On January 31, 2025, the Mediterranean Technopole for Sustainable Development, known as the “Technopole,” was officially launched in Taranto. The governance appointment was formalized by the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and the Minister of Economy, Giancarlo Giorgetti, initiating the activities of the center.

As stated in its charter, the Technopole aims to be a hub for knowledge and research development, technological and scientific progress, innovation valorization, the use of renewable energy sources, circular economy practices, and tools to promote the country’s sustainable growth and enhance the competitiveness of the national production system, establishing a concrete example of public-private partnership.

Established through the 2019 Budget Law, the Mediterranean Technopole is part of the national strategy for research and innovation. It will complement two other already active hubs: the National Center for Artificial Intelligence in Turin and Chips.IT in Pavia. With its operational launch, Taranto enters an international dimension, becoming a laboratory for the future of sustainable industry and decarbonization.

Since the project’s inception, AISEC – the Italian Association for the Development of the Circular Economy – has participated as a key interlocutor. In collaboration with CNEL and the Lazzati Cultural Institute of Taranto, AISEC has promoted multiple discussion meetings on the topic, engaging prominent figures from the political and institutional world as well as business leaders. The goal has been to foster synergies that materialize the government’s commitment to establishing and making the Technopole Foundation operational.

AISEC President, Dr. Eleonora Rizzuto, has strongly believed in the importance of the debate surrounding the creation of the Technopole in Taranto, considering it a crucial lever for the revitalization of the Apulian city and the entire country. The Technopole’s function can only be fulfilled through the participation of multiple stakeholders, including businesses, government authorities, associations, research institutions, and universities, united by the common goal of protecting the territory and its inhabitants while safeguarding natural resources with a medium- to long-term perspective.

During the discussion sessions, AISEC played a pivotal role in the establishment of the Technopole, coordinating contributions from some of Italy’s leading companies, such as Maire Tecnimont/Nextchem, Ferrero, Technip Italy Direzione Lavori, Greenthesis Group, Falk Renewables Group, and announcing the creation of a permanent working group among interested businesses.

AISEC has also summarized the potential benefits and opportunities for Taranto and the broader territory, its residents, and the entire Italian system, emphasizing:

  • Strengthening the region in terms of sustainable development, circular economy, and economic growth;
  • Enhancing innovation, renewable energy sources, and circular economy tools to promote sustainable regional growth and improve the competitiveness of the production system;
  • Valuing collaboration and interdependence among stakeholders, including businesses, government authorities, associations, research institutions, and universities;
  • Reinforcing public-private partnerships;
  • Overcoming social and economic inequalities through the use of government investments and resources allocated by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR);
  • Highlighting the role of new generations as key actors in change and transformation;
  • Utilizing natural resources from the territories to create new green circular districts.

Furthermore, the creation of the Integrated Development Contract (CIS) for the Taranto area would have a significant positive impact, attracting public investments aimed at economic and social revitalization through reclamation and redevelopment projects. Consequently, the Technopole could facilitate the redeployment of workers from the former ILVA plant into new strategic sectors, contributing to the definition of a new, sustainable, and innovative Blue Economy.

The Technopole Foundation is chaired by Professor Antonio Messeni Petruzzelli, a full professor of Economic-Managerial Engineering at the Polytechnic University of Bari. It is led by Andrea Alunni, an expert in technology transfer with experience in Oxford and Brussels, who serves as the Secretary General. The foundation aspires to make the Technopole a reference point for applied research, aiming to merge industrial development with environmental sustainability.

The Board of Directors will include Lorenzo Ferrara, President of the Environmental and Reuse Industrial District of Taranto, Antonio Felice Uricchio, a professor at the University of Bari and currently President of ANVUR (National Agency for the Evaluation of the University and Research System), lawyer Leonardo Conserva, and Maddalena Vietti Niclot, a commissioner of the Technical Commission for Environmental Impact Assessment at the Ministry of the Environment.