From 3D printing to sensors, innovation in Sicily is driving improvements in human health

The potential is significant, as it has a real impact on employment and the socio-economic fabric. Last August, Coldiretti estimated that damage caused by drought, wildfires, hailstorms and heatwaves amounted to over 3 billion euros nationwide. Against the alarming backdrop of climate change, a greenhouse in which an agritech system autonomously decides when and how much to irrigate – not to mention analysing the condition of the plants – can make all the difference.

According to a report by PwC Italia in collaboration with StartupItalia, between 2019 and 2024 only 12 per cent of Italian agricultural businesses introduced innovations in production techniques and/or business management; in the South, the figure stands at 6.2 per cent. The AgriFoodTech sector in the South remains fragmented, but Sicily, Puglia and Campania account for 72 per cent of the innovative start-ups and SMEs identified, with Sicily leading the way with 22 active companies. Almost half (48 per cent) of the start-ups surveyed were founded in the last five years, with a quarter of them established between 2020 and 2021. The most widely represented cluster is Smart & Precision Agriculture, which accounts for 36 per cent of the organisations, but new trends are also emerging in areas such as the circular economy, biodiversity, climate adaptation, water management, and supply chain quality and traceability.

Between 2020 and 2025, 64 innovative companies in the life sciences sector were identified in Sicily, of which 53 were start-ups, according to the latest edition of the Listup report.

The impact of these new solutions extends beyond well-being and production; it also opens up opportunities for economic growth. This is demonstrated by the forecasts for a Sicilian project, ISMETT 2. This is the new centre for biomedical treatment and research in Palermo, whose positive impact on the regional economy has been estimated at 270 million euros a year – a figure that rises to 386 million when the Ri.Med Foundation’s research centre is included. These figures do not include the future value of the research in terms of innovation, intellectual property, production and commercialisation.

In essence, this is a centre that will accelerate research, fostering the creation of organisations that generate added value, enhancing transplant programmes and highly specialised therapies for an average of over 2,500 patients treated each year, and introducing advanced clinical programmes.

Change, however, is also brought about through smaller, yet equally revolutionary, projects. Take, for example, Agroenergie from Ragusa, which operates in the agrovoltaic sector, and Lualtek, which helps reduce water and electricity consumption by managing fields remotely without the need for cables, internet coverage or renovation and installation work. Similarly, there is Amed Advanced Medical Engineering from Palermo, which 3D-prints bespoke cranial plates used to correct complex deformities, and Restorative Neurotechnologies, which develops digital therapies certified as medical devices to aid cognitive recovery in various neurological conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders.