A non-profit research organization where academia and industry collaborate in developing advanced technologies and education
The Gran Sasso Tech Foundation (GST) technological development and research activities draws on the experience of its two founders: GSSI, a leading international university for advanced studies, and Thales Alenia Space Italy, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), the largest satellite company in Europe specializing in aerospace.

The Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) is an international, state-supported, post-graduate education and research institute based in L'Aquila, Italy. Started as a national center for advanced studies of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), GSSI is now the most internationalized (more than 40 percent of students from abroad) of the 7 special institutes of the Italian university system. GSSI is divided into four scientific research areas (physics, mathematics, computer science, social sciences) and currently enrolls around 140 doctoral students in four different PhD programs. A new industrial Ph.D. program will start in autumn 2023. GSSI receives each year thousands of applications from students of top-ranking universities around the world and GSSI alumni have an employment rate of 100% in highly qualified positions.
The GSSI’s faculty, consisting of around 70 professors and researchers and around 40 research fellows, includes several researchers hired from leading international universities and research centers and has an average age significantly below the Italian one. Two Nobel laureates (Barry Barish and Carlo Rubbia) regularly participate in the scientific life of GSSI as professors and advisors. GSSI leads a number of international scientific collaborations, including space missions NUSES, CRYSTAL EYE and LGWA. According to the 2015 - 2019 VQR Report published by Anvur (the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research), GSSI overall ranks second among all Italian universities for the quality of research publications, with the Computer Science and Mathematics areas ranking first. As a result of this excellent evaluation, the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research decided to finance a new interdisciplinary Department of Excellence in Computer Science and Mathematics with laboratories dedicated to autonomous systems, IoT and algorithm-engineering.
Thales Alenia Space SpA is a worldwide satellite manufacturing company that provides high-tech solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, scientific research and orbital infrastructure. Together with Leonardo and Telespazio it forms the «Space Alliance» which offers a complete set of solutions and services. Thales Alenia Space Italy is Italy's leading company in the space sector, particularly in the realization of complete space systems, telecommunications satellites, remote sensing, meteorological and scientific applications, residential systems and space infrastructure, launch, transport and return systems, as well as control centers. Thales Alenia Space Italy has a workforce of more than 2,300 employees at 4 sites in Italy: Rome, Turin, Milan and L'Aquila. Thales Alenia Space Italy has a heritage of collaborations with universities, research centers, local companies/SMEs in its supply chain, and of contributing to the establishment of a regional ICT & Space supply chain.
Institutional activities
The Foundation's activities focus on research, technology development,
education and training, technology transfer.
Through its joint laboratories, the Foundation develops novel technologies and innovative architectures that are harder to develop in an industrial context, starting from low TRL levels.
These activities are carried out in collaboration with GST staff and associates, consultants and external partners. The joint laboratories will be open to the development of third-party innovations and sourcing from different supply chains. Particular attention will be paid to applications of space technologies, silicon technologies and software systems.
The Foundation aims to train young talent and develop human resources from industry and academia by providing advanced technological skills and project planning, innovation, management and leadership competencies. Educational activities focus on concrete cases and technology development projects and take place in an international environment, flexible and open to cross-fertilization among different backgrounds, cultures, technologies and skills.
GST participates in an Innovative PhD Program on "Innovative Technologies for Space Missions and Radiation Detection", established by GSSI. The program aims to train PhD students with international-level technological skills, able to address current and future problems with a multidisciplinary approach and to compete successfully in the highly competitive environment of technological innovation, both in research and industry. The Foundation works with private partners, including Thales Alenia Space Italy, to provide on-the-job training for advanced systems technology specialists and project/program managers. GST offers training courses and summer schools on specific topics, designed to meet the needs of private clients and public administrations.
The Foundation is well placed to strengthen the important networks of its Founders, also in regard to technology transfer activities.
Key activities include development of "proof of concept" projects in upstream space technologies and technology transfer activities to SMEs which can benefit from advanced innovations developed in relevant scientific projects worldwide. The Foundation, in partnership with other local and international stakeholders, provides incubation services for start-up companies that focus on relevant technologies.
The value generated by scientific and technological research has become the dominant factor in economic production. Paradoxically, however, the spread of technological innovation can result in increasing economic inequalities. The Foundation intends to establish procedures for assessing and monitoring the social and environmental impact of new technologies developed and to guide technological development towards ethical outcomes, from the selection of research lines to the conditions of technology commercialisation.
The Foundation was established with an open innovation approach, starting from the exploitation of an important intellectual property asset, the '2MF' satellite platform, as an open architecture. Micro and nano-satellites are characterized by low mass, high standardization and intensive use of off-the-shelf components, enabling low costs and short development times. These aspects, together with more frequent and less costly launch opportunities, increase the possibility of access to space programmes of universities, research centers, small and medium-sized enterprises and emerging countries, contributing significantly to the so-called 'democratization of space' phenomenon.
Starting from Space
to develop horizontal technologies
The Foundation's activities focus on, but are not limited to, the space sector.
The horizontal nature of space technologies, which lend themselves to applications in various other sectors, enables the Foundation to also engage and specialize in research and innovation in areas adjacent to space.
The enabling role of space technologies in developing competitiveness of research and industry is widely recognised at the European and international levels.
Technological areas
GST is a reference facility for the scientific community to develop small satellites and to design and manage space research missions. GST owns the modular and flexible platform architecture for Mini/Micro Satellites applications based on the Modular and Multi Function hermo-mechanical chassis (2MF/NIMBUS), managed as an "open hardware architecture" to encourage widespread innovation by multiple research centers. Ownership of the 2MF architecture, combined with access to the Thales Alenia Space Italy infrastructure, makes the Foundation a natural candidate to play a leading role in enabling universities and research centers to develop low-cost space science missions.
GST develops methodologies to support the whole radiation hardening process and qualification of "Components Off The Shelf '' as part of an integrated supply chain from electronic component manufacturers to irradiation facilities to facilitate a more widespread use of COTS components and modules for space and scientific applications.
GST contributes to establishing a national supply chain for space-based quantum technologies. The development of quantum computing and communications will lead to the creation of quantum networks in which space satellites will provide an important role as global connectivity nodes. The 2MF/NIMBUS architecture is a natural candidate for launching a QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) communications satellite demonstrator, in synergy with the ongoing development of local quantum fibre networks.
GST conducts advanced research and develops technologies based on Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Software to address the fundamental challenges of the digital society. Starting with the space industry (e.g. to manage the quality of satellite data and minimize downstream through the use of in-flight computers), also with the additional benefit of transferring to SMEs algorithms and AI applications developed in international research projects. The ubiquitous and pervasive nature of computers and sensors is leading to a future where the surrounding environment appears as a seamless blend of physical and virtual entities. GST develops technological assets to design and manage systems where physical and virtual interact reliably and efficiently.
GST develops and applies numerical simulations and software tools towards solving fundamental health, environmental, social and industrial problems. In the health field, the Foundation is involved in the development of methods and applications for genomics, proteomics, pharmacodynamics and diagnostics. GST also works to disseminate the use of innovative seismic simulation methods devised by GSSI and to integrate them with structural engineering models.
GST develops and deploys digital twins for scientific, engineering and manufacturing efficiency. A digital twin for the automated adjustment, analysis and optimization of the satellite system of the 'Crystal Eye' scientific mission, based on GST’s proprietary 2MF architecture, is currently under development. The Space and Earth Innovation Campus (SEIC) under construction in L'Aquila, will include a R&D laboratory for the development of digital twins, designed to operate in "digital continuity" with the industrial facilities of Thales Alenia Space Italy according to ESA standards, in order to enable concurrent activities of several European research and industrial production centers. Through the network of GST partners, the concurrent engineering platforms can be applied to various industrial sectors necessitating Industry 4.0 transformation.
GST develops and scales applications for monitoring and managing Earth’s regions by integrating data from satellite, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) and terrestrial sensors. Earth observation via satellite sensors plays a key role in the development of agriculture 4.0, environmental monitoring, air/ sea/automotive traffic control, logistics, prevention and management of disasters (environmental, social, health). The development of innovative applications in which downstream data from satellites are integrated with data from UAVs and terrestrial sensor systems (enabled by 5G or IoT technologies) requires advanced skills in A.I., big data analysis, mathematical modeling, and software engineering.
GST develops technological solutions for research in the field of Cultural Heritage in collaboration with Research Institutions, Governmental Agencies, Museums and Art Schools. GST develops technological solutions for research in the field of Cultural Heritage in collaboration with Research Institutions, Governmental Agencies, Museums and Art Schools. For the Space and Earth Innovation Campus in L'Aquila, an advanced prototype of a compact low-energy particle accelerator (MACHINA) is being developed through a collaboration between INFN, CERN and GSSI to apply ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques to study components (e.g. pigments, metal alloys, decay or restoration materials) present in artistic and historic manufacts.
GST develops methods and service infrastructures to evaluate and manage the social and environmental impact of new technologies generated and to steer technological development towards ethical outcomes, starting from the selection of research lines to the conditions of new technology commercialization. In addition to evaluating its own projects, GST supports research entities, companies and public administrations in assessing and managing the impacts of their activities.
Facilities
The Foundation has access to the following facilities of Thales Alenia Space Italia SpA to carry out research, development, testing and training activities.
- Clean Room (ISO Class 5,6,7,8 and 9) for the integration of equipment and subsystems
- Test benches equipped with measuring instruments for electrical functional testing of equipment and subsystems
- Ambient and vacuum climate chambers for functional tests under temperature change conditions according to predetermined gradients
- Mechanical vibration and shock equipment for mechanical and dynamic testing
- Anechoic chambers for testing radio frequency and microwave signals
- Laboratories for material characterization: chemical-physical tests, mechanical tests, rx analysis and electrical measurements
- Laser equipment for optical checks and alignments
- Precision dimensional measurement equipment (dea)
- 3D printing equipment for plastic additive manufacturing

Governing bodies
Founder's Assembly
Massimo Claudio Comparini - President
Eugenio Coccia - Vice President
Oscar Cicchetti
Leonardo Mazzini
President
Fernando Ferroni
Board of Directors
Fernando Ferroni - President
Leonardo Mazzini - Vice President
Roberto Aloisio
Francesco Amicucci
Ulisse Di Marcantonio
Speranza Falciano
Walter Pecorella
Alfredo Pigiani
College of Auditors
Giovanni Galoppi - President
Sergio Azzarri
Antonio Di Donato
Marco Fazi - Substitute
David Iagnemma - Substitute
Chief Executive Officer
Alessandro Pajewski
Scientific Director
Giovanni Campolo