Italian telematic university researching hybrid-electric propulsion and modular EV systems across aviation and road transport.
Niccolò Cusano is a Roman telematic (online) university with research activity concentrated in advanced transport electrification and vehicle systems engineering. Their H2020 work spans two complementary fronts: hybrid-electric propulsion architectures for regional aviation, and modular electric light vehicles equipped with ADAS and reconfigurable interiors. The university contributes academic research capacity — theoretical analysis, regulatory mapping, and systems-level engineering — within large industrial consortia rather than running its own experimental facilities. As a telematic institution, their strength lies in multidisciplinary coordination and knowledge synthesis across distributed teams.
Contributed to both FUTPRINT50 (hybrid-electric regional aircraft propulsion roadmap) and REFLECTIVE (modular powertrain for light electric vehicles), covering both aviation and road transport electrification.
REFLECTIVE project involved advanced driver-assistance systems, structural safety, and active safety features for reconfigurable light electric vehicles.
FUTPRINT50 addressed energy harvesting and energy storage as part of the hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion architecture.
FUTPRINT50 explicitly covered regulatory framework analysis for hybrid-electric regional aircraft — a niche but commercially valuable capability.
REFLECTIVE included both conductive charging and wireless charging as key research areas for the reconfigurable light electric vehicle platform.
Their H2020 entry (2020) was firmly in aerospace: hybrid-electric propulsion for 50-seat regional aircraft, with a strong focus on energy storage, harvesting, and the regulatory pathway for certifying such systems. By 2021 their focus shifted entirely to road transport — specifically light electric vehicles with modular powertrains, wireless charging, and driver-assistance technology. This represents a pivot from long-horizon aerospace R&D toward nearer-term automotive electrification, which is a commercially faster-moving space.
They are moving toward the intersection of EV hardware (charging, modular powertrain) and smart vehicle software (ADAS, automated features), suggesting future interest in connected and autonomous electric mobility rather than pure propulsion research.
Niccolò Cusano has participated exclusively as a consortium partner — never as coordinator — across both projects, suggesting they position themselves as specialist contributors rather than project leaders. Both projects involve large multi-country consortia (16 countries, 23 partners across just 2 projects), indicating they are comfortable operating in complex European partnerships. There is no evidence of repeat collaborations with the same partners, pointing to broad network-building rather than a tight inner circle.
Despite only two projects, the university has reached 23 unique consortium partners across 16 countries — an unusually broad network for such a small H2020 footprint. This European spread, with no apparent geographic concentration, reflects the large pan-European consortia typical of transport IA and RIA projects.
As a telematic university, Niccolò Cusano brings a research profile that is not tied to physical laboratory infrastructure — their value is in analytical, regulatory, and systems-engineering expertise that integrates well into consortia led by industrial or engineering partners. They cover an unusual dual track of aviation electrification and road EV systems, which is rare among Italian HES institutions and useful for projects that need to benchmark across transport modes. For a consortium builder, they represent an accessible Italian academic partner with documented experience in both aerospace and automotive electrification consortia.
