The Università degli Studi di Palermo is a public university with a long tradition (founded in 1806) and represents an important point of reference for education and research in Southern Italy and the Mediterranean. It hosts approximately 48,000 students and is organized into various departments and campuses, including in Agrigento, Caltanissetta and Trapani. The University is active in research and innovation and has advanced infrastructure, including laboratories, museums, a botanical garden, a university hospital and a library network. It collaborates with universities, institutions and companies and takes part in national and international projects. It promotes sustainability, innovation, technology transfer and third-mission initiatives for the development of the territory. In its role as a “Macro-node” of ARTES 4.0, the Università degli Studi di Palermo has as its main objective strengthening technological innovation and the transfer of research towards companies, in line with digital and sustainable transformation strategies. Membership fosters collaborations with companies and research centers, enhancing skills in areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, automation and digitalization.

EDLAB is an innovative start-up founded by young founders with complementary skills coming from the worlds of digital, research and subsidized finance. We support companies throughout the entire process, from the call for proposals to the implementation of technological solutions for product, service and process innovation.

Lab11 is a spin-off company of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna that works in the field of Open Innovation and Regenerative Innovation to spread and promote inclusive, fair and sustainable economic growth processes. Lab11 is a team of people with diverse educational and professional backgrounds who aim to support organizations of various kinds through tailored paths geared towards innovation and value creation. The goal is to strengthen companies and organizations while at the same time increasing their positive impact on society, through personalized innovation paths with a strong social orientation. It organizes areas of collaboration, dialogue and training to promote the practices and many benefits of open and regenerative innovation, in the belief that it is essential for organizations to be able to combine innovation management with the generation of social value.

Declar offers digital audit services, technology maturity analysis and the design of digital transformation paths focused on marketing, communication, customer experience and data-driven processes. Activities include:

• assessment of the level of digitalization of commercial and communication processes;
• analysis, mapping and optimization of CRM flows and the customer journey;analysis, mapping, and optimization of CRM workflows and the customer journey;
• assessment of digital tools, marketing-tech platforms and automation systems;
• definition of technology development plans oriented towards growth, process efficiency and performance measurement;
• support for the design of innovative initiatives in AI, UX/UI, digital content and engagement solutions;
• dedicated training for corporate teams on digital marketing, data literacy, CRM and applied AI.

The goal is to support companies and SMEs in concrete technology adoption paths, improve digital processes and facilitate access to innovation opportunities in synergy with the Artes 4.0 network.

Binoocle is an innovative start-up that, using artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision (CV) and large language models (LLM), offers the market a hardware and software solution (Koone) for improving safety on construction sites, in industry and in logistics.

CONSORZIO MATERAHUB is an Innovative SME, born as a non-profit consortium for social innovation and support of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). It has international experience in European project design and with other global bodies. It manages large-scale projects; to date, more than 200 projects (Erasmus+, Cosme, CoVe, Creative Europe, Interreg, Horizon, Capacity Building, etc.). Over the last 15 years it has built relationships with more than 500 international and national partners and public institutions, and belongs to 20 international networks. The Materahub team stands out for its multidisciplinary approach and is made up of about 30 professionals and employees from the fields of European project design, culture and cultural heritage, research, social innovation and urban regeneration, training, business services, and technical assistance to public bodies. It is a member of the KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Communities) and of the European partnership networks EIT Culture and Creativity and Food. Consorzio Materahub operates in Europe, the Balkans, the Mediterranean area and Central America. Through its generative Academy, it develops training activities on the application of AI in the CCI sector. The company is based in Matera, Bari and Milan. It holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 27001, ISO 30415 and ISO 20121 certifications.

Aksilia Group is a consulting firm that supports companies on their journey of digital transformation, sustainability and regulatory compliance. The company offers integrated solutions in various areas, supporting companies in adopting advanced technologies and managing complex processes. Its main Areas of Specialization are: - Sustainability consulting through the adoption of ESG criteria in compliance with current regulations and the main reference frameworks (CSRD, VSME, GRI, ESRS etc.), and through the use of the proprietary software platform “Aksilia Suite”, which simplifies and speeds up management of sustainability and regulatory compliance. - Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) through the design of paths towards regulatory compliance, including ISO standards and regulations such as GDPR, NIS2 etc. - Cybersecurity, thanks to the integration of legal expertise with information security expertise to protect and ensure business continuity. - Training, through in-person courses, webinars and video lessons for developing corporate skills in sustainability, certifications, GDPR, NIS 2, Soft Skills etc. - Subsidized Finance, through the identification of opportunities in support of investments in the areas described above, assistance in managing calls for proposals, incentives, tax credits and training vouchers to improve corporate competitiveness. Aksilia Group stands out for its “turnkey” approach, providing complete solutions ranging from strategic consulting to technological implementation, with a strong focus on sustainability and regulatory compliance.

DIOT is an innovative SME operating in the fields of smart home automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and digital health. The company develops advanced, self-installing and fully integrated technological solutions based on predictive and generative models for Digital Twins.DIOT is an innovative small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) operating in the fields of smart home automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, and digital health. The company develops advanced, self-installing, and fully integrated technological solutions based on predictive and generative models for Digital Twins. DIOT combines research and development activities with a complete range of services for the digital transformation of companies, including strategic consulting, software consulting, custom AI-based software development, business process automation and systems integration. Through DIOT Academy, the company guides users from training to the concrete implementation of artificial intelligence, offering advanced training paths, development of application solutions (chatbots, RAG systems, web and mobile applications), and support in defining innovation roadmaps. DIOT’s expertise covers the entire innovation cycle: from needs analysis to design, prototyping, validation and industrialization of technological solutions, with particular focus on AI, IoT, Digital Twins and data-driven systems, including consulting and software design activities in support of corporate digitalization.

Sapienta, founded by a group of Umbrian entrepreneurs, pursues the mission of turning the potential of Generative Artificial Intelligence and Humanoid Robots into tangible reality for Italian SMEs. Specialized in NLP, Generative AI, Computer Vision and other cutting-edge technologies, we have shaped innovative solutions for clients of international and national standing.

IRIS is a solid innovative SME, based in the industrial area of Turin, specialized in developing innovative technologies for the circular economy in small-scale industrial and civil settings. Founded in 2012 by 4 friends who decided to combine their skills, experience and ideas in a new entrepreneurial project to bring to market solutions based on the application of laser and plasma technology that would stand out for efficiency and competitiveness even in small-scale applications often overlooked by the market despite the breadth of demand.

Alkedo Produzioni was founded in 2018 as an audiovisual production house with the specific mission of betting on innovation. From the outset it specialized in 4.0 audiovisuals, creating futuristic projects for organizations such as XFactor, Moncler and the Municipality of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). From research and development projects, in which Alkedo participates alongside prestigious universities, to the creation of advanced solutions such as Holograms, using various display systems customized to the client’s needs; Holographic Telepresence, also available remotely with low-latency hologram transmission; Digital Human: photorealistic 3D reproductions - historical figures, human subjects or avatars; Interactive Digital Humans (AI-driven virtual assistants) – DH capable of interacting in real time; Augmented Reality; Virtual Reality; Artificial Intelligence