Bicocca Pavilion is the new innovation house of the University of Milan-Bicocca. It is a newly completed building in the context of BiM (Bicocca meets Milan) , the urban regeneration project in Bicocca that is transforming an iconic building into a state-of-the-art work destination with spaces for wellness, culture and sociality, business services and a large green area.
On the first floor, the Bicocca Pavilion houses Fondazione Bicocca-Innovation Hub, a new innovation ecosystem in the Milan-Bicocca district, first announced in June 2024 and born from the collaboration between Fondazione Bicocca, a non-profit organisation created to promote partnerships between the University of Milan-Bicocca and private entities, and the university itself. The aim of the Innovation Hub is to foster synergies between business and academia, supporting the development of ideas, projects and start-ups with a high social impact, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and technology transfer, and becoming a centre of excellence for social innovation.
The Bicocca Pavilion is located at Viale Piero e Alberto Pirelli 10, inside the new green square of BiM, symbolically situated between the headquarters and the historical premises of the University of Milan-Bicocca. Designed by the architecture studio Piuarch, the space is part of the redevelopment project promoted by Aermont Capital, a pan-European asset management company with a focus on real estate, and Kervis, an asset management company, together with Manifattura as project management and placemaking of the Aermont Group, which is managing the process.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new multifunctional space took place in the presence of the Rector of Milano-Bicocca and President of MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action, Giovanna Iannantuoni, the President of Fondazione Bicocca and Vice Rector of the University, Marco Orlandi the university’s pro-rector for research enhancement, Salvatore Torrisi, the managing director of Aermont Capital, Giovanni Manfredi, the partner head of investment management of Kervis, Giancarlo Patri, and Giancarlo Tancredi, councillor for Urban Regeneration of the Municipality of Milan.
Fondazione Bicocca-Innovation Hub aims to support companies in the valorisation of prototypes, the creation of products and services and the training of personnel, through collaboration with the university’s unique assets, such as its research infrastructure, community of talents, students, doctoral students, researchers, expertise and patent portfolio. Founded on public-private collaboration, the project focuses on five thematic areas: transitionservices and technologies to reduce environmental impact and promote responsible resource management, water resources, circular economy, urban innovation; material scienceresearch, development and application of new advanced, biodegradable and nanomaterials to improve performance and sustainability in various sectors such as textiles, automotive, design; lifescience e healthcare: services and technologies for health prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, innovations to improve quality of life; social innovationsolutions and models to respond to emerging social needs; artificial intelligencedigital technologies such as automation, IoT and 3D printing to optimise production processes towards greater flexibility and sustainability.
The services of the Innovation Hub that will connect the University of Milano-Bicocca, BiM, Fondazione Bicocca, member companies and the university’s talent community will be aimed at foster technology and business development, creating opportunities for growth and technology transfer; conduct activities aimed at the valorisation of prototypes and the creation of the first examples of solutions or products to be developed; promote activities to support the innovation strategy and the market entry of products and/or services; enhance the skills of companies through the provision of practical and specialised courses of their internal resources and/or the search for talent pertaining to the University; offer spaces, classrooms and rooms for co-working and for the organisation of events; facilitate access to financing tools suited to the needs of start-ups and innovation projects.
The inauguration ceremony was the occasion to launch the first initiative of the Fondazione Bicocca – Innovation Hub, a call4idea addressed to the community of the University of Milan-Bicocca, to propose project ideas of possible interest to the companies participating in the project. A panel of expert evaluators will select the projects of greatest interest and with good development potential, and the selected candidates will be involved in a hackathon, to be held in the coming months, at the end of which the most promising solutions will be launched.
In addition to the headquarters of Fondazione Bicocca-Innovation Hub, located on the first floor, the Bicocca Pavilion houses BiM’s cafeteria restaurant, Pavilion – sips&bites by Fuorimano, on the ground floor, in a multifunctional space designed by Paola Navone, OTTO Studio that includes a lounge, a flexible study and work area and an arena for hosting events, talks and conferences.
In the basement of the Bicocca Pavilion, there is a 200-seat auditorium, a gymnasium and a bicycle shed, as well as a car park with over 500 parking spaces.
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