From December 10 to 12, Rome will host the General Conference of the FAIR – Future Artificial Intelligence Research project, funded by the PNRR and dedicated to advancing next-generation Artificial Intelligence.
For three days, the Italian AI scientific community will gather at the Precise House Hotel Mantegna (Via Mantegna 130, Rome) to share the results achieved since the project’s launch in January 2023. The conference combines scientific insight and public engagement, placing scientists and their discoveries, as well as companies and their technology transfer initiatives, at its core. It will also bring together institutions and policymakers who, every day, contribute to shaping the current landscape and future perspectives of Artificial Intelligence in Italy.
The event programme
The conference opens on Wednesday, December 10, following the introduction by Giuseppe De Pietro, President of the FAIR Foundation, and Marta Rapallini, Program Manager of the Foundation, with an opening session streamed live on ansa.it and hosted by journalist Alessio Jacona, titled “AI for the Future of Italy.”
Following the opening remarks delivered by Maria Alessandra Gallone, the Advisor to the Minister of University and Research, the President of the FAIR Foundation Giuseppe De Pietro, and the Chair of the Foundation’s Technical-Scientific Committee Marco Conti will present the project’s key figures and achievements, as well as the future outlook for AI research in Italy; Gianluigi Greco (Rector, University of Calabria) e Mario Nobile (Directorate-General, AgID) will outline the Italian AI Strategy for 2026–2027 and its implementation; Anna Corrado (Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport) and Paolo Traverso (Fondazione Bruno Kessler) will present two artificial intelligence projects aimed at driving innovation in public administration; Rita Cucchiara (Rector, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia) and Nicolò Cesa-Bianchi (University of Milan) will focus on the value of AI education, from advanced doctoral training to literacy in primary and secondary schools; finally the Undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Alberto Barachini, Laura Lunghi (Intesa Sanpaolo) and Paolo Soda (University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome) will engage in a discussion on a critical and pressing issue: the management of sensitive data in healthcare, the banking sector, and publishing, balancing the demands of privacy and copyright.
Thursday, December 11 will focus on the relationship between artificial intelligence research and industry. The morning will open with an Industry Panel hosted by journalist Massimo Sebastiani (ANSA), featuring leading voices from the industrial sector: following a message from the Minister for Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, the session will feature reflections on post-PNRR strategies by Giuseppe De Pietro (President of FAIR) and Fabrizio Cobis (Ministry of University and Research), while Franco Prampolini, Head of Advanced Industry Solutions at Lutech, Fabio Tedoldi, Head of Global R&D at Bracco, and Stefano Spaggiari, founder of Expert.ai (all partner companies of the Foundation), will present the artificial intelligence projects developed within FAIR and share their vision of the “Italian approach to AI.”
Nicoletta Amodio (Head of Research and Innovation, Confindustria), Luca Iaia (AI Task Force, CNA), and Angelo Bruscino (Confapi) will instead provide the perspective of industry associations on how artificial intelligence can drive innovation and create value for SMEs.
Throughout the day, the results of projects developed by 26 companies that benefited from FAIR’s technology transfer calls (with €11.8 million allocated to businesses across the country) will also be presented.
The programme will also feature the FAIR Acceleration Program, designed to enhance spin-off ideas from FAIR researchers and developed in collaboration with I3P, the incubator of the Politecnico di Torino, with the final project pitches showcased.
The conference’s scientific programme is extensive and multifaceted: 17 parallel thematic sessions will explore FAIR’s core research areas, spanning both foundational and applied domains—from advanced machine learning to generative models, from explainable and human-centered AI to key application fields such as healthcare, robotics, green mobility, and educational technologies.
Dedicated sessions will also address ethics and regulation, as well as methodologies to improve the energy and environmental efficiency of AI systems, highlighting numerous interdisciplinary perspectives. Particular attention will be given to early-career researchers and PhD candidates from the National PhD in AI, who will take center stage in the poster sessions held throughout the conference.
The conference will conclude on Friday, December 12, with closing remarks by Andrea Lenzi, President of the National Research Council (CNR), followed by a panel on the future of the Foundation beyond the PNRR, a keynote by international machine learning expert Samuel Kaski (ELLIS), and final remarks delivered by Nobel Laureate Giorgio Parisi.
At the General Conference, 26 of the 76 companies involved in the so-called “cascade calls” will present their results. These companies have benefited from a total of €11.8 million in funding to develop their projects in collaboration with the academic and research partners within the FAIR ecosystem.
The wide range of solutions emerging from the projects presented at the Rome conference highlights a creative, cross-cutting and strategic use of AI to address contemporary challenges across multiple domains.
Healthcare stands out as a key area, with decision-support systems ranging from drug prescription to assisted diagnosis of complex diseases, as well as the optimization of hospital processes. In the field of sustainability and the environment, artificial intelligence is applied to integrated optimization in agrivoltaic systems, adaptive air quality management, and the logistics and waste management sectors.
Attention also extends to safety and logistics solutions, including advanced systems for autonomous drones and rovers designed for monitoring and exploration, as well as the implementation of predictive maintenance in industry. Projects focused on inclusion and accessibility are equally significant, with the development of assisted navigation systems for people with visual impairments, alongside applications in tourism, human resources, and workplace safety.
The following companies will present their projects in Rome:
- DG Twin S.r.l. – RAYS-Real-time AI driven Yield optimization in agrivoltaics Systems
- Agilae S.r.l. e Pura Digital S.r.l. – MUSEA
- Dahlia S.r.l. e Qwince Innovation S.r.l. – SICURA
- Truesense S.r.l. – AI-GUIDE- Sistema di guida in tempo reale per persone con disabilità tramite UWB Ranging e Radar
- Protom – AIR-CARE – Artificial Intelligence Reinforced – Climate and Air Quality Regulation Engine e LEONIDA – Leveraging Evasive Operation for Neutral and Intelligent Decision-making Algorithms
- Spindox S.p.A. – TL-IA-LOC
- IINFORMATICA SRL – VIH – Visual impaired hat
- Martec S.r.l. – Logogramma srl – SymAIbot – The SAIRS framework: Symbiotic AI for Robotics in Industrial Settings
- LATITUDO 40 S.r.l. – YOUBIQUO S.r.l. – VISTA – Vision-based Intelligent System for Tactical Autonomy
- Fervento S.r.l. – NATBOOK – Agente AI per il Turismo: Interazione naturale per la prenotazione di hotel e la scoperta di POI
- DEIX S.r.l. – INTEGRA – INtegrative AI Technologies for Ergonomic Guidance and Risk Assessment
- Compolab S.r.l. – SAFEGUARD – Sensor-based Analysis for Fire Emergency Guidance and User Assistance in Real-time Detection
- Kayrhos S.r.l. – SOLARIS – Solar Optimization and Lifecycle Automated Robust Integration System
- Intellico S.r.l. – SHIFT-AI – Scheduling with Human-centered Innovation Facilitating Theather optimizazion with AI
- Geckosoft S.r.l. – Human Centered RAG
- VT Solutions & Consulting – HUMAN GAME – HUman resource MANagement and allocation, GAmified Matching and Expertise optimization
- Kode S.r.l. – BigBox – From Black Box to Glass Box: A Framework for Developing Explainable AI Solutions
- Centro Delta S.r.l. – FEDERATED-COSMETICS – Federated Learning for Dermocosmetic Treatments on Multi-Device Platforms
- OPTIT S.r.l. – MILA – Hybrid Models for Intelligent Decision-Making in Logistics and the Environment
- Planetek Italia – SAI4EO – Symbiotic Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation
- DUNE S.r.l. – wAIse – Wide Application of Intelligent Systems for Equipment
- PI SCHOOL SRL – VIDEOLOC – Improved video localization processes