Acireale/Catania,February 2018: Free Mind Foundry, the largest Innovation Hub in Southern Italy, stands out as key technological driver for future sustainable growth

Free Mind Foundry (FMF), the hub where ideas become reality, is raising significant attention and interest across the institutional, academic and social environments, both at local and national level. Innovation and collaboration go hand in hand in this technological campus, which is populated with many digital companies specialized in different fields of cutting-edge technologies, both software & hardware, IoT & Big Data, renewable energy management, computer graphics & gaming, cloud computing and machine learning.

After only six months from its opening, Free Mind Foundry has already hosted important events, conferences and workshops addressing the largest public, from kids and young talents to start-uppers, entrepreneurs and managers. But, above all, the innovation hub has become a synergic place that fosters dialogue and initiatives among everyone embraces the digital transformation and wants to build a new sustainable economy for our country.

 

In the recent weeks, many academic members have visited the innovation hub, such as the Dean of Catania University, researchers and professors, moved by the aim to implementing new educational and development programs that enable a stronger university-industry interaction. Stimulating technological curiosity, entrepreneurial mind-sets, transversal skills and creativity are the core of the collaboration born between Free Mind Foundry and the academic world.

Relevant Italian political institutions have paid attention to the positive changes driven by FMF, such as the Chamber of Commerce and the National Labour Commission that consider the campus as a valuable bridge between the new challenges of the Industry 4.0 and technological developments. Also, the Vice-President of the Italian Deputies’ Chamber, Mr. Luigi Di Maio has met the dynamic reality of Free Mind Foundry. During his visit at the Innovation Hub, he has highlighted the importance to support this kind of campus with accelerator programmes that help entrepreneurs to develop and grow their ideas and projects. As remarked by Mr. Di Maio, this is possible by cultivating a culture of collaboration between innovators, academics and institutions to create a solid network that spreads knowledge, delivers tangible results and drives future growth.

“We are delighted to receive such growing attention and interest at many institutional levels. In a future that is clearly digital, our innovation hub will continue to work side-by-side with public and private actors in collaborative innovation journeys in order to identify and anticipate game-changing solutions, market and technology trends, along with crucial partnership with Schools and Universities to widespread such a culture and technicalities to face new competencies’ demand”, proudly affirms Dr. Eng. Simone Massaro, Co-founder of Free Mind Foundry and CEO of BaxEnergy.