More than 4,000 participants, more than 25 events, more than 32 companies involved, over 180 articles in the local and national press. These are just some of the figures that illustrate the success of the second edition of MIND Innovation Week, the annual event dedicated to the major issues of our time that gives a voice to all the players in the MIND ecosystem, which this year took place between May 5 and 11.
The positive outcome of MIND Innovation Week is closely linked to the success of the district: MIND continues to grow and has reached ten thousand visitors per day. The results of the development of the Milan Innovation District were presented during the week of events in the second edition of the MIND Annual Report, which was attended by all the district's partners, as well as Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti, President of Lombardy Attilio Fontana, and Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala. MIND represents a strategic national project. Minister of Economy Giancarlo Giorgetti explained it clearly: "MIND is the emblem of an urban regeneration project capable of creating the conditions for organic development from an economic, social, and civil perspective. It is an example to be replicated. The results achieved are the merit of a strategic partnership between the public and private sectors."
Domenico D'Alessio, Director of Marketing Europe at Lendlease, commented on the success of MIND Innovation Week, highlighting how the event is able to speak to everyone, from students to researchers, from new technology professionals to citizens curious to learn about the values and identity of the innovation district: "It has been a privilege to be an active part of such an ecosystemic initiative, which brings MIND and Italian innovation to the forefront of the European and global scene. It is something to be cultivated and nurtured with the attitude that has always characterized Lendlease."
Lendlease is responsible for a 99-year concession contract for the development of the area: the group's vision for MIND is to build a sustainable, zero-emission, inclusive city of the future. MIND is a new research district, now 20% complete, where the local community benefits from innovation in a collaborative way. MIND brings together several research centers such as the Human Technopole, the University of Milan, the Milan Polytechnic, the Galeazzi Hospital, and the Triulza Foundation, as well as more than 40 Italian and international private companies that have decided to operate in the ecosystem. The mixed-use private development area called West Gate will cover 300,000 square meters and will house offices, homes, shops, research centers, and green areas.
MIND's week dedicated to innovation featured a packed schedule of events, workshops, talks, and networking opportunities. From medicine to biotechnology, circular open innovation to education, clinical research to restoration, life sciences to energy and environmental sustainability in the cities of the future, and social inclusion: the annual format dedicated to the major issues of our time, with guests from the Italian and international scientific and technological world.
The week dedicated to innovation came to life with the protagonists of the district. Marked by a rich program of events, workshops, talks, and networking opportunities, the theme chosen for the second edition of the festival was 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: the birth of ecosystems of integrated intelligence focused on innovation represents an epoch-making cultural challenge and offers a new perspective for understanding the current landscape and charting new maps and routes for the future.
Specifically, each day focused on specific topics and areas of interest: Future Urban Hubs (Monday and Tuesday), Ecosystem of Innovation (Wednesday), Progress of Health (Thursday), Italian Views (Friday), Space of the Art, Seeds of Education (Saturday).
The week kicked off on Sunday, May 5, with the eleventh edition of the world's largest and most inclusive running event: the Wings for Life World Run, the flagship event of the Wings for Life foundation, a non-profit organization that funds promising spinal cord research and clinical trials.
On Monday, May 6, three events touched on very different topics.
Arexpo, Lendlease, Fondazione Triulza, and Think Smart Mobility@MIND wanted to kick off Innovation Week by focusing on hydrogen in mobility and logistics with the first test drive of a hydrogen-powered bus and cars in Lombardy, which took place on the main streets of MIND.
Organized by Human Technopole, the panel Women in Patents – Dialogue on the Role of Women in Innovation is part of a larger project developed to help raise awareness and stimulate discussion on the need to bridge the gender gap in inventive activity and patents in particular. The discussion was prompted by the report Women's participation in inventive activity published by the European Patent Office, which found that the Women Inventor Rate (WIR) in EPC (European Patent Convention) member states averages 13.5%. This equates to just over one in 10 patentable inventions.
On the afternoon of Monday, May 6, there was also Circular Water 4 Healthcare. The event marked the conclusion of the Circular Water 4 Healthcare project, a circular open innovation project promoted by SYNLAB and Bracco, in partnership with IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi – Sant’Ambrogio, in the context of Federated Innovation @MIND, and implemented by the Circular Economy Lab – an initiative of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory.
On Tuesday, May 7, Innovation Week continued in the same vein as the first day of meetings. Unimi, IRCCS Galeazzi – Sant’Ambrogio Hospital, Arexpo, and Bracco are the promoters of the meeting entitled The Frontiers of Health between Artificial Intelligence and the Reduction of Inequalities.
Organized by Edtech Italia, the leading association promoting innovation applied to the education sector and the future of work in Italy, the Edtech Leadership Forum – Learning Innovation and the Future of Work meeting in Milan served as a platform for meeting, debating, and discovering the latest trends and solutions in the field of digital education, professional training, and work.
Strategically placed within the framework of MIND Innovation Week, the Forum was created to enhance synergies with this important event, aiming to transform Milan into a hub of reference for innovation in the world of learning at a national level, on a par with other European capitals such as London and Paris.
On Wednesday, May 8, the international TED Circle format organized by Federated Innovation arrived at MIND, followed by the Berkeley Skydeck Start-up Workshop event.
Federchimica Assobiotec, in collaboration with Edra and ITTBiomed, promoted an event to bring together students and businesses to discuss the importance of biotech in responding to the challenges of modern society in terms of health and sustainable development, and to explore the topics of training and future professions in biotech and biopharma companies. The future of biotechnology at MIND – Biotechnology meets university students at MIND was an opportunity to explore what it means to work in a biotech company today, what the job and growth prospects are, and how to develop innovative projects and ideas, creating new businesses.
Building on the success of the 2023 edition, the Pint of Innovation event organized by Rold Academy has been renewed. There were two meetings in which guests shared their experiences. The care of beauty and beauty as care – beauty as a form of inclusion, a means of integration, and a form of civic engagement – and Stone skipping: people, encounters, experiences that generate ecosystems of innovation. The latter meeting started from the consideration that when we throw a pebble into a body of water, we generate a series of concentric circles that expand. If the pebble bounces several times, the circles multiply and intersect. This is the idea of contamination between ecosystems, a constantly expanding process that generates innovation.
The Health Innovation Forum took place throughout the day on Thursday, May 9.Health Innovation Forum, an international event organized by Alisei, a national technology cluster created by the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), and Fiera Milano – Business International, which brings together public institutions, policy makers, science and academia, businesses, and civil society to discuss developments in the health and life sciences sector and how innovation can help better address the challenges of sustainability and resilience in healthcare systems.
On International Occupational Health and Safety Day, Lendlease organized a Safety Day Celebration to promote a culture of safety and celebrate Lendlease's commitment to a safe and secure working environment.
The theme of education is central to the spirit of MIND. This was confirmed by the meeting Stringhe: piccoli numeri in movimento (Strings: small numbers in motion), dedicated to the first project in Italy to bring an integrated methodology combining digital and physical education to schools.
There is also space for corporate training and theatrical entertainment with the Companies Talks format organized by the Municipality of Rho and Lendlease, focusing on Netflix: does it sell films? Does it sell series? No: it connects people to stories and places they have never been to and where they have always wanted to go without knowing it.
On Friday, May 10, artificial intelligence was the focus of a roundtable discussion with public administration, businesses, and stakeholders organized by City Vision with the aim of answering crucial questions: Can chatbots and software improve citizens' lives? How can data be transformed into information? How can collective needs and privacy be reconciled?
Galeazzi Sant'Ambrogio Hospital and Federated Innovation organized the Femur project, which includes initiatives for IRCCS Galeazzi Sant'Ambrogio Hospital, MIND, and the local area. During the meeting, the project developed to define new protocols to improve citizens' healthcare pathways and increase therapeutic effectiveness (Value Based Medicine), accelerate the digitization of the healthcare sector, and build a roadmap for greener, more sustainable, and circular healthcare through models, solutions, and tools that improve the sector's environmental, social, and economic performance was reviewed.
Finally, on Saturday, May 11, ample space was given to art and culture. Valore Italia curated The Restoration of the Fresco with Antonio Rava and Street Poetry and Fashion Design with Ivan Tresoldi and Tiziano Guardini for an intercultural, social, and identity-based discussion that produces positive effects toward the manifestation of belonging to one's own time and cultural context.
Lendlease would like to thank all MINDers and technical partners who made MIND Innovation Week possible: Miccolis, Municipia, and Coopservice.
