CATANIA (ITALPRESS) – It is Nikestea 5.0, the project of the founder Diego Bonvicini and Antonella Nieddu, coming from Lucca, the absolute winner of the second edition of the Dusmet Prize, promoted by the Fondazione Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet and celebrated in the context of the final day of Expomedicina, in Catania.
The award concludes an edition that confirms the success of the initiative, witnessed above all by the geographical origin and variety of experiences represented in the applications allowed to the evaluation. Entrepreneurship projects, research initiatives, technological solutions, health experiences and social innovation models have created a comparison between different skills, territories and approaches, combined with the goal of concretely improving people’s lives.
The Prize thus consolidates its identity: not a simple competition between innovative projects, but a tool to recognize and relate experiences in which research, technology and organization of services become levers of inclusion, participation and development of communities. “The Dusmet Prize confirms that innovation has value when improving people’s lives, especially the most fragile. Technologies, even the most advanced, must remain instruments at the service of man, without ever replacing judgment and responsibility. This is the sense of the algorithmic and commitment of our Foundation: to promote progress that leaves no one behind,” says Dom Vittorio Rizzone.
The main award was awarded to Nikestea 5.0, project presented by Diego Bonvicini and Antonella Nieddu, founder from Lucca. The choice of a project from outside Sicily also testifies to the ability of the Dusmet Prize to attract applications from different territories and to propose itself as a place of national comparison on the issues of social innovation and the sciences of life. Alongside the absolute winner, the Foundation wanted to valorise projects that have distinguished themselves in the individual trajectories foreseen by the call, recognizing the different dimensions through which innovation can produce value for people and for the community. For the trajectory Social impact on the lives of people and territories, the special mention was assigned to Taiù – Digital inclusive agenda, project by Doris Di Nicola. In the innovative trajectory in the method, the recognition was attributed ex aequo to ALMA – Single Point of Access, presented by Mihaela Pistimia Vieriu, and to Selfmotion, of the founder Davide La Guardia. For trajectory ethical use and responsible for artificial intelligence, the special mention went to MedicinApp, project of Hunan Srl, presented by the founder Arnaldo Salerno. The sustainability trajectory over time and replicability has awarded PAMO – Portable Assistant for Medication Organization, project by Salvatore Maniscalco, Gianmarco Cangemi, Settimo Cipolla and Andrea Castronovo. Finally, for the trajectory Participation and inclusion in the organizational model, the award was assigned to Reid Life Community, project by Aicologic Srls, presented by Marzotto and Lupoli.
Special mentions return to the plurality of the areas faced by the Prize: from accessibility to the organization of services, from responsible use of artificial intelligence to the sustainability of models, to direct involvement of people and communities. The Dusmet Foundation has chosen to pay special attention to some experiences that, although not in the ordinary evaluation, express consistent values with the mission of the Prize.
A non-competitive recognition for the high ethical value and coherence with the principles of the Foundation was attributed to the CNR-IRIS in Catania, for the project dedicated to the theme of mistreatment and child abuse, presented by Enrico Parano. A further award was awarded to the ASP of Syracuse, represented by Santo Michele Pettignano, who presented two projects, A.I.D.A. and A.L.I.C.E. The choice to examine and valorise applications received beyond the expiry of the call interprets one of the principles that inspire the action of the Foundation: do not leave anyone behind. Compliance with the rules of competition is accompanied by the desire not to disperse experiences and proposals that deserve listening and attention. A special recognition, called “Promise of Social Innovation”, was attributed to Stefano, for the project “Simulating to Form”. The recognition aims to enhance the potential of a project experience and encourage its growth path, in the belief that supporting innovation also means accompanying ideas and people who can contribute to creating a positive impact in the future. A specific moment of the ceremony was dedicated to communities of practice, experiences in which sharing knowledge, collaboration between professionals and participation of people become concrete tools of change.
The award was attributed to the Fondazione Marea, represented by Antonio Perdichizzi, for giving rise to a model of community philanthropy and participation, able to value the direct involvement of people and the realities of the territory. A further recognition went to the ASP in Messina, for an organizational and professional experience aimed at improving the quality of life and health of citizens. The choice to dedicate recognition to practice communities expands the very meaning of social innovation: progress is not only born from new technologies or individual insights, but also from the ability to build stable relationships, share skills and transform professional experiences into collective heritage.
The ceremony was preceded by a conference dedicated to the relationship between innovation, life science, ethical responsibility and the centrality of the person. Among the themes at the centre of comparison, the growing role of artificial intelligence in research, prevention, diagnosis, care and organization of health services. Technologies that offer extraordinary opportunities, but also question the responsibility of decisions, the protection of people and the limits of automation. The principle at the centre of reflection is that technologies can support and improve human judgment, but must not replace it, especially in a delicate area like that of life sciences, in which every decision can affect the health, dignity and rights of people. The availability of increasingly sophisticated tools therefore does not reduce the responsibility of doctors, researchers, professionals and organizations. On the contrary, it makes it even more important to ensure transparency, critical ability, human supervision and attention to the consequences of choices. In this perspective there is also the theme of algorithmics, understood as a need to integrate ethical principles in the design, development and use of algorithms and artificial intelligence systems.
The goal is not to counter technological progress and human responsibility, but to make sure that they proceed together. An algorithm can help to process information, identify correlations and support complex decisions; however, it cannot assume the role of consciousness, professional responsibility or human relationship that characterizes the path of care and assistance. It is precisely in this balance between technological capacity and the centrality of the person who recognizes the vision of the Dusmet Foundation: an authentic innovation is that which expands opportunities, reduces inequalities and puts progress at the service of the human being. With the second edition, the Dusmet Prize strengthens its role as a meeting point between scientific research, enterprises, health professionals, institutions, third sector and territorial communities. The variety of applications, the presence of projects coming from different areas of the country and the choice to value even out of competition experiences represent as many signs of the desire to build an open and inclusive community. A path that refers to the legacy of Giuseppe Benedetto Dusmet, to his attention towards fragility and to the belief that the value of a community is also mixed in the ability to take care of those who risk to stay back.
On DusmetNews.it the full story of the day: The day of the Dusmet 2026 Prize will ideally continue through DusmetNews.it, the test that will take care of the follow-up of the event with a wide spread of the contents emerged from the conference and the award ceremony.
– Dusmet press office photos –
(ITALPRESS).
