Innovation Circus 2008 in Milan

The second Innovation Circus was held from 4 to 12 October in Milan's city centre. It was a success for the organisers and public authorities involved, both in terms of participants (with over 30 000 certified visitors) and the quality of the activities over the nine-day programme.

The event was supported and promoted by the Lombardy Region, the Chamber of Commerce, the City and the Province of Milan, and organised by Alintec (which is the result of Politecnico Innovazione and Assotec merging, with activities in the field of Innovation and Technology Transfer) in cooperation with the main universities in Milan, Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, Assolombarda and the Agricultural Research Council (CRA).  Many industries (among them 3M, Dassault, ST, Kodak, and Oregon Scientific) with a strong focus on innovation had a part in sponsoring the Innovation Circus or expressed their interest in doing so in the future.

Building upon the 'innovation week' format piloted in 2007 by the Innovation Circus project, an INNO-Action, the idea behind the Innovation Circus is to set up a framework to reach and capture the widest possible audience, from schoolchildren to pensioners and from laymen to highly skilled professionals, to convey the idea that innovation is a main driver of progress for society and individuals, and that being innovative means enjoying life.

To this end, the Innovation Circus addressed different segments of the public through an exhibition showcasing some of the most imaginative and eye-catching novelties from research and industry in an open space set up the city centre. The activities included happenings, talk shows in the centre of 'Galleria Vittorio Emanuele', theatre performances, taster attractions, open laboratories, and more formal events like workshops and seminars, with each day focusing on a different strategic topic such as food, energy and transport, architecture and design, economy, communication and leisure.

Another goal accomplished by the project, less visible to the public but important nonetheless, was to set up a platform where relevant stakeholders could meet and discuss innovation strategies, notably in view of the Universal Expo that will take place in 2015 in Milan, where innovation will play a major role.

The Milan Innovation Circus 2008 brought over 30 000 visitors to the exhibition while 700 people attended the theatre performances. More than 1 000 people participated in conferences, laboratories, and meetings; and 2 500 people watched the shows. The activities featured 130 companies, associations and universities and featured 125 keynote speakers.

For more information and to get a flavour of this exciting event, please visit the website.