MUSA - Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action is an Innovation Ecosystem funded by the Ministry of University and Research under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. In addition to Politecnico di Milano, the project involves the main Milan Academies, Università di Milano-Bicocca, Università Bocconi, and Università Statale di Milano, joined by numerous public and private partners.

Born in Milan, MUSA addresses the challenges of sustainability in the metropolitan context, proposing a new model of public-private collaboration that is replicable and scalable nationally and internationally.

The MUSA Ecosystem considers the Lombardy territory an ideal laboratory for testing integrated innovations and interdisciplinary responses in six distinct thematic areas (Spoke).

The Department of Design is involved in the following Spoke:

• Spoke 1 - Urban regeneration - City of tomorrow
• Spoke 2 - Big Data-Open Data in Life Sciences
• Spoke 5 - Sustainable Fashion, Luxury and Design
• Spoke 6 - Innovation for Sustainable and Inclusive Societies

SPOKE 6 INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES

Spoke 6 - INNOVATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE SOCIETIES: envisages the consolidation of approaches that through social inclusion, education and citizenship involvement put innovation at the service of the community to ensure sustainability also in social terms.

Within the MUSA ecosystem, Spoke 6 places innovation at the service of education and the promotion of a sustainable and inclusive society.

The actions developed by Spoke aim to combat inequalities and promote social engagement by strengthening technological tools and innovative intervention strategies to contribute to the well-being of individuals, organizations, and communities. Spoke 6 seeks to shape a society that accompanies the transformation of the city of Milan and the surrounding area.

The transformation of society occurs only through careful and timely investment in human capital, which must be strengthened with specific empowerment actions aimed at individuals and communities, ensuring the inclusion of the most vulnerable social groups in the project of a sustainable and inclusive city.

Spoke 6 invests in a strategy of integrated actions aimed at:

• Accelerating participatory processes, focusing on technological innovation and data management to promote social inclusion through the creation of permanent HUBs, laboratories, cultural districts, and territorial observatories, also supporting stakeholders and policymakers in measuring the impact of social inclusion;
• Empowering individuals, communities, and organizations by enhancing their civic engagement (investing in volunteering and the third sector in the Milan area), creating conditions to overcome inequalities in the labor market and society by shaping technological innovation to meet emerging needs;
• Developing innovative models to combat inequalities and promote social inclusion with a focus on vulnerable individuals and social groups.

Spoke 6 will work to develop synergy between the industrial sector, the cultural sector, and universities as centers of scientific research and education, investing in innovation as a resource for societal development.

The interventions planned by Spoke 6 are aimed at various segments of the population and seek to address the needs of different sectors of society.

Among these:

• Promoting scientific research that analyzes, evaluates, and proposes interventions aimed at strengthening the capabilities of individuals, public and private organizations to support social inclusion;
• Implementing awareness initiatives, citizen science actions, training activities, and the transfer of best practices to public and private organizations, businesses, to promote social well-being, green and digital transition;
• Developing models for the use of emerging technologies and digital tools to support vulnerable groups, promote inclusion, integration, and the enhancement of people by overcoming discrimination and social inequalities;
• Promoting initiatives that invest in culture, art, and sciences and involve active citizen participation, as the recipients of the R&I ecosystem results;
• Building intervention models for businesses and the third sector aimed at promoting gender equality, transferring gender diversity and empowerment goals into business practices, reducing the gender gap in STEM disciplines;
• Developing tools to monitor the impact of actions in terms of innovation and social inclusion aimed at public institutions, businesses, and the third sector.

In this way, Spoke 6 aims to strengthen the social impact of the entire ecosystem with educational pathways and dissemination and communication initiatives that contribute to bringing the research and innovation results of its actions to the benefit of all citizens.