From November 4th to 7th at the Rimini Expo Centre, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia presents innovations for the circular economy and sustainable energy
From November 4th to 7th, 2025, the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) will participate in Ecomondo, Europe’s leading trade fair dedicated to the ecological transition and the circular economy, bringing to Rimini its latest technologies for environmental and industrial sustainability. IIT will be present with two exhibition spaces dedicated to different research areas.
The first space (Stand 213, Hall C2), set up together with Politecnico di Torino, will showcase the solutions developed by IIT’s Center for Sustainable Future Technologies (CSFT) in Turin. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore technologies ranging from CO₂ capture and valorization to the development of new materials for energy storage, from green hydrogen to biotechnological processes for resource recovery and reuse. The goal is to demonstrate how scientific research and industry can collaborate to create an innovative ecosystem capable of addressing global environmental challenges. During the fair, the public and companies will also be able to discover Eco-Red, a startup project aiming to transform CO₂ from waste into a valuable resource by converting it into carbon monoxide through an innovative patented electrochemical technology.
The second stand (located in the hall of the Innovation District) will host IIT’s Printed and Molecular Electronics, Smart Materials, and Bioinspired Soft Robotics research units, which explore new smart materials and printable devices for energy, sensing, and biomedical applications. Among the technologies on display will also be VERO (Vacuum-cleaner Equipped RObot), the quadruped robot developed by the Dynamic Legged Systems group, which combines artificial intelligence and robotics for sustainability purposes: thanks to an advanced computer vision system, VERO can recognize and selectively collect cigarette butts from the ground, supporting urban cleanliness and reducing pollution. All these activities fall under IIT’s Technologies for Sustainability Flagship program, a collaborative initiative that requires cross-disciplinary expertise and strong synergies among the Institute’s research Centers, united by a common goal: transforming pollutants into resources through efficient and sustainable production processes.
IIT’s participation in Ecomondo will also offer opportunities for dialogue with visitors.
Valeria Agostino, IIT researcher and coordinator of the European project GoodByO, will speak on Wednesday, November 5th at 3:30 PM in the Forum Area of the Italian Biogas Consortium (Stand 314, Pavilion D5), with a presentation on emerging frontiers in microbial fermentation for the production of biofuels and high-value-added compounds.
Fabrizio Pirri, coordinator of the Center for Sustainable Future Technologies, will participate on Friday, November 7th at 10:00 AM in the Innovation Arena in the panel “Green Jobs, Capital of the Future,” organized in collaboration with Unioncamere and ASviS, to discuss the role of sustainability as a strategic driver for Italy’s growth and the new professional profiles required by the green transition. During the fair, Fabrizio Tubertini, Head of IIT’s Industrial Liaison & Partnership Office, will serve as a jury member for the “Pitch Session with innovative EU funded SMEs & Start-Ups” (Sala Tulipano, Hall B6). The initiative, promoted by the European Innovation Council (EIC), will feature a selection of European SMEs and startups developing green and circular technologies.
Throughout the event, IIT will also offer a program dedicated to schools, with activities designed to engage students in topics related to research and sustainability:
Robots and artificial intelligence for sustainability
Artificial intelligence and robotics can work together to support humans in complex tasks, as demonstrated by the VERO robot. IIT researchers will show the robot in action and illustrate its contribution to urban sustainability.
Duration: 20 minutes, available on November 4th at 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 5:00 PM.
Microorganisms and metals: how biotechnology transforms waste into resources
Green biotechnologies offer innovative solutions for recovering valuable materials from electronic waste. The Mobi – Microbial Ore Bioleaching project, developed at Politecnico di Torino and integrated into IIT’s “Technologies for Sustainability Flagship” program, demonstrates how certain bacteria can extract metals such as copper, gold, and nickel from discarded phones through bioleaching processes, providing an ecological alternative to traditional chemical methods.
Duration: 30 minutes, available on November 4 th at 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM.
