Milan, September 9 (askanews) – Double funding for innovative startups, especially those promoted by young people, and enhance public procurement as a tool to support innovation. This is the appeal that emerged from the meeting "EcoDigital Humanism Milan - Role and challenges for young people, startups, AI and public administration", promoted by the EcoDigital network and held on September 8th at the YouthQuake offices, in Corso Ventidue Marzo 13 in Milan. The initiative brought together representatives of institutions, entrepreneurs, investors and experts for a discussion on the new European artificial intelligence strategy and the need to address the ecological and digital transition together. The discussion was attended by Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio, president of the UniVerde Foundation and promoter of the EcoDigital network, Emmanuel Conte, Councillor for Budget, State Property and Extraordinary Housing Plan of the Municipality of Milan, Alessandro Fermi, Councillor for University, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region, and Gaetano Pedullà, MEP and member of the Committee for Economic and Monetary Affairs. More resources for startups and a public administration capable of supporting innovation. In his speech at the end of the event, Pecoraro Scanio called for more substantial investments and direct involvement of the public administration.
Through procurement, municipalities and public entities can become customers of innovative solutions and contribute to the growth of startups, fostering market development in Italy and Europe. The message that emerged from the discussion is the need for acceleration: supporting innovative entrepreneurship requires resources, concrete market access opportunities, and closer dialogue between institutions and businesses. Artificial Intelligence and Climate: Anticipating Social and Economic Impacts The discussion also addressed the consequences of the spread of artificial intelligence and robotics on work and society.
Pecoraro Scanio emphasized the urgency of developing a strategy to manage these changes, intervening before their full effects on the world of work become apparent. Specific attention was paid to the energy consumption of artificial intelligence and the need to reconcile technological development and environmental sustainability. At the same time, the economic dimension of the climate crisis was reiterated: adaptation plans and prevention must become a priority, moving beyond an approach focused on post-emergency interventions. Contributions from entrepreneurs, investors, and experts. Participants also included Matteo Milione, co-founder of YouthQuake; Ettore Iorio, AI Governance Specialist; Jacopo Mele, founder and CEO of Moonstone Venture Capital; Chiara Ghelfi, founder of Afflu; Marco Mottolese, co-founder and CEO of Foorban; Mauro Arte, co-founder of Datrix; Martina Spinoglio, founder of Thesis 4u; Daniela Castegnaro, Head of M&A at Mamazen-IH1; and Simona Melani, founder of Hebe Craft. The meeting was moderated by Manuel Urzì, COO of Startup Geeks and Ecodigital board member, and streamed live on Radio Radicale. A shared direction emerged from the Milanese event: putting people, skills, and new businesses at the center, building a public-private partnership capable of translating the ecological and digital transition into development opportunities.
Notizie.it editorial team