For the 2025 edition of We Make Future, held in Bologna on the 4-6 of June, INSME Secretariat General, Giovanni Zazzerini, was invited as a speaker to the event. This annual event spreads knowledge about technology, AI, and digital innovation. WMF is a global platform focused on innovation, technology, and digital transition, operating as an international fair and festival.
The Italian youtuber Marcello Ascani was the moderator during INSME’s Secretary General’s panel, where he spoke alongside Dario Pagani, Vice president of COTEC Innovation Foundation and Dario Costantini, President of CNA – The Italian National Confederation for Artisans and SMEs, who spoke about how innovation, in SMEs, stems from real needs and is translated into simple, sustainable tools, connected to the local territories and thus to the real lives of the people and entrepreneurs of today and tomorrow.
Zazzerini suggested that SMEs, especially in Europe, are good at generating ideas, yet not enough to convert them into products. Proof of this is that just a third of the granted patents in the university world become actual, tangible goods that are profitable on the market. Regarding this topic, Zazzerini’s pointed out that while investing in R&D is crucial, it is not enough to invest only in research, also the investigation on possible application of the research and market access should be financed.
WMF was an opportunity to reiterate that small and medium-sized enterprises represent not only the backbone of the Italian production system, but also a potential driver of innovation, if put in a position to collaborate with large companies, research centers and startups. Pagani (COTEC) stressed the urgency of overcoming operational isolation and fostering contamination between different realities. Joining forces, competencies and visions can really accelerate change and make technological transition more inclusive and sustainable
Source: INSME Secretariat
