WBE-COVID Project Results Presented

Description

The final event of the WBE-COVID project took place on September 22nd at the Grand Hotel Majestic in Pallanza (VB).

The project WBE-COVID - A new Wastewater-Based Epidemiology (WBE) system to track COVID-19 - developed by the partnership Idea-Re S.r.l., Sapra Elettronica S.r.l. and HCS Electronic, funded under the INTERREG V-A Italy-Switzerland Cooperation Programme, was presented on September 22nd at the Grand Hotel Majestic in Pallanza (VB).

WBE-COVID is an integrated system for sewer network monitoring and wastewater-based epidemiological surveillance, with particular focus on the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2, using innovative systems and sampling protocols. The pilot involved the municipality of Verbania, generating positive outcomes for the Interreg territory.

The event featured contributions of notable scientific and technological interest, along with the sharing of objectives and perspectives with the local community.

Speakers included:

• Giorgio Comoli, Councillor for Environment, Transport and Commerce, Municipality of Verbania
• Elena Recchia, Joint Secretariat – INTERREG Italy-Switzerland Programme
• Serena Liva, Lombardy Region – Managing Authority Staff, INTERREG Italy-Switzerland Programme
• Andrea Di Cesare, Senior Researcher, MEG Molecular Ecology Group – Water Research Institute, CNR – National Research Council of Italy
• Denis Polato, Head of the Regional Centre for Molecular Biology, Arpa Piemonte
• Carlo Mazzardi, Head of Water and Sewerage Network Operations – Northern Area, Acqua Novara.VCO S.p.A.

Representing the WBE-COVID project were the Scientific Director of Idea-Re S.r.l. (Italian lead partner), Prof. Alberto Garinei, the President and CEO of Idea-Re S.r.l., Prof. Marcello Marconi, and the representative of SAPRA S.r.l., Mario Canziani. The event also included technical presentations on:

• Quantum-Inspired Methods for the WBE-COVID Monitoring System - Andrea Marini, Senior Researcher, Idea-Re S.r.l.
• Blockchain for Security and Traceability of the WBE-COVID System - Paolo Siligoni, CEO, Swiss Crowd SA
• Epidemiological Monitoring Campaigns - Monica Brienza, Researcher, UniBas
• The WBE-COVID System - Alessandro Vispa, Senior Researcher, Idea-Re S.r.l.

The innovative WBE-COVID system leverages the potential of Quantum Computing, one of the key enabling technologies for solving complex problems. The topic of Quantum Computing was also the subject of the seminar "Quantum Computing: Real-World Perspectives", held on September 21st at Villa Simonetta, Intra (VB).

Speakers included:

• Alberto Garinei, Chief Scientific Officer / Full Professor – Idea-Re S.r.l., Guglielmo Marconi University
• Massimiliano Proietti, Senior Researcher – Idea-Re S.r.l.
• Andrea Marini, Senior Researcher – Idea-Re S.r.l.
• Federico Bianchi, Senior Researcher – Idea-Re S.r.l.
• Lorenzo Sani, Senior Researcher – Idea-Re S.r.l.
• Agostino Cassese, Quantum Computing Consultant – Lutech Advanced Solutions SpA

The seminar concluded with a contribution from Stefano Speziali, Senior Researcher at Idea-Re S.r.l., connected via video conference from Seattle where he was attending IEEE QUANTUM WEEK 2023, the prestigious international conference on Quantum Computing.

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Last updated: 06/10/2026 09:39