UniWeLab

UniWeLab: young people, innovation and work are the pillars of Webuild's collaboration with the University of Genoa

UniWeLab is the new research lab and model of open innovation resulting from the collaboration between Webuild and the University of Genoa.  The Lab - supported by the Municipality of Genoa - is the concrete symbol of teamwork between a university and a company, whose mission is the applied scientific research and higher education in the sustainable mobility sector.

The initiative strengthens an already consolidated partnership between Webuild and the University of Genoa, thanks to a framework agreement that establishes the mutual commitment to promote and carry out research of common interest in the production sectors to which they belong. Part of the agreement is dedicated to contributing to the training of qualified resources in civil and environmental engineering disciplines, architecture, mechanical, management and transport engineering and the creation of research labs, also through the activation of doctorates and research grants. 

UniWeLab is the concrete launch of the agreement between Webuild and the University of Genoa to produce innovation together and create value for the territory. The partnership between Webuild and the University of Genoa is a partnership that enriches both, and is precious for the city of Genoa.

Webuild firmly believes in providing high-quality training, offering young talent concrete tools for developing key skills in the sector; this is why in 2024, the operational agreement was renewed, enriching the already foreseen lab activities (sustainable mobility themed lab, the UniWeTalk OpenLab, university degree theses and lectures) with a 150-hour improvement training (of which 75 acknowledged as apprenticeship hours) regarding "Project Management of Sustainable Large Infrastructures", developed within the framework of UniWeLab in collaboration with the University of Genoa.

The advanced course in “Project Management of Large Sustainable Infrastructure” aims to provide students with an integrated perspective on the management of large-scale infrastructure projects, with particular focus on sustainability, innovation, and organizational complexity.

The program combines in-depth theoretical insights with practical applications through an experiential learning approach that alternates lectures, company testimonials, real case study analyses, and multidisciplinary project work. The course structure—comprising a total of 150 hours, 75 of which are recognized as apprenticeship hours—enables students to develop essential technical, managerial, and transversal skills required to operate in the large infrastructure sector.

The initiative seeks to strengthen the link between university and industry by fostering direct engagement with professionals in the field and equipping participants with practical tools to understand the dynamics of complex projects, collaborate in multidisciplinary teams, and address the challenges of sustainable transition in the infrastructure of the future.

This collaboration is a unique opportunity for students, who can access premium training, acquire practical experience and talk to experts of the sector, improving their occupational changes and contributing to sustainably developing large infrastructures.

With initiatives like UniWeLAb, our company does not just share its know-how with new generations, but it also creates professional growth opportunities, offering also training paths that meet the sector's concrete challenges.

UniWeLab Hackathon Award 

A marathon for innovation in sustainable mobility

March 2023 saw the conclusion of the second edition of the UniWeLab Hackathon Award. Youth, sustainability and innovation in infrastructure through established institutional partnerships: these were the keywords of the innovation marathon promoted by Webuild with the University of Genoa. In a two-day contest, Webuild and the University of Genoa challenged the university's master's students in civil, construction and robotics engineering to an innovative competition on infrastructure digitisation. The initiative is part of Webuild's programmes of collaboration with the world of research and universities and, more generally, its investment in enhancing its ability to attract young people, who already represent 44% of the Group's workforce.

The students were asked to identify innovative ideas to make the tracking of work progress on site more efficient, with robotised and automated solutions, as well as certain processes in which safety processes could be further improved, such as the maintenance of large TBMs (Tunnel Boring Machines) used for the excavation of tunnels.  

Among the many proposals, the idea of three young men - Gianluca Galvagni and Mario Prato from Italy and Baba Hadj Said from Algeria - reached the podium. They proposed a digital ecosystem capable of integrating different levels of technology within the construction site, capable of communicating with each other and verifying the progress of work in a virtual environment.

A competition of ideas on the future of Genoa

The first Uniwelab Hackathon will be held on September 15 and 16, 2021: a competition of ideas that is useful for identifying innovative, creative and intelligent proposals for the city of Genoa.

The initiative is aimed at students, fellows and doctoral students of Engineering, Architecture and Design, computer science, economics, sociology and communication sciences of the University of Genoa. Participants will compete in a two-day marathon to identify innovative and creative solutions to make the future of the city of Genoa more sustainable, with a competition of ideas on the urban infrastructure of the elevated Corso Aldo Moro, with a view to the future construction of the subport tunnel that connects San Benigno and Calata Gadda.

The main focus is in fact to transform the flyover into a sustainable infrastructure through proposals that can bring innovations in a responsible and dynamic way, reducing the negative impact and maintaining the balance between ecological, economic resilience and cultural sociality.

The winners of the competition will have the opportunity to undertake an internship within Webuild, for a maximum of 6 months, confirming the Group's tangible commitment to support young people and research.