Established in 2013 through the merger of most of the academic staff from the former DEIS and the Department of Engineering Modelling, DIMES – the Department of Computer Engineering, Modelling, Electronics and Systems Engineering, University of Calabria – has, in just over a decade, consolidated a strong and clearly defined scientific identity. With 78 faculty members and researchers and 26 technical-administrative staff, the Department is now an interdisciplinary structure capable of integrating diverse expertise and directing it toward applied research and technology transfer.

Its activities span the main areas of systems and information engineering: computer engineering; modelling applied to structural mechanics and innovative chemical processes; electronics; electromagnetic fields; telecommunications; automation; operations research; and optimization. These research lines are further strengthened by the PhD program in Information and Communication Technologies, which ensures scientific continuity and advanced training in strategic digital technologies.

This multidisciplinary configuration makes DIMES a natural partner for the technological demands of MUSIC4D, a project that requires solutions for complex digital environments, signal analysis and management systems, integrated hardware-software infrastructures, and intelligent automation processes. Within the framework of the initiative, the Department contributes to the definition and validation of the technological infrastructures that support digital music production and consumption, with particular attention to methodological rigor, reliability, and scalability.

The quality of DIMES’ research is recognized at both national and international levels, as reflected in its strong ANVUR evaluation results and its consolidated presence in leading scientific literature. Over the past five years, the Department has participated in 23 European projects and 79 nationally funded programs, strengthening laboratories, expertise, and collaborations with companies and research centers.

Within this technical-scientific ecosystem, distinguished scholars such as Professor Giancarlo Fortino play a prominent role. A leading researcher in pervasive systems, the Internet of Things, and distributed computing, he has authored hundreds of international publications and has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher in Computer Science. Professor Fortino also holds significant scientific and academic coordination roles in advanced ICT, including the supervision of research groups focused on intelligent systems engineering and integrated platforms.

Alongside him, Professor Francesco Pupo, whose expertise includes formal modelling, multi-agent systems, and distributed systems analysis techniques, enriches the Department’s scientific profile with important methodological contributions to the development of software tools and the integration of complex multidisciplinary models.

A further indicator of DIMES’ maturity lies in its strong technology transfer capacity: its faculty members are founding partners of 15 academic spin-offs and promoters of six consortia bringing together universities, research institutions, and companies. This network fosters stable connections between research, cultural experimentation, and industrial applications, offering MUSIC4D potential pathways for development and impact beyond the project’s lifecycle.

In this context, DIMES does not merely provide technical support; it acts as a strategic scientific infrastructure, integrating multidisciplinarity, knowledge production, and project competitiveness. Its contribution to MUSIC4D translates into the development of reliable, replicable, and scalable technological models, essential for innovating digital music processes in a structured and sustainable way.

For further information: https://music4-d.vercel.app/