The Sardinian Aerospace District (DASS) is now a reality: yesterday, October 15, 2013, the company was officially established at the Presidency of the Sardinia Region.
The National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) is one of the founding members, holding an 8% share.
Why the creation of this district? The goal is to promote and develop high-tech projects for the aerospace sector in Sardinia by securing European funds, leveraging the vast expertise of personnel from private companies and public and research institutions on the island. Sardinia boasts excellence in both the technological and scientific research sectors; therefore, utilizing these resources for the aerospace sector, which represents the present and especially the future of technology and science, will undoubtedly have significant impacts: both in terms of acquiring new knowledge and developing technology itself, and in terms of productivity and creating new jobs, thanks to the growth of Sardinian companies engaged in producing innovative technologies and materials.
This is therefore a challenge that INAF could not miss out on, considering the organization’s commitment not only to scientific and technological research but also to promoting advanced training for young people on the island, through its Sardinia Radio Telescope and the Cagliari Astronomical Observatory facilities, as well as through collaboration with Poema, a SPIN-OFF company born from the Observatory itself and also among the founding members of the aerospace district.
Thus begins a new adventure, certainly challenging but at the same time, from the very start, it promises to be exciting.