The promotion of the cooperation between Italy and China on the topic of innovation, science and technology is the main objective of the Italian Government and the core focus of the activities of Città della Scienza toward China about the internationalization of the research-entrepreneurial innovative systems.
The Program offers services and networking and business matching activities in order to create new relationships, start partnerships and support the internationalization process among Italian and Chinese research institutes, universities and enterprises.
The main focus of the program is the China-Italy Science, Technology & Innovation Week, the annual matching event, alternately organized in Italy and China, which brings together in a single format, according to the back-to-back formula, the China- Italy Innovation Forum and the Sino-Italian Exchange Event. Here Italian and Chinese operators have the opportunity to exchange information, present their technologies, take part in B2B meetings with the aim of strengthening cooperation and business opportunities and to promote joint projects.
The Program is promoted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) and the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and is coordinated and managed by Città della Scienza in partnership with the BMSTC (Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission) and BAST (Beijing Association for Science & Technology). Thanks to the coordination with several ministries, National Research Council, Confindustria, the main research institutes and universities, the program has become a permanent and structured platform for the cooperation with China in the fields of innovation and research.
Objectives
- Promotion of the Country System on research and innovation fields, in a coordinated and structured manner, involving all the public bodies and the innovative enterprises, thanks to the partnership with Confindustria;
- Promotion of the scientific cooperation and the internationalization of research and innovation systems on issues of common interest to the two countries: Environment and Sustainable Energy, Agriculture and Food Safety, Sustainable Urbanization, Health, Aerospace, Infrastructures and Transportation, Industry 4.0, Creative Culture and Industries;
- Promotion of the internationalization of innovative startups with supporting activities and attraction of capital;
- Supporting the cooperation in the field of digital fabrication;
- Enhancement of the skills of human capital needed for the cooperation with China both in science and technology and humanistic studies, as well as encouraging the attraction of talents in Italy;
Numbers
The 2016 edition, held in Italy, confirmed the event as being the permanent and structured platform in the cooperation in the field of innovation between Italy and China, with the participation of over 2,000 players (of which 1,500 Italians and 650 Chinese). The introduction of two regional focuses, one in Bergamo on advanced manufacturing systems and one in Bologna on agrifood, allowed to further consolidate the format with the capacity to involve the territorial organizations and cover all relevant aspects of the Italian and Chinese strategy on research and innovation. In addition to the organization of the first edition of the Italy-China Best Startup Showcase and of the Digital Fabrication Zone, new prospects for cooperation in supporting the most advanced forms of innovation opened up. A total of 10 conferences on strategic topics and 27 thematic seminars were organized; 600 B2B were scheduled; 10 new cooperation agreements were signed during the institutional ceremony, including the agreement for the setting up of the China-Italy Technology Transfer Center between MOST and BMSTC, from the Chinese side, and Ministry of Research, University of Bergamo, University of Naples Federico II, Città della Science and Netval, from the Italian side. Thanks to the program, in 2016, 80 partnership projects have already been landed in China.