The future of business is increasingly shaped by innovation and artificial intelligence. This will be the core focus of the 13th edition of the Italian Innovation Festival (InnovAzioni), the premier national innovation event organized by Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico. Taking place on October 22–23, 2026, at the historic Aurum in Pescara, Italy, the festival will kick off with welcoming remarks from the hosting industrial association’s top leadership, President Lorenzo Dattoli and General Director Luigi Di Giosaffatte. Under this year’s theme, “Intelligent Business: AI Agents and New Decision-Making Models,” the two-day event will transform Pescara into the central hub for Italy’s innovation ecosystem, bringing together companies, startups, researchers, and students to explore how AI is redefining corporate operations and long-term strategies.
The festival boasts an impressive lineup of high-profile speakers distributed across international panels and keynote addresses. Highlights from the opening day include a major institutional address by Emanuele Orsini, President of Confindustria, alongside a keynote speech by TIM CEO Pietro Labriola on infrastructure and digital transition.
A central feature of the first day will be the active participation of Fabio De Furia, President of the Miami Scientific Italian Community and Star Italia Accelerator. Delivering the keynote speech “From Research to Enterprise: Building Bridges Between Italy and the US Innovation Ecosystem,” De Furia will share his extensive expertise in research, technology transfer, and academic and economic relations between Italy and the United States.
The international conversation expands further with discussions on European technological sovereignty led by Leonard Cox of Horkos Partners, cross-border cooperation highlighting ties between Europe and Lebanon, and the role of AI in public administration presented by Italy’s Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT). Additionally, the shifting dynamics of productivity and workplace organizations will be examined by leading academics and executives, including Canva Italy Country Manager Matteo Borsa.
Grounding these technological advancements in ethics, the first day will conclude with a profound reflection by H.E. Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco on the vital balance between emerging technologies and human-centric values.
Beyond high-level debates, the festival serves as a vibrant platform for competition and talent development. The traditional “Innovation Champions” contest will see twenty finalists from small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and university spin-offs hit the stage to present their breakthrough ideas in fast-paced, five-minute pitches. The event also strongly emphasizes future generations through the 9th annual Innovation Hackathon and a brand-new award category dedicated to Abruzzo’s higher technical institutes (ITS), reinforcing the essential link between specialized education and the business world.
The festival will wrap up on Friday, October 23, with an official awards ceremony featuring Confindustria General Director Luigi Di Giosaffatte, representatives from the PescarAbruzzo Foundation, and FIRA, with formal closing remarks delivered by President Lorenzo Dattoli.
Program:
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Aurum Pescara – D’Annunzio Hall
Presented by: Evelina Frisa, journalist
Moderated by: Luca Telese, Director of the newspaper “Il Centro”
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- 13:45 PARTICIPANTS REGISTRATION
- 14:15 – 19:00 EVENT PROCEEDINGS
INSTITUTIONAL GREETINGS
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- Carlo Masci – Mayor of Pescara
INTRODUCTION
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- Lorenzo Dattoli – President of Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico
PRESENTATION OF CONTEST FINALIST PROJECTS
SME AND STARTUP INNOVATION CHAMPIONS – ROUND 1
Presentation of the Open InnovAtion Labs project and the Jury
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- With Luigi Di Giosaffatte, General Director of Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico
INSTITUTIONAL ADDRESS
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- Emanuele Orsini – President of Confindustria
PANEL DISCUSSION
AI Agents and Decision Intelligence for Industrial Competitiveness
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- Valentina Buttaroni – Microsoft Sales Lead Italy, Spain, Portugal
- Giammaria De Paulis – Entrepreneur and science communicator
- Riccardo Di Nisio – Data Scientist, CEO of Diskover Srl
- Leonardo D’Onofrio – CEO & Co-Founder of e-Group Italy
EUROPEAN INNOVATION AND COOPERATION IN THE ERA OF AI AGENTS
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- Fabrice Le Saché – Vice President of MEDEF with responsibility for Europe
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Aurum Pescara – D’Annunzio Hall
KEYNOTE SPEECH
Innovation and Connections for the Country’s Competitiveness
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- Pietro Labriola – Special Advisor for Digital Transition at Confindustria and CEO of TIM
FROM RESEARCH TO ENTERPRISE
Building Bridges Between Italy and the US Innovation Ecosystem
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- Fabio De Furia – President of Miami Scientific Italian Community and President of Star Italia Accelerator
PRESENTATION OF CONTEST FINALIST PROJECTS
SME AND STARTUP INNOVATIONS – ROUND 2
Opportunities for Startups and Internationalization
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- Lidia Schwarz – Senior Operations & Communication Manager at INNOVIT
SPECIAL ADDRESS
Innovation and Human Centricity: A Perspective for the Future
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- H.E. Card. Angelo Bagnasco – Archbishop Emeritus of Genoa, former President of CEI (Italian Episcopal Conference)
Friday, October 23, 2026
Aurum Pescara – D’Annunzio Hall
Presented and moderated by: Evelina Frisa, journalist
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- 09:00 PARTICIPANTS REGISTRATION
- 09:15 – 13:00 EVENT PROCEEDINGS
INSTITUTIONAL GREETINGS
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- Massimo Cesarino – President of the Innovative Services Section, Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico
- Mattia Travaglini – Vice President of Young Entrepreneurs, Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico
- Gennaro Strever – President of the Chieti Pescara Chamber of Commerce
- Antonella Ballone – President of the Gran Sasso d’Italia Chamber of Commerce
ITALY AND LEBANON
Building the Future of Innovation Together
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- Albert Aoun – President of Lebitalia – Lebanese Italian Business Council; Chairman & CEO, IFP Group
INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE
AI, Technological Sovereignty, and Competitiveness: The European Challenge
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- Leonard Cox – Senior Advisor & Executive Partner at Horkos Partners
AI AGENTS FOR ENTERPRISES
Between Global Ecosystems and Capitals
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- Andrea Riva – Head of Open Innovation at Crédit Agricole Italia
- Mirko Rocci – Head of Open Innovation CTS at Abruzzo Aerospace District (DAAB) and Technologist at Thales Alenia Space
- Andrea Savi – Senior Regulatory Development Manager at Janus Henderson; Co-founder of Flyber Aerospace Composites
Friday, October 23, 2026
Aurum Pescara – D’Annunzio Hall
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS A WORK ALLY:
AI Agents for Efficiency, Speed, and Public Value
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- Donatella Proto – Directorate-General for New Enabling Technologies – MIMIT (Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy)
PANEL DISCUSSION
AI Agents and Productivity: How Work and Organizations Are Changing
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- Matteo Borsa – Country Manager at Canva Italy
- Marco Giorgino – Full Professor of Financial Institutions and Markets at Politecnico di Milano, President of Nedcommunity
- Ruben Razzante – Professor of Information Law at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan and President of Polisophia – Community for Responsible Innovation
AWARDS CEREMONY
“SME / START-UP / SPIN-OFF INNOVATION CHAMPIONS” AND “ITS ABRUZZO INNOVATIONS”
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- With:
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- Giovanni Brugnoli – President of the Foundation for Enterprises and Skills for Made in Italy
- Nicola Mattoscio – President of the PescarAbruzzo Foundation
- Giacomo D’Ignazio – President of FIRA
- Luigi Di Giosaffatte – General Director of Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico
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- With:
CONCLUSIONS
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- Lorenzo Dattoli – President of Confindustria Abruzzo Medio Adriatico
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
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- Main Sponsor: Audi Pasquarelli Auto, Crédit Agricole, Dataone Technology for Innovation
- In Partnership: Fondazione PescarAbruzzo (sharing innovation)
- Golden Sponsor: Era Group, Gi Group, Selmec (ideas become real), SIA Servizi Integrati
- Silver Sponsor: Edenred, P&P Profili Aziendali & Partners
- Bronze Sponsor: Cericola S.p.A., Iocco, Istituto Acustico Maico
- With the support of: Il Centro, Rete8, RadioDelta1, Radio ISAV, ItalianVersion, Innovalley, Economy, Business121, Coesum, Secretel Digital Communication, Marramiero, Loading
- Patronages and Collaborations: MIMIT, Camera di Commercio Chieti Pescara, Camera di Commercio Gran Sasso d’Italia, Comune di Pescara, FIRA, UDA, Ingenium European University, Università degli Studi di Teramo, Polimi Graduate School of Management, Osservatori.net Digital Innovation
