Start-ups, established companies, entrepreneurs and young people are benefiting from the Lazio Open Innovation Centre (LOIC) in Zagarolo, on the outskirts of Rome. The centre was developed through the EU-funded Spazio Attivo Zagarolo project and is a regional innovation hub for the gaming, culture and tourism sectors. LOIC is housed in a wing of the recently renovated Palazzo Rospigliosi, which dates back to the 16th century.
- 21 February 2020
This beautiful historical site is a perfect location to attract and connect talent from all over the world. Thanks to an open innovation approach, the LOIC Zagarolo agenda offers cultural events, tech exhibitions, matchmaking, training and networking to different audiences, including SMEs, start-ups, designers, creatives and makers, with the aim of spreading digital culture and providing solutions to social and business challenges.
The LOIC opened for business in January 2019 and offers a range of services and support infrastructure free of charge. The 2 000 m2 centre can handle the very latest ICT equipment and technologies. It provides the following facilities:
Six start-up labs and six work stations for innovative projectsA multi-purpose training room with capacity for 150 people or 16 work stationsA FabLab equipped with 3D printers, a laser cutter, a computer-controlled cutter and industrial plotter10 co-working stationsVarious computer work stations and micro-processing facilities.There is also a rapid prototyping area for practical training sessions and space for technology exhibitions.
Boosting business
The centre can host networking events, conferences and workshops. It provides a variety of educational and training packages. Incubation and acceleration programmes have been designed to support start-ups. Complementary mentoring and tutoring services are consolidating and growing new business projects. For more established businesses and professionals, networking activities encourage cooperation and collaboration in areas like animation and gaming. LOIC seeks to promote entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity among young people through training courses and educational activities. Local institutions and the wider community benefit from the centre, which helps to access regional, national and European resources.
Building success
The LOIC has already delivered a number activities to get Lazio innovating. A Start-up School Academy programme has been established which, in its first five months, involved more than 800 high school students and 30 teachers.
As of December 2019, the incubation programme has two teams in the acceleration phase of the business idea (pre-incubation) with a focus on tourism and culture and IT and programming. The programme is home to four incubated companies who are following a path to market and consolidating their corporate business.
Additionally, three local innovation clusters are being launched covering gaming, tourism and culture and food. A residential campus has hosted three entrepreneurship and digital innovation courses covering the subjects of food, art and wellbeing. These seven-day long training sessions involved 45 young people. The FabLab and Rapid Prototyping facilities have so far hosted 54 training workshops and events that attracted 1 452 users and generated 22 active rapid prototyping projects.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Spazio Attivo Zagarolo” is EUR 5 000 000 with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 2 500 000 through the “Lazio ERDF” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Research and innovation”.