Innovation House has opened its doors! Over the next six months, it will join the world stage of Expo 2020 Dubai and showcase the finest ideas and innovations emerging from Lombardy.

The inauguration ceremony for Innovation House began at 11:00 o’clock on 07/10/21 at the Hotel InterContinental Dubai Marina. Andrea Sianesi, President of Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, welcomed the guests present and everyone connected from Italy via the Cisco Webex platform.

“We came up with the idea of creating an exclusive space for Italy’s leading region, an assembly point to give voice to Lombardy-made excellence”, Prof Sianesi explained.

Attending the ceremony were also Attilio Fontana, President of Regione Lombardia (the regional government of Lombardy) and several regional government officials, including Alan Christian Rizzi, Undersecretary with responsibility for relations with international delegations and Raffaele Cattaneo, Councillor for the Environment and Climate.

Attilio Fontana noted that “About a year ago, Prof. Resta, Rector of Politecnico di Milano, and Prof. Sianesi put forward the suggestion that we should take part in Expo Dubai with a totally unconventional project, thinking outside the box”. The objective was to exhibit and promote the organisations we represent. I didn’t think twice, and accepted with enthusiasm. We then thought of “Innovation House” as a showcase where companies could introduce themselves to the world”.

Ferruccio Resta, Rector of Politecnico di Milano, sent us a video in which he also stated: “Innovation House” is where the production world of Lombardy can display its many faces, its thoroughly unique companies, its tradition and its drive towards innovation. Innovation House is a stimulating meeting place and a forum for exchanging ideas”.

Attending the ceremony in live streaming were also our Platinum Sponsors Alessandro Spada, President of Assolombarda, Antonio Calabrò, Head of Institutional Affairs at Pirelli, and Roberto Crippa, Vice President of Technoprobe. Among the Platinum sponsoring companies that believed in Innovation House are also Banca Intesa with Maurizio Montagnese, President of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, and the design company Baiututi.

The ceremony was attended by the following representatives from the United Arab Emirates: Abdulla Al Saleh, Undersecretary for Foreign Trade at the UAE Ministry of Economy, and Mohammad BinHendi, Deputy Chairman of BinHendi Enterprises.

After cutting the ribbon, we held a round table discussion on best practices in the field of circular economy.

From 7 October 2021 to 31 March 2022, Innovation House will be the venue for an exciting series of events held on the 38th floor of the Hotel InterContinental Dubai Marina. Many initiatives relate to design and the promotion of tourism, and there will be a focus on innovative topics linked to energy transition and urban regeneration. One of the major events will be to present the 2026 Winter Olympics of Milan and Cortina.

We’re off and ready to roll! Find everything on Innovation House here