Italy

In respect of the ERCOFTAC scientific objectives, the creation of pilot centres (PC) in many European countries is an essential tool for the fulfilment of the exchanging of technical and scientific information concerning basic and applied research and the development, the validation and maintenance of numerical codes and databases, and thus strongly promoted.
According to the previous mentioned objectives the Italian Pilot Centre was proposed in the early 1999 and started its activities in the late 2000 year.

The Italian Pilot Centre includes most of the major Italian research centres active in the fields of interest normally sponsored by the ERCOFTAC, ranging from fluid dynamics, aerodynamics to combustion. These centres, with the related scientific leaders are:

• Energetics Dept. - University of Florence (DE); Prof. Francesco Martelli; Prof. Gian Paolo Manfrida; Prof. Maurizio de Lucia
• Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica per l'Energetica,Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico Secondo"; Prof. Marcello Manna
  
• Mechanical Engineering Dept. - University of Trieste (UNITS); Prof. Carlo Poloni
• Energetics Dept. - University of Genova (DIME); Prof. Pietro Zunino; Prof. Francesco Pittaluga
• Mechanical Engineering Dept. - University of  Roma I (DIMEI); Prof. Renzo Piva; Prof. Franco Rispoli
• ISAC CNR Institute - Bologna - (ISAC); Francesco Tampieri

Together with these research centres, and in co-operation through contracts and common research projects, industrial partners are present, mainly involved in Gas Turbine steam production and power plants:

• ENEL Produzione-Ricerca - Steam generation, test rigs for combustors, gas turbine combustion; Eng. Gaudenzio Mariotti
• CIRA - Italian Aerospace Research Centre; Eng. Francesco Capizzano

Italian Pilot Centre is coordinated by Prof Francesco Martelli, Energetics Dept. of the University of Florence, since the PC establishment in year 2000.