Sda Bocconi-Atlantia: Mobius, the smart mobility lab, launched today

The partnership between the SDA Bocconi School of Management and Atlantia has resulted in the creation of “Mobius”, the Smart Mobility Lab focusing on mobility users. It is the only laboratory of its kind in Europe, set up to study and research new forms of integrated mobility.

The laboratory will carry out applied research with the aim of analysing key developing trends in the mobility sector at global level. There will be four main strands to its work, focusing on the major changes taking place in people’s habits and social and economic behaviours in relation to the short, medium and long-distance movement of people and goods. Globalisation, the digitalisation of devices and processes, modern forms of locomotion and propulsion (more technologically advanced and sustainable) and the rise of new business models (above all, sharing or the rental of means of transport, according to the “mobility as a service” model) are having a significant impact on the world of transport, giving rise to new, increasingly integrated forms of mobility.

The systematic study of mobility focusing on these aspects will enable the researchers at Mobius to analyse expected macrotrends in the sector over the next ten years, helping governments and businesses as they develop their growth and development strategies and reposition themselves in response to the new scenario. The research centre’s aim is to make its know-how as widely available as possible in a number of ways: via the production of annual reports and the organization of conferences with key representatives from the world of science, government and mobility providers. Mobius will also provide highly specialist training for both managers and recent graduates interested in developing their knowledge of this field.

One of the Lab’s first research projects will be to actually map users of the new technologies and forms of mobility, focusing particularly on young people and students. It plans to develop a specific app that will constantly monitor as well-defined and wide a target as possible. Major attention will also be given to Italian and international start-ups, with the aim of identifying the innovative companies that are creating applications believed to be strategic by academic experts and businesses in the mobility sector. Its research in this area will be submitted to a think tank made up of people from different professions and with a range of expertise, thus providing an overview of the players, trends and most innovative technologies relating to integrated mobility.

The Lab will consist of a dedicated, innovative team, based around collaboration between researchers from the SDA Bocconi School of Management, such as Vincenzo Baglieri, Paola Cillo, Laura Colm, Nando Pennarola, Davide Reina, Fabrizio Zerbini, and leaders from the business world, such as Bram Schot, the former Chairman of Audi AG, who will play a lead role in relations with businesses. Researchers from the Bocconi University and its international network will also work with Mobius on specific projects.

“The SDA Bocconi was founded with the aim of building a bridge between scientific research and the world of business through the study of issues linked to economic and social transformation,” said Giuseppe Soda, Dean of the SDA Bocconi School of Management. “If there is an area in which these issues have come to the fore in today’s world, it is surely in relation to mobility and the surrounding ecosystem of enterprises, technologies and data. Mobius was created to carry out applied research to support the integrated mobility ecosystem”.

“Being a founding partner of Mobius Lab is for us a strategic choice,” commented Atlantia’s Chief Executive Officer, Carlo Bertazzo. “This reflects our plan to increasingly develop our role as a provider of integrated, sustainable mobility, harnessing digital innovation to ensure effective management of our infrastructure. This partnership is important for our business, as well as in terms of science and applied research, and we will make every effort to involve our international partners in the Lab’s network”.

Atlantia will play a proactive, permanent role in the laboratory’s activities, contributing the industrial, technological and financial expertise developed by the Group through our presence in 24 countries around the world. The holding company will also provide ongoing support in identifying macrotrends and strategies, making the data collected by the Group’s motorway, airport, payment systems and mobility services operations available for benchmarking purposes and for analysis.





SDA Bocconi School of Management.