Bring what you know.Here it turns into knowledge, technology and experience.

What DOPE is

We are young people from 16 to 35.
We make real projects, in science and technology.
We are not a startup and we are not a course.
We do it to learn, and because we like it.
You work in a team and you find friends your own age.
You can join a project, or bring one of your own.

There are more than 170 of us.

About a hundred people posing in the hall of Palazzo della Borsa, in Genoa — Palazzo della Borsa, Genoa, April 2026.

What it is like here

The team yellow drone in front of the UAS Challenge banner, on the competition field — UAS Challenge 2026, United Kingdom

Two friends joking in front of the camera in the hall of Palazzo della Borsa — Palazzo della Borsa, April 2026

A test flight, summer 2025

One of us sets the rocket on the launch pad, in a field — Before the launch, December 2025

The rocket team posing next to a rocket, at Palazzo della Borsa — The rocket team, April 2026

The team in yellow jackets prepares the experiment on the runway, next to the plane — Before the parabolic flight

Paula Niubó, from the DOPE communication team, makes the victory sign in the lobby of Palazzo della Borsa, above the coat of arms of Genoa — Palazzo della Borsa, April 2026

Inside the cabin of the plane in flight, with the city under the wings — During the parabolic flight

What we do · 1 of 8

Rocket

We build rockets, each one higher and faster than the last.

the altitude to reach: 3 km
the maximum speed expected: Mach 1

For people who come from aerospace and mechanical engineering, electronics, physics

All about Rocket

What we do · 2 of 8

BioBrick

We design pieces of DNA to grow more faithful organoids in the laboratory.

the scar left between two parts: 8 bases
cut and join the standard parts: 4 enzymes

For people who come from biology, biotechnology, bioinformatics

All about BioBrick

What we do · 3 of 8

Quantum

We use quantum computing to read medical images better.

the layers of a QCNN on N qubits: log N
for each convolution gate: 2 qubits

For people who come from physics, computer science, medicine

All about Quantum

What we do · 4 of 8

UAS Challenge

We build fixed-wing drones for the UAS Challenge, the drone competition between universities in the United Kingdom.

Panissa at the UAS Challenge 2026, first Italian team: 4th out of 54
Acciuga in 2025, with the Advancement Award: 6th out of 42

For people who come from aerospace engineering, mechanical and electronic engineering, computer science

All about UAS Challenge

What we do · 5 of 8

ExplAIn

We build tools to understand how an artificial intelligence decides.

still trust the model, after seeing its explanation: 3 out of 27
programs analysed, half malware and half clean: 420

For people who come from computer science, mathematics, philosophy, law

All about ExplAIn

What we do · 6 of 8

Robotic

We build a robotic arm, from the joint motors all the way to the hand.

the reducer ratio: 40:1
the reach: 520 mm

For people who come from robotics and mechatronics engineering, computer science

All about Robotic

What we do · 7 of 8

Cyber

We look for the weak points in the on-board networks of ships and we build the defences.

the speed of an NMEA 0183 line: 4800 bit/s
at most in one sentence: 82 characters

For people who come from computer science, engineering, telecommunications

All about Cyber

What we do · 8 of 8

Zero-G

We design experiments to run in weightlessness, during parabolic flights.

of weightlessness on each parabola: 8 s
the peak, going into and out of the parabola: 1.8 g

For people who come from physics, engineering, biology

All about Zero-G

What we do · also

Behind every project

Communications tells what we do, with photos, videos and social media.
Business finds the funds and the partners the projects need.
HR welcomes the people who arrive and holds the teams together.

For people who come from economics, communication, design, humanities, psychology

All the projects, the finished ones too

All of this is DOPE.

And there is room for a project of yours. Tell it at a meeting: if you find other people who care, you begin.

Come to a meeting

You do not need

To be an engineer. We are also looking for scientists, economists and artists. Even philosophers.
A CV. Just come and see.
Experience. You learn by working.
To pay. Joining is free.

The questions everybody asks

Is it a startup?: No. It is an association: nobody makes money out of it, and the projects are not for sale.
How much does it cost?: Nothing. Materials, tools and competitions are paid by university funds, grants and sponsors.
How much time does it take?: The time you have. During exams you slow down, and that is normal.
And what if it turns out not to be for me?: You say so, and that is that. No problem.
Can I propose a project of my own?: Yes. Tell it at a meeting and look for people who want to do it with you.

All the questions

How you get in

Choose a project and write to us: your name, your email and what you study or do is enough.
We invite you to the next open meeting: [day, time, place].
You start with a first task, together with the people who are already there.

Choose your project

What we have done

Colombo 1, our first rocket, climbed to 600 metres and came back to the ground in one piece.
At the UAS Challenge 2026 our drone Panissa came fourth, first among the Italian teams.
We took an experiment of ours into weightlessness on a parabolic flight offered by RINA.

The yellow drone on the grass of the competition field, with the staff in jackets in the background

The people who are already here

This year was different, we really believed in it.

One of the drone team, after the UAS Challenge 2026, to Primocanale

During the race a gust of wind brought the drone down. The team worked all night in the workshop, repaired it and went back into the competition.

See what it is like

**UAS Challenge 2025**Our video from the competition field

**Ctrl+Future, it is GenZ's hour**Primocanale, 17 June 2026. The first episode is about DOPE.

Who we work with

All the partners

The manifesto

Why we do it

Once school is over, the chances to test yourself become few. And with artificial intelligence it is normal to wonder what place will be left for you.

We build our own chances: real projects, made together, out of passion.

Read the manifesto