Politecnico di Milano signs two-year deal on optical networks with Alcatel-Lucent

Collaboration

Politecnico di Milano has signed a two-year research agreement in optical networking with Alcatel-Lucent, reinforcing the existing relationship between the two.

The contract will see the Politecnico carry out research in the fields of 100 Gbit per second technology, multi-service network design and wavelength division multiplexing for metro-access network applications.

Alcatel-Lucent aims to accelerate product innovation by taking advantage of the skills of Politecnico’s researchers, reducing time-to-market. Politecnico’s researchers will have access to Alcatel-Lucent’s research and development teams in Italy, interacting with the laboratories based in Vimercate, Genoa and in Southern Italy, as well as with Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs scientists.

“The relationship with major, innovative companies on strategic research projects is essential for universities like Poliecnico di Milano, which strives to become one Europe’s most important universities, particularly now that public support for research is decreasing,” said Giovanni Azzone, Vicar Pro-Chancellor of Politecnico di Milano.

“The interest companies demonstrate in us confirms the value of our research activity, and Alcatel-Lucent’s decision to invest in us and its support for Fondazione Politecnico, makes us more confident for the future.”

Stefano Lorenzi, head of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in Italy, said the partnership with Politecnico di Milano has proven to be very effective over the years. “In a challenging economic environment such as today, innovation is a critical activity - one that will yield more powerful, efficient and differentiated networks and services.”

“Partnerships between private industry and the public sector are a critical part of this innovation engine and, in strengthening our cooperation with Politecnico, we are setting in place the building blocks to realise the next generation of optical networking.”