At We Make Future 2025 (WMF), Italy’s premier festival of innovation, EIT Digital will take centre stage from June 4–6 in Bologna with a robust presence designed to represent the full depth of its ecosystem. Positioned as “The Gateway to Digital Europe”, the EIT Digital booth will offer an immersive journey into the continent’s digital future.
The booth (Hall 21, B20-A17) is divided into three thematic zones: Startups & Innovation, Education & Talent Development, EU Projects & Public Impact.
Among the featured startups, DOTS offers a modular IoT platform for smart-tracking solutions, emphasizing user-friendly applications in mobility and safety sectors. Billd, a green fintech startup, utilizes AI to analyze big data from digital receipts, providing insights into offline market trends. Levels specializes in generative AI, offering platforms that streamline safety compliance in construction and automate the analysis of procurement documents, significantly reducing processing times.
EIT Digital's educational initiatives are also prominently showcased. The EIT Digital Master School offers double-degree programs combining technical education with entrepreneurial training. Notably, the EMAI4EU program focuses on Emotion AI, training specialists to develop AI systems that understand and respond to human emotions, enhancing human-computer interactions. The RESCHIP4EU program aims to reinforce skills in embedded systems design, covering aspects from silicon to smart, safety-critical applications, addressing Europe's need for expertise in chip design.
Complementing these are the SPIN programs, designed for researchers and scientists. SPIN: Explore is a 9-hour online course introducing foundational business skills to help researchers transition their innovations to the market. SPIN: Rise is a three-month hybrid pre-incubation program that bridges the gap between research and entrepreneurship, fostering innovative thinking and commercialization strategies.
The EIT HEI Initiative aims to boost innovation and entrepreneurship capacity in higher education institutions by fostering collaboration between academia, industry, and research organizations, while EIT Digital's TalentGateway is an AI-powered recruitment platform that connects companies with a pool of digitally skilled professionals, including graduates from the Master School and participants of the (d)Academy. The platform streamlines the hiring process by matching candidates' skills with employers' needs, ensuring efficient and effective recruitment.
EIT Digital's involvement in EU-funded projects is another highlight. CyberSecDome is an advanced platform integrating digital twins, AI-based security tools, and virtual reality interfaces to enhance cybersecurity through collaborative responses and real-time threat analysis. The DIPS project aims to accelerate the digital transformation of public services and SMEs by providing services like 'test before invest,' skills training, access to finance, and innovation ecosystems.
MIA Lombardia focuses on guiding Lombardy's manufacturing industry through digital and sustainable transitions by offering services such as technical audits, training, access to financing, and technology scouting.
Federico Menna, CEO of EIT Digital, will take part in two panels. The first one will be a discussion with the Mayor of Bologna, Matteo Lepore and the Director of External Affairs for Philip Morris Italy, Michele Samoggia, moderated by RAI journalist Barbara Carfagna. In the second one, “The Future of Europe”, Menna will interact with CINECAìs president Francesco Ubertini, Andrea Pagnin Head of Innovation and Development Office of the IIT and Antonino Rotolo, Law Full Professor at the University of Bologna.
EIT Digital's comprehensive participation in WMF 2025 reflects its dedication to shaping Europe's digital future through a synergistic approach that combines education, innovation, and entrepreneurship. By integrating startups, educational programs, and EU-funded projects, EIT Digital continues to play a pivotal role in advancing Europe's position in the global digital arena.
