The AIRMOB project, funded by the European Union, has established the first Italian center of excellence for Innovative Air Mobility in Puglia. Deep Blue and EuroUSC Italia are at the forefront of training, safety, and synergy between industry, academia, and institutions.
Puglia is preparing to become a European reference point for training in the Innovative Air Mobility (IAM) sector thanks to AIRMOB – Developing skills and capabilities for Innovative AIR Mobility , a four-year project funded by the European Commission and officially launched last March. The main partners include the Italian Deep Blue , EuroUSC Italia , the Aerospace Technology District (DTA) , Unisalento , and ITS Mobilità Sostenibile Aerospazio .
AIRMOB’s goal is to concretely address the challenges of future air mobility: a shortage of specialized skills, difficulties with innovation and technological integration in SMEs, and a shortage of qualified workforce. The project aims to fill these gaps with 20 new training programs in five European countries, 15 career kits , refresher courses for professionals, and international internships for over 240 students .
Deep Blue leads the transformation
Deep Blue , a Rome-based SME specializing in aviation research and training, is coordinating the AIRMOB project and will develop a multilingual online platform with educational materials, job opportunities, and an AI-based virtual assistant called IAM-GPT .
“AIRMOB is a crucial project as it offers a strategic opportunity to consolidate the development of Innovative Air Mobility in Italy and Europe,” said Aurora De Bortoli Vizioli , Senior Consultant and Project Manager at Deep Blue. “As project leader, Deep Blue’s role will be to foster synergy between industry, academia, and policy makers at both the national and transnational levels, in order to ensure sustainability and growth opportunities for the future of the sector.”
Alongside Deep Blue, EuroUSC Italia , a point of reference for the regulation and safety of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), will play a key role as a bridge between industry and academia . The stated objective is “a sustainable collaboration that stimulates innovation, creates professional opportunities, and improves the conditions for co-creation,” in line with the aim of making vocational training (VET) in the air mobility sector more attractive.
Apulian excellence in the field
The Puglia Region, through its Smart Specialization Strategy (S3), has already identified the aerospace industry as one of the drivers of regional development. The Aerospace Technology District (DTA) , with over 80 companies involved in the sector and 8,000 employees, represents one of its flagships. “The project has immediately allowed us to leverage the district’s consolidated skills and experience,” stated Giuseppe Acierno , President of the DTA. “Thus, together with all our partners, we are embarking on a path of excellence that focuses on the technologies and mobility of the future of transportation and is already working to build the skills necessary to support its development in Italy and Europe.”
At the academic level, Unisalento is involved both with the Department of Innovation Engineering and the ITS Academy Sustainable Mobility Aerospace , which provides postgraduate training in aerospace and sustainable mobility. “Single means of transport no longer exist; instead, we are conceiving the system in its entirety and complexity,” explains Antonio Ficarella , Director of the Department and President of ITS. “It’s important to highlight the incredible development of the space economy and the aerospace economy, with services ranging from remote monitoring to urban delivery and sustainable mobility. In this context, training becomes essential, and we are ready to contribute.”
With AIRMOB, Puglia is not just hosting a training initiative: it is a candidate to become a European hub for the air mobility of the future , synergizing the best Italian and international skills to create a cutting-edge training system, focused on innovation, sustainability, and economic development.