We presented for the first time The Idea Factory already in no. 17 of MAIN News (Spring 2015) and then again in n. 18, when we had the opportunity to present the project in the evocative scenario of the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento.
The Factory of Ideas had full recognition and wide visibility during the recent seventh edition of the Festival of Science and Philosophy held in Foligno (PG) from 27 to 30 April.
The Festival is an event brilliantly organized by Prof. Pierluigi Mingarelli and a group of his collaborators. This year, more than 140 high level scientific and philosophical conferences took place, a lot of teaching and dissemination activities, an entire city mobilized for this event with tens of thousands of participants from all over Italy.
The Factory of Ideas in Foligno was opened on April 28 during a round table coordinated by Fabio Faltoni, CEO of EBM – Bio Medical Electronics in Foligno and attended by Prof. Roberto Battiston, President of ASI – Italian Space Agency, Prof. Massimo Inguscio, President of the CNR and Dr. Vincenzo Boccia, President of Confindustria.
Debates were held at the presence of a large audience of students, teachers and citizens about how to bring together companies and high school students in order to carry out innovation projects.
Right after this remarkable introduction, it was up to me and to Mariano Gattafoni, President of the Umbria Biomedical Cluster, to explain how the project will be developed.
A selected group of about thirty students from the Umbrian high schools of Foligno, Terni, Fabriano and Perugia attending the 3rd and 4th grade and divided into groups of 4-5 students, will be working together to develop an innovation project for one of the companies belonging to the Biomedical Cluster. The companies that are currently available are Angelantoni Life Science, RPA, EBM, BTree and Pragma Engineering. Others will join along the route.
The schedule of activities was ilustrated to all the students, assisted by teachers and company tutors; we started explaining what innovation is, how it is realized and finally how it is managed concretely in the business environment.
This project, carried out within the scope of the school-work program provided for by the Ministry of Education, will be diluted over one year. In April 2018, during the next Festival, the students will present the innovation projects they will have completed, their experience and the acquired skills.
It will be an intense year with lots of activities for students, teachers and tutors. However, as we hope, things will be fine, we will be rewarded with great satisfaction and interesting multiplying effects!
