RTD Projects

ALMA Sistemi Srl

Since 2005, Alma Sistemi has played a key role in European Research and Technology Development (RTD) projects, partnering with ESA, the European Commission, national agencies, universities, and research centres under FP7, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe. With 30+ projects delivered, our expertise spans Earth Observation, Navigation Applications and advanced space systems, linking RTD initiatives with industrial programmes to deliver validated prototypes, software tools and engineering methodologies. By working alongside research bodies and prime contractors, Alma Sistemi ensures that innovative concepts are tested, verified, and applied in operational contexts fully compliant with ESA and ECSS standards.

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Our Role in European RTD

Alma Sistemi plays an established role in European Research and Technology Development (RTD) programmes, participating in FP7, Horizon 2020, and Horizon Europe with ESA, the European Commission, and leading research institutions. Our contribution combines project and proposal management, systems and software engineering, MGSE/EGSE development, and business development with market analysis, ensuring that innovative concepts are transformed into solutions ready for industrial uptake.

Over the years, Alma Sistemi has acted as both coordinator and partner in RTD projects, delivering results that meet the highest ECSS and ISO 9001:2015 standards. This dual capability — from strategic support to hands-on engineering — makes us a recognized and trusted contributor within the European space ecosystem, bridging RTD innovation with operational missions.

Alma Sistemi has contributed to numerous European RTD projects, funded by ESA, ASI, and the European Commission, transforming research into practical solutions for the aerospace and defence community. These projects span Earth Observation, Navigation, cultural heritage monitoring, planetary exploration, and advanced space telecommunications.

Most initiatives have been successfully completed, while a few remain ongoing, reflecting Alma Sistemi’s continuous role in driving innovation within European programmes.

EYE — Economy bY spacE

Programme: Horizon 2020 · MSCA-RISE

Status: Ongoing

Website: EYE website

The EYE project, coordinated by Alma Sistemi, addresses one of the most dynamic fields in science today: the integration of space technology with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). These technologies play a critical role in monitoring and mitigating the impact of major crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over the past decade, space assets have been applied to a limited set of macroeconomic and healthcare-related challenges. However, there has been no significant, systematic utilisation of space-based data to address these needs in a structured way. EYE fills this gap, demonstrating how Earth Observation can be applied to socio-economic and health contexts.

A wide range of indirect parameters observable from space can be correlated with the economic effects of natural, health-related (including epidemics), and man-made disasters. These include environmental indicators (geographical, climatological, hydrogeological) and human-induced factors such as pollution and heat. Combined with economic parameters (transportation, industry, commerce), these data offer valuable insights into how crises evolve.

In addition, specific human activities can be directly correlated with disease progression. For example, increased thermal signatures from crematoria in affected areas or from residential dwellings under lockdown restrictions. All these observed parameters must be linked to macro-level indicators describing epidemic progression and its economic impact at local, regional, and global scales.

At medium- and long-term timeframes, this methodology allows for near real-time monitoring of macroeconomic parameters during the recovery phase following an epidemic. The project is developing a prototype service based on Copernicus data, combining automatic image processing with AI algorithms, statistical and geospatial modelling, and an integrated IT platform. The system will provide econometric and epidemiologic nowcasting and forecasting, supporting evidence-based decision making.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Italy, Coordinator)

Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences – UPWr (Poland)

University of Thessaly (Greece)

University of Rome “Tor Vergata” (Italy)

University of Sassari – UNISS (Italy)

Cyprus Space Exploration Organisation – CSEO (Cyprus)

Geomatics (Cyprus) Ltd (Cyprus)

Geosystems Hellas – GSH (Greece)

S3 – Space Systems Solutions (Cyprus)

Quantum Innovation – QUINN (Spain)

IN-TIME — In-Situ Dating of Martian and Terrestrial Samples

Programme: Horizon 2020 – MSCA-RISE

Status: Ongoing

Website: Work in progress

The search for life, the reconstruction of climate change history, the study of the evolution of Mars as a geological system, and the long-term goal of establishing a human presence on the planet are set as major objectives by international space agencies. Robotic exploration has already delivered remarkable discoveries, but the next major step is the retrieval of Martian surface samples for detailed laboratory analysis on Earth. Given the enormous costs of such missions, the ability to perform on-site dating of rock and sediment samples provides a cost-effective strategy—allowing rapid screening and the selection of the most valuable samples to be returned to Earth.

The geochronology of Martian sediments is central to advancing Mars science. Accurate estimation of absolute ages is essential to understand the processes behind climate evolution and the geology of the Martian surface. Current evidence shows that aeolian, fluvial and periglacial processes remain active today. The capacity to directly date and analyse surface deposits offers critical data for modelling climate change, surface dynamics and geological processes on Mars. Furthermore, identifying the occurrence and frequency of such processes is fundamental for hazard assessment of potential landing sites—an essential step for future robotic and human missions.

The IN-TIME project demonstrates the technological and economic feasibility of a cutting-edge instrument designed for the dating of Martian sub-surface samples. This miniaturised, portable device, based on the luminescence method, enables in-situ examination and assessment directly on Mars. Beyond planetary exploration, the instrument’s innovative technology also has significant terrestrial applications:

as a lightweight tool for geological and archaeological dating,

and as a risk-assessment instrument in accident scenarios, emergency dosimetry, and nuclear mass-casualty events.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Italy)

Aarhus Universitet (Denmark)

Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (France)

Università degli Studi di Sassari – UNISS (Italy)

Università degli Studi di Milano – UNIMI (Italy)

Geoscienze e Tecnologie Ambientali – GeoX (Italy)

International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA (Austria)

Technical University of Denmark – DTU (Denmark)

Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja – CSIC (Spain)

Contacts:

Alessio di Iorio, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: adi@alma-sistemi.com

PATH — Plasma Antenna Technology for High-density sources

Programme: Horizon 2020 · MSCA-RISE #734629

Status: Ongoing

Website: PATH website

The PATH project promotes collaborative research on the development of high-density plasma sources, strengthened through the exchange of staff personnel among network partners. Alongside technical progress, the project also focuses on knowledge transfer and researcher training in the specialised field of plasma sources and their applications in the telecommunication sector.

High-density plasma sources have a broad range of industrial applications, from materials processing to telecommunication systems. Overcoming the density limits of current sources will open new frontiers in multiple technological fields. PATH therefore aims to interconnect diverse European competences to study and develop prototypes of plasma sources and plasma antennas, combining Radiofrequency (RF) and Hollow Cathode hybrid technologies.

One of the project’s core innovations is the Gaseous Plasma Antenna (GPA) — a plasma discharge confined in a dielectric tube, using partially or fully ionised gas to generate and receive electromagnetic waves. GPAs are “transparent” above the plasma frequency and become “invisible” when switched off. Unlike conventional metallic antennas, GPAs and Plasma Antenna Arrays can be reconfigured electrically — rather than mechanically — in terms of impedance, frequency, bandwidth and directivity, with reaction times on the order of microseconds or milliseconds. Arrays of GPAs can also be stacked to operate at different frequencies, providing a flexible and adaptive telecom platform.

A Plasma Antenna is capable of:

Identifying the direction of incoming signals,
Tracking and locating the antenna beam on a mobile or target,
Performing beam-steering while minimising interference.

Current plasma source technologies include DC discharge, AC discharge, RF discharge, microwave systems, and hollow cathodes. Enhancing plasma source performance requires substantial effort in both modelling and technology development.

The ultimate goal of PATH is to consolidate European expertise and make a decisive step forward in the design of innovative hybrid plasma sources and antennas, paving the way for future applications in telecommunications and beyond.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Italy)

Università di Roma “Tor Vergata” (Italy)

University of Manchester (UK)

Technical University of Crete (Greece)

Institute of Plasma Physics, Academy of Sciences (Czech Republic)

Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal)

Demokritos – National Centre for Scientific Research (Greece)

INP Greifswald – Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (Germany)

ELI-NP/IFIN-HH – Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (Romania)

Contacts:

Alessio di Iorio, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: adi@alma-sistemi.com

RESEARCH — Cultural Heritage Monitoring

Programme: MSCA – RISE #823987

Status: Ongoing

Website: RESEARCH Website

Europe’s cultural heritage (CH) encompasses a rich variety of resources, from urban and rural landscapes to standing monuments and archaeological remains. Today, this invaluable heritage is increasingly at risk, endangered by both environmental processes and anthropogenic pressures.

Physical and chemical degradation of structures and artefacts accelerates natural deterioration and undermines the soil’s capacity to preserve CH. At the same time, intensive human activities and the growing effects of climate change exacerbate soil erosion, compromise structural stability and generate significant negative consequences for the conservation of archaeological assets.

In this context, heritage authorities require systematic, effective, and affordable monitoring tools to track degradation processes, enable preventive maintenance and reduce costly restoration efforts. Satellite Earth Observation (EO) provides the ideal platform, offering broad-spectrum, cost-efficient, and programmable analysis to complement traditional conservation methods.

The RESEARCH project addresses these challenges by designing and developing a multi-task platform that integrates advanced remote sensing technologies with GIS applications for mapping and long-term monitoring of archaeological sites. The EO processing chain targets the major risks affecting CH, including soil erosion, land movement, vegetation encroachment, and human pressures.

Through a coordinated effort, RESEARCH brings together the expertise of seven beneficiaries in a synergetic plan of collaboration and staff exchanges, creating a comprehensive framework for knowledge transfer and researcher training in the field of cultural heritage preservation. Within this framework, Alma Sistemi contributes engineering and project management expertise, ensuring that the platform design is both technically sound and operationally applicable to European conservation needs.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Italy)

National Technical University of Athens (Greece)

University of Cyprus (Cyprus)

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

National Research Council of Italy – CNR (Italy)

University of Durham (United Kingdom)

University of Bucharest (Romania)

Contacts:

Alessio di Iorio, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: adi@alma-sistemi.com

STABLE — Structural Stability Assessment for Cultural Heritage

Programme: MSCA – RISE #823966

Status: Ongoing

Website: STABLE Website

Europe’s Cultural Heritage (CH) is increasingly at risk, threatened by environmental processes intensified by climate change and anthropogenic pressures. Among the most critical hazards are slow ground movements such as landslides and subsidence, and seismic activity including earthquakes, all of which can severely compromise the structural stability of monuments, archaeological sites, and historic buildings.

The magnitude of these risks is exemplified by the damage reported by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage, which assessed the impact of recent earthquakes in Central Italy at €2 billion. In this context, authorities responsible for CH preservation face an urgent need for systematic, effective, and affordable tools to forecast and monitor degradation processes, enabling preventive maintenance and reducing the soaring costs of post-event restoration.

The STABLE project responds to this challenge through the design and development of a Thematic Platform that integrates:

structural stability models and damage assessment simulations,

advanced remote sensing and in-situ monitoring technologies,

geotechnical and cadastral datasets,

combined within a WebGIS application for mapping and long-term monitoring.

This integrated approach will provide authorities and professionals with effective tools to manage and safeguard CH assets, helping to prevent or mitigate catastrophic damage. At the same time, the platform offers researchers a collaborative environment to share and refine methods for CH protection, while allowing professionals to apply the most advanced technologies in real-world conservation efforts.

Through a synergetic plan of collaboration and staff exchanges, STABLE coordinates the expertise of multiple European beneficiaries. Within this network, Alma Sistemi contributes engineering know-how and project management capabilities, ensuring that the platform is technically sound and operationally applicable for cultural heritage safeguarding.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Italy)

National Technical University of Athens (Greece)

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece)

Geosystems Hellas (Greece)

Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus)

Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences (Poland)

University of West Attica (Greece)

Contacts:

Alessio di Iorio, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: adi@alma-sistemi.com

M2P — Plasma Metamaterial Antenna

Programme: POR FESR Lazio 2014/2020 – Regione Lazio – “KETs – Key Enabling Technologies”

Total Investment: €281,500

Admitted Contribution: €225,050

Status: Ongoing

The M2P project aims to combine the innovative properties of metamaterials—engineered structures with characteristics superior to conventional materials—with the dynamic features of plasma technologies to develop next-generation communication systems. The result is the creation of highly innovative reconfigurable antennas for the aerospace sector, introducing application technologies for telecommunications that are currently not available in Europe.

This research addresses the increasing need for telecommunication and navigation antennas with high gain, reconfigurability, anti-jamming and anti-spoofing capabilities, as well as optimized weight, size and power consumption.

With more than a decade of experience in the aerospace and defence sectors, Alma Sistemi has achieved significant results in consultancy, remote sensing, image processing, and the development of testing software for space and avionics systems. The company brings this expertise to the M2P initiative, reinforcing its role as a trusted engineering partner at the European level.

The M2P project, carried out in partnership with the Department of Engineering at Roma Tre University, represents the latest step in a continuum of Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) activities. It further consolidates Alma Sistemi’s leadership in mechanical and computer engineering, with strong applications in space, environment and ICT domains.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Coordinator)

Università degli Studi Roma Tre – Dipartimento di Ingegneria

Contact:

Cristina Baldetti, Project Manager, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: cba@alma-sistemi.com

LUMINO — Luminescence Instrument for Martian Geology

Programme: POR FESR Lazio 2014/2020 – Regione Lazio – “Aerospazio e Sicurezza”

Total Investment: € 443.698,75

Admitted Contribution: € 324.317,20

Status: Ongoing

The Lumino project aims to develop an original and innovative device designed to generate high-value data for the in-depth study of Martian geology. This luminescence-based instrument will be capable of dating fluvial and aeolian deposits on the Martian surface, providing a more accurate and detailed reconstruction of the geological history of the Red Planet.

The results of Lumino will complement data gathered from previous space missions. The project has a planned duration of 18 months, structured around four intermediate objectives and implemented through six dedicated work packages.

Lumino is conceived to deliver a significant scientific return in the field of planetary geology, especially in the study of recent geological events and their dating. At the same time, it addresses several strategic goals:

advancing industrial and scientific know-how,

strengthening and expanding the collaboration network between researchers and engineers,

identifying terrestrial sample-gathering sites that can simulate Martian soil,

enabling the scientific and operational use of acquired knowledge for technological transfer into terrestrial sectors such as archaeology and geology,

promoting scientific dissemination and raising public awareness of the value of space exploration.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l. (Coordinator)

INGV – Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia

Università degli Studi Roma Tre – Dipartimento di Ingegneria

Università degli Studi di Roma “Tor Vergata” – Dipartimento di Fisica

Università degli Studi della Tuscia – Dipartimento di Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche

Università degli Studi di Cassino e del Lazio Meridionale – Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile e Meccanica

Contact:

Cristina Baldetti, Project Manager, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: cba@alma-sistemi.com

EVER-EST — European Virtual Environment for Research in Earth Science Themes

Programme: Horizon 2020 #674907

Status: Ongoing

Website: EVER-EST website

This project receives funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 674907.

The EVER-EST Horizon 2020 project is developing a state-of-the-art Virtual Research Environment (VRE) designed specifically for the Earth Science community. Building on existing European e-infrastructures, the project introduces new functionalities, including Research Object technologies, to meet the evolving needs of scientists and institutions.

Earth science generates vast amounts of data that must be discoverable, accessible, preserved and shared to unlock their full potential. Properly exploited, these datasets provide crucial knowledge for a wide spectrum of stakeholders — from researchers and scientists to policy and decision makers at the highest levels.

Virtual Research Environments (VREs) offer the IT infrastructure necessary for collaboration, data sharing, analysis, and visualization across borders and disciplines. By leveraging Europe’s previous investments in Data Discovery, Access and e-infrastructures, EVER-EST is creating a collaborative environment tailored to Earth Science challenges.

Key scientific challenges addressed include climate change, the sustainable use of natural resources, and the understanding of natural hazards. These issues demand interdisciplinary collaboration and the ability to process and share large datasets across diverse communities and geographic regions.

The EVER-EST project brings together four Virtual Research Communities (VRCs) representing Earth Science disciplines, which will test and validate the platform through real-world use cases. Dedicated work streams are focusing on developing the VRE architecture and ensuring its usability for long-term research collaboration.

Partners:

Alma Sistemi S.r.l.

University of Leicester

CNR – National Research Council of Italy

ESA – European Space Agency

Terradue Srl

University of Reading

CNRS – Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Marum – University of Bremen

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

MEEO Srl

NERC – Natural Environment Research Council

Geological Survey of Norway (NGU)

Contact:

Alessio di Iorio, Alma Sistemi Srl
email: adi@alma-sistemi.com

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