The Industry 4.0 paradigm and all its connected technologies (Big Data, Internet of Thing, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Augmented Reality, etc.) are quickly and deeply impacting on the companies' organization and technical capability. Although it is commonly accepted that the “digital shift” is an essential requirement for the companies' competitiveness, the Industry 4.0 paradigm has also introduced several relevant changes in the competences and skills of employees and managers, that may be a bottleneck in the adoption of the Industry 4.0 model. Some initiatives have been created at European level to support the education in the context of Industry 4.0. In this paper we present a selection of them, focusing in particular on the innovative didactic methodologies adopted in each different initiative.

In this paper, we deal with the problem of routing and scheduling aircraft ground movement operations. We implement two objective functions: the minimization of total routing taxiing delay and the minimization of pollution emission in terms of total waiting time the engines are turned on. We use alternative graph model to represent the routing solution and to solve the airport ground movement problem. We consider the case study of malpensa terminal maneuvering area, Italy, which implies a peculiar traffic flow management due to its complex layout, where runways and taxi network intersect in many points. Experimental results based on real data are reported, which are promising both for the total routing taxiing delay minimization and the reduction of the pollution emission.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are a pillar of European economy. Nowadays the acquisition of new e-competences is essential to follow the digital transformation for the society and the market, and to keep an adequate level of competitiveness. Internet of Things (IoT) are producing a relevant impact in several economic sectors (industry, transportations, energy, agriculture, home automation, etc.). This technology has a high potential in terms of new business opportunities and new job positions. Several national and European policies have been set-up to train the EU companies to the adoption and diffusion of the IoT technologies. This is also the main aim of the European project IoT4SMEs. In this paper, we describe the early activity of the project, focused on an assessment of the labour market training needs related to the IoT technologies.

In the context of socio-technical systems, traditional engineering approaches are inadequate, calling for a fundamental change in perspective. A different approach encourages viewing socio-technical systems as complex living entities rather than through a simplistic lens, which enhances our understanding of their dynamics. However, these systems are designed to facilitate human activities, and the goal is not only to comprehend how they operate but also to guide their function. Currently, we lack the appropriate terminology. Hence, we introduce two principal concepts, simplexity and complixity, drawing inspiration from how nature conceals intricate mechanisms beneath straightforward, user-friendly interfaces.

Scientific disinformation has emerged as a critical challenge at the interface of science and society. This paper examines how false or misleading scientific content proliferates across both social media and traditional media and evaluates strategies to counteract its spread. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of research on scientific misinformation across disciplines and regions, with particular focus on climate change and public health as exemplars. Our findings indicate that social media algorithms and user dynamics can amplify false scientific claims, as seen in case studies of viral misinformation campaigns on vaccines and climate change. Traditional media, meanwhile, are not immune to spreading inaccuracies—journalistic practices such as sensationalism or “false balance” in reporting have at times distorted scientific facts, impacting public understanding. We review efforts to fight disinformation, including technological tools for detection, the application of inoculation theory and prebunking techniques, and collaborative approaches that bridge scientists and journalists. To empower individuals, we propose practical guidelines for critically evaluating scientific information sources and emphasize the importance of digital and scientific literacy. Finally, we discuss methods to quantify the prevalence and impact of scientific disinformation—ranging from social network analysis to surveys of public belief—and compare trends across regions and scientific domains. Our results underscore that combating scientific disinformation requires an interdisciplinary, multi-pronged approach, combining improvements in science communication, education, and policy. We conducted a scoping review of 85 open-access studies focused on climate-related misinformation and disinformation, selected through a systematic screening process based on PRISMA criteria. This approach was chosen to address the lack of comprehensive mappings that synthesize key themes and identify research gaps in this fast-growing field. The analysis classified the literature into 17 thematic clusters, highlighting key trends, gaps, and emerging challenges in the field. Our results reveal a strong dominance of studies centered on social media amplification, political denialism, and cognitive inoculation strategies, while underlining a lack of research on fact-checking mechanisms and non-Western contexts. We conclude with recommendations for strengthening the resilience of both the public and information ecosystems against the spread of false scientific claims.