WHAT IS MASA?

THE MASA PROJECT – MODENA AUTOMOTIVE SMART AREA is an experimental project planned in 2016 and active since March 2017, in a public-private partnership for the development of smart mobility and autonomous vehicles.

MASA was founded in Modena, heart of the Motor Valley, where the motoring tradition is based on automotive innovation, digital culture and ICTs, translating into work, safety and quality of life.

MASA originated from the partnership between Modena City Council and the University of Modena & Reggio Emilia, with the collaboration of the Ministry for Infrastructures and Transport, and with the further support of the Emilia Romagna Regional Council.

The programme was activated by the Fondazione Democenter, as part of the Rete Alta Tecnologia RER. Maserati S.p.a. is the first among the companies to put its name to it, and the activities are developed hand in hand with the Aerautrodomo in Modena, AD Consulting S.p.a. and Danisi Engineering as main partners.

MASA has received the endorsement of the Chamber of Commerce, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Modena and ACI Modena. MASA events are staged in collaboration with Fondazione San Carlo.

MASA is open to collaboration with companies as well as public and private bodies from the automotive sector and that of ICT-connectivity, as well as sectors that transversally intersect these themes.
The aim of the MASA (Modena Automotive Smart Area) project is to be the first ‘open-air’ urban test bed in the country for the experimentation, research, testing, standardization and certification for autonomous driving and connection with the urban infrastructure. 

The specific aims of the project concern the application of new digital technologies to mobility services in urban and extra-urban environments (‘smart city’ and ‘smart road’) and to the sector of the car industry (connected cars / autonomous cars and the relative supply chains) for the improvement of the social conditions of citizens (monitoring the state of health, reduction of car accidents, data safety and respect of privacy), for the improvement of the quality of urban life (more services, a more attractive city, traffic patterns adaptable to traffic conditions and the road infrastructure), for energy saving (lower emissions and lower costs) and for the improvement of the urban environment (noise levels).