On May 2, the Marco Polo Building at Sapienza University of Rome, will host RomeCup, a three-day multi-event dedicated to robotics and life sciences with a wide range of appointments: competitions, labs, creative contests, hackathons, orientations sessions, role modelling sessions and inspirational talks.
Once again, the young men and women participating in the event will be introduced to the future by Lazio Innova, the in-house company of the Regione Lazio that “promotes a new business model, a renewed business culture that includes innovation and digital tools not as frontiers, but as normality for enterprise.” In this interview by Alberta Testa, President Nicola Tasco explains how Lazio Innova interprets the value of innovation.
What drove you to become a partner of RomeCup 2022?
Lazio Innova has always aimed to promote youth and start-ups in Lazio. The policy of the Regione Lazio focuses on youth as they represent our hope in a better future.
European investments will allow us to accelerate essential processes and reforms on issues such as innovation, technology and digitalisation, in line with the new framework period 2021-27 and provide our youth with new educational opportunities and jobs.
The cultural and creative industries sector of our region is excellent, but it also provides a great opportunity for growth and competitive development for the entire country.
Rome Cup is an important appointment. It is an opportunity for meeting and exchanging novelties and new proposals that arrive from makers and innovators. It is an opportunity for debate to understand how important it is to continue promoting the innovation and creativity of our extraordinary local talent, connecting schools, research centres, companies, universities and institutions. And this is why we focus, and will continue to do so, on high school students. It is thanks to their precious support that we will provide concrete innovative solutions to the challenges of our times.
A videogame to contrast fake news, a cultural event dedicated to wearable technology and a robotic prototype that thanks to 5G helps the most fragile users. These are the challenges that Lazio Innova launches to the students at RomeCup2022. How come you decided to focus on gaming, fashion and robotics?
We believe that innovation is a fundamental value for a fair and inclusive sustainable development, even in emerging sectors such as gaming and robotics. As a regional institution we work to promote and network the extraordinary ideas and creativity of makers and start-ups in enterprise, research, schools and universities in Lazio with the agencies that promote innovation and training.
The “Startupper School Academy” is a fundamental programme. It has reached its 7th edition. Its fundamental objectives are to promote talent, innovation, enterprise and creativity in the schools of the Lazio Region through a network of Fab Labs and Active Spaces.
Moreover, we focus on the challenges that address sustainability and social inclusion, robotics, 5G and aerospace through specialised innovation labs addressing the world of fashion and entertainment, gaming, and social issues.
How do events like RomeCup introduce young students to what we may define as the jobs of the future?
RomeCup provides us with the opportunity to support our youth, but also to promote a new business model, a renewed enterprise model including innovation and digital tools not as frontiers, but as a normal mode of production.
Thanks to the Lazio Fab Labs and Active Spaces, we are constantly committed to involving new talent and individuals who wish to do business with new digital technology. We want to create new opportunities for MPMI, start-ups, students and citizens with our digital labs and skills, with tutors and mentors who daily monitor the development of new projects.
Our Fab Labs provide advanced training and assistance not only to prototype objects but also to engineer the entire productive process. This is a one-to-one consulting and mentoring service that is completely free and available to anyone who needs support.
