerland Doris Klein INSTITUTE FOR sity of Basel, Switzerland BIOMEDICINE German Remote Sensing Benjamin D. Levine INSTITUTE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY CENTER FOR SENSING Josep-Maria Castellá Data Center (DFD) of the Institute for Exercise and PUBLIC MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS INSTITUTE FOR Michael Boehnke Andreu Earth Observation Center Environmental Medicine Tor Broström APPLIED LINGUISTICS Center for Statistical Department of Political (EOC), German Aerospace at Texas Health Presbyte- Ursin Fetz Department of Art Michael Oberhuber Genetics and Genome Science, Constitutional Center (DLR), Germany rian Hospital Dallas and Centre for Public Ma- History, Conservation, Laimburg Research Ulrich Heid Science Training Pro- Law and Philosophy of Internal Medicine/ nagement, University of Uppsala University, Centre for Agriculture Institute for Information gram, University of Law, University of INSTITUTE FOR Cardiology and Universi- Applied Sciences of the Sweden and Forestry, Bolzano/ Science and Natural Michigan, United States Barcelona, Spain MINORITY RIGHTS ty of Texas Southwestern Grisons, Switzerland Bozen, Italy Language Processing, Medical Center, United Marta Fernandez University of Hildes- Pascal Borry Andreas Kiefer Sia Spilopoulou States Marco Meneguzzo RMIT Europe and Gaetano Marrocco heim, Germany Centre for Biomedical Council of Europe, Åkermark School of Economics, European coordinating Medical Engineering Ethics and Law, Universi- Strasbourg, France Åland Islands Peace Marco Maggiorini University of Rome Tor center of Australian School, University of Bernardo Magnini ty of Leuven, Belgium Institute, Finland Institute of Intensive Vergata, Italy University RMIT in Rome Tor Vergata, Italy Research Unit on Natural Patricia Popelier Care, University Hospital Barcelona, Spain Language Processing, Harry Campbell Faculty of Law, University Joshua Castellino Zurich, Switzerland Manfred Röber Fondazione Bruno Usher Institute of the of Antwerp, Belgium School of Law & Business Faculty of Economics and Sebastian Herkel Kessler, Trento, Italy University of Edinburgh, School, Middlesex Ken Zafren Management Science, Department Energy United Kingdom Cheryl Saunders University London, Department of Emergen- University of Leipzig, Efficient Buildings, Melbourne Law School, United Kingdom cy Medicine, Stanford Germany Fraunhofer Institute for Elisabetta Cerbai University of Melbourne, University Medical Solar Energy Systems ISE, Department of Neuros- Australia Emanuele Massetti Center, California, United Paolo Rondo-Brovetto Freiburg, Germany ciences, Psychology, Drug School of International States Department of Public, Research and Child Studies and Department Nonprofit & Health Care Health, University of of Sociology and Social Management, University Florence, Italy Research, University of of Klagenfurt, Austria Trento, Italy

58— —59 ACTIVITY REPORT 2020/21

CONTRIBUTORS

Editing Barbara Baumgartner, Valentina Bergonzi (Coordination), Laura Defranceschi, Sigrid Hechensteiner, Francesca Taponecco, Rachel Wolffe

Data Analysis Cinzia Bettella, Uta Fritsch, Stefanie Gius, Francesca Taponecco (Coordination)

Graphics Alessandra Stefanut

Illustrations Oscar Diodoro

Special thanks to Martin Angler, Margot Breitenberger, Laura Eccel, Lorenzo Forlin, Marika Fregnan, Maurizio Gretter, Karina Kössler, Liise Lehtsalu, Stefanie Franchi, Daniela Mezzena, Eva Maria Moar, Ivan Motter, Hanna Pfattner, Manfred Prunner, Alexandra Pichler, Deborah Tomissich, Mattia Valer, Team Assistants.

Photography p. 4: UZH/Ullrich Oliver p. 5: Eurac Research/Ivo Corrà p. 10: Eurac Research/Tiberio Sorvillo p. 12: Eurac Research p. 14: Eurac Research/Stefania Volani p. 16: Eurac Research/Frank Maixner p. 17: Eurac Research/Peter James Zellner p. 18: Ivo Corrà p. 20: terraXcube/Annelie Bortolotti p. 25, 28, 35: Eurac Research/Annelie Bortolotti

Final edit 29 april 2021

Printing Esperia Trento

60— We rearranged furniture, missed seeing our colleagues and found ourselves in new routines. We were already familiar with smart working tools and conditions. We used the time to develop free e-learning courses. Will hybrid events be standard in the future? Medical research groups have helped expand our knowledge of the virus. Scientificproductivity has focused on reworking. We submitted 25 percent more proposals for EU projects. The wheels of industry kept turning and we received assignments from 45 companies. On average, about 20 partners are involved in the largest projects. The pandemic has overwhelmed not only our lives but also our vocabulary.