Over 14 thousand new companies dedicated to innovation, call them if you want startups, of which two thousand were born during the pandemic. This is the photograph of Italian entrepreneurship that is starting to take root in the country. “A start to continue growing” summarizes at the Italian Tech Week Francesca Briapresident of Venture Capital of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the fund created in 2019.
“We have high quality levels in scientific research, but we need to do more business” he explained during one of the opening conferences of the two days at the Officine Grandi Riparazioni in Turin. “One of our main actions is to ensure that companies leave the university centers. We have already earmarked for this. 275 million euros. With the help of the European Investment Fund, the EIF, which has added another 130, we arrive at over 400 million“.
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Biotechnology, medical technology, aerospace are some of the leading sectors. And then there is the new strand for which the Tech for Climatethe fund just presented by Cdp da 95 million euros, for those who are trying to fight the climate crisis. Millions to which are added the 250 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (Pnrr). To be used, however, as many will be found by private individuals to be used by 2026, according to the dictates of the NRP. But beyond the tight deadlines, the defense of the environment is now at the top of priorities.
The most popular courses are the new generation batteries andcircular economy. From this point of view we are perfectly in line with other European countries. During the early afternoon he confirmed this Francesco Matteucciof the European Innovation Council, a structure created by the European Commission to support the commercialization of high-risk and high-impact technologies in the Union.
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“In the last three or four years, 500 projects have been launched with a total funding of over one billion euros”, has explained. “The energy transition needs the development of new technologies starting with storage batteries that allow to store what is produced by renewables so that it can then be used when there is no sun or wind. But this also means investing in new materials to replace lithium and other rare elements extracted in countries outside the Union that are the heart of current batteries. And at the same time have systems for their reuse so as to have to import small quantities “.
Question of necessity: we have little gas and few raw materials, freeing ourselves from having to import them means no longer having to depend on uncomfortable countries by focusing on renewables, new materials and recycling. Comes to mind la swedese Northvoltwhich is producing traditional batteries but made in such a way that it is possible to reuse over 90% of the rare metals that contain the batteries and even more companies such as Green Energy Storage (Ges) of Trento which is taking its first steps thanks to a European allocation of 53 million euros to produce energy storage systems free of lithium, nickel or bromine.
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“We are talking about a single market. The solutions developed here or elsewhere in the European Union will then be adopted by everyone if they prove to be effective”, explains da Roma Andrea Barbabellahead of the Energy and Climate division of Foundation for sustainable development and among the organizers of the Climate startup award from Italy for climate e Step Tech Park.
“Last year, during the first edition of the Climate Startup Award we awarded a Windcity which builds micro wind power plants that can also be used in the city. I confirm that other interesting things come from the new technologies for the storage batteries of the energy produced by renewables. A really promising sector. But there are also those who are working on economic models to better manage them energy communities or to help the development of renewable plantsthe too often hindered by administrations and bureaucracy in Italy “.
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The so-called “European paradox”, as he calls it, must therefore be added to the bureaucracy Francesco Matteucci, which is linked to what Francesca Bria said: in Europe we have scientists with a very high profile but little ability to download the research they do into reality. In countries like France they are further ahead, but also in Italy things are moving. CDP Venture Capital has activated seventeen throughout the country business accelerators so that startups can train, find investors and grow. And it invests on the basis of some main strands in technology transfer: robotics, life sciences and technologies for sustainability, aerospace, food production, artificial intelligence.
“Europe cannot only regulate digital, it must also create it”, concludes Francesca Bria. “Hence the investments of the Next Generation Eu you seem to 800 billion euros of which 20% is destined for digitization and the same for ecological transition. “A clear message to anyone who wants to start working, and create new jobs, to tackle climate change.