The University of Bologna’s Startup Day Goes Green and Returns with Many New Features

Universities and research of the Emilia-Romagna Region will be at the forefront of sustainable innovation with the 10th edition of Startup Day, which is going even greener this year. And not only that. Born in 2015 as a University of Bologna event to create a connection between the startups born within the University and the local entrepreneurial fabric, this new edition of Startup Day expands to involve other universities and research centres in Emilia-Romagna thanks to the collaboration with Ecosister, a project funded by the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan to guide the ecological transition of Emilia-Romagna).

The event is scheduled for Friday 31 May at DumBO - Urban Multifunctional District (Via C. Casarini, 19 - Bologna), from 9 AM to 10 PM, open to all and free (with registration). A day where startups and spin-offs, entrepreneurial realities, experts, professors, researchers, and students can meet. Among the guests are Professor Stefano Mancuso and Francesco Oggiano, digital journalist and face of Will Italia.

Over 40 startups and spin-offs, investors, professionals, professors, incubators, business accelerators, innovation hubs, and representatives of the regional entrepreneurial system will participate in the day's rich programme, which focuses on the sustainable development ecosystem,

promoting entrepreneurial ideas and projects related to ecological transition and the development of green solutions. 

Various topics will be covered in the day's round tables on the Main Stage, bringing together professors, startup founders, institutions, and the business world: renewable energy, green manufacturing, sustainable mobility, circular economy, blue economy, smart housing, and energy efficiency. The Main Stage will host at 11:15 AM the meeting with Stefano Mancuso, a plant neurobiologist, Director of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology, and professor at the University of Florence, titled "Innovation and Sustainability as a Challenge for the Future", in dialogue with Elena Ferrero, co-founder and CEO of Atelier Riforma, a startup that promotes the upcycling of used clothes, offering an alternative model to the highly polluting fast fashion industry. At 5 PM, Francesco Oggiano, digital journalist and face of Will Italia, an expert in digital and social trends, will take the stage to talk about the importance of communication in raising awareness about ecological transition. He will be in dialogue with Alice Pomiato, a green content creator who talks about sustainability and conscious living on her Instagram account, promoting the importance of active citizenship and a critical approach to consumption.

The day's programme will also include sessions in the Pitch Theatre in the White Space, where pitch sessions will be held. From 9 AM to 7 PM, the exhibition area will be open to get to know the 26 startups and spin-offs selected by the Region's universities, incubators, accelerators, and innovation intermediaries, as well as the stands of the event's sponsors and partners.

In the DumBO Bay, the Workshop Space will host 3D Printing and Lego workshops organized by ALMALABOR Makerspace of the University of Bologna from 11 AM to 6:30 PM. From 9 AM to 7 PM, thanks to the University of Bologna's VARLab - Virtual and Augmented Reality Laboratory, visitors can experience virtual and augmented reality through available headsets. They can also measure the event's sustainable impact in real-time through Turtle, a University of Bologna spin-off that quantifies the environmental, social, and economic impacts of companies across various sectors, both productive and service based.

The Temporary Space of DumBO will host a series of off events in the afternoon. At 2 PM, "Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Opportunities and Experiences Compared", curated by the Municipality of Bologna and the Metropolitan City, will discuss strategies and opportunities for new entrepreneurship in the area with institutional representatives and startups that have benefited from public support over the years. Alle 15

At 3 PM, "Sustainable Companies: New Professions in an Increasingly Green Future" curated by JEBO - Junior Enterprise Bologna. At 4:30 PM, ART-ER and Fondazione Ecosister will present "From Research to Green Business: Venture Capital and Corporate Partners for Technology Transfer". At 4 PM, the Coopstartup Change Makers Award ceremony, curated by Legacoop Bologna, will take place.

The award ceremony for the innovative entrepreneurial projects of the Ecosister network and the Call4Startup Unibo will be held on the Main Stage starting at 6 PM, in the presence of Rector Giovanni Molari: awards range from 5,000 euros for the International Mindset Prize awarded by Fondazione Ecosister to 1,000 to 3,000 euros for the Call4Startup projects. The day will conclude with a final DJ set by Fabio Cardini and a stand-up comedy show by Andrea Zimotti, curated by JEBO.

"The University of Bologna's Startup Day turns ten and celebrates this important milestone with an event that, unlike previous years, also sees the participation of other universities and research centres in Emilia-Romagna" says Rector Giovanni Molari. "This is a testament to the success of this initiative, which is further consolidated and expanded with the aim of creating new synergies and collaborations. This year, thanks to the University's participation in the regional Ecosister project, the theme is linked to ecological transition, and we expect useful solutions and proposals for the future of our planet, to reduce environmental impact and develop new green technologies".

"The green transition represents a great opportunity for the transfer of knowledge from the academic world to the productive world and for the birth of innovative startups" adds Professor Maurizio Sobrero, President of Fondazione Ecosister. "In this context, Ecosister, a project funded by the PNRR and with unprecedented resources for this region, represents a concrete opportunity for students, researchers, and PhD students to bring competitive solutions and ideas for sustainable development to the market".