On April 3rd, 2025, during the workshop “PNRR Sustainability@CNR” held at the CNR Research Area in Bologna, Giovanni Cerulli (Scientific Coordinator of FOSSR, CNR-IRCrES) presented the Business Plan of SOCIAL HUB—a strategic initiative in the field of data-driven research in the social sciences, supported by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
SOCIAL HUB is being developed as an integrated center for research, innovation, and social impact, through the convergence of six national PNRR projects: FOSSR, SoBigData.it, AGE-IT, GRINS, NBFC, and SERICS. Its mission is to become a national and European center of excellence for the production, management, and analysis of complex data in the social, human, environmental, and economic sciences.
The presented Business Plan, elaborated and drafted in cooperation with FOSSR Infrastructure Manager Marco Sprocati and in close collaboration with the heads of the PNRR actors involved, identifies a sustainable and scalable vision, based on three main guidelines:
- the development of open and FAIR-compliant infrastructures;
- the enhancement of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral skills, with dedicated training paths for researchers and stakeholders;
- the creation of a stable ecosystem of open and commercial services addressed to academia, institutions, and industry.
SOCIAL HUB plans to address over 8,000 academic researchers, more than 1,300 early-career scientists, 3,000 policy makers, as well as thousands of companies and third-sector organizations. Potential stakeholders include public institutions such as ISTAT, INPS and the Bank of Italy, NGOs like Save the Children, and major industrial players such as Confindustria and Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
The expected impacts are manifold:
- Technological, through the development of platforms, software tools, and cloud architectures;
- Scientific, by generating and sharing FAIR and validated research data;
- Social, via policy briefs, inclusive pathways, and civil society engagement;
- Economic, by fostering collaborations, attracting competitive funding, and enabling sustainable service models.
The presentation of the Business Plan in Bologna marks a key step toward establishing SOCIAL HUB as a strategic infrastructure for integrating scientific research, innovation, and social value creation.