Cleantech Hub

Lazio: 120 million in investment in energy innovation and sustainability is on the way

The Region has presented the Cleantech Hub to the European Parliament: the funds will be allocated to research, start-ups and the energy transition. Vice-President Angelilli said: “The aim is to seize all European opportunities to strengthen the region’s competitiveness.”

by Pietro Menzani

3 July 2026

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3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Lazio is focusing on innovation and sustainability: investments totalling over 120 million euros are on the way, earmarked for research, start-ups and the energy transition as part of the new Cleantech Hub. The aim is to make the region a centre of international significance in order to attract businesses and talent. “We want to build an increasingly competitive ecosystem, in which businesses, research organisations and institutions work together to make the energy transition a driver of development,” explains Vice-President Roberta Angelilli.

The Region’s strategy

The project was presented on 2 July at the European Parliament in Brussels during a round-table discussion coordinated by Francesco Marcolini, president of Lazio Innova, a company that supports businesses and the public administration in promoting regional excellence. The event brought together institutions, major industrial players, research centres, investors, innovative businesses and selected start-ups from the Lazio Region. Also in attendance were ENEA, DG Energy and the European Investment Bank, as well as industry giants such as Eni, Enel and Terna.

“The Lazio Region,” continues Angelilli, “strongly believes in the growth of an innovation ecosystem and aims to consolidate its role as a leader in the energy transition, capable of attracting resources, investment and talent.”

Innovation

The centrepiece of the project is the creation of two hubs, one in Civitavecchia and the other in Rome’s Ostiense district. The first will focus on the energy transition, whilst the second will serve as a genuine innovation hub dedicated to high-tech sustainability, featuring international Open Innovation forums in the sectors of green energy production, energy storage systems and artificial intelligence applied to energy. The centres are scheduled to open from September 2026.

Also in September, “Filiere Tecnologiche” and “Step-Fri” – public calls for proposals that will make ERDF funding totalling 85 million euros available to businesses – will be launched. The European Regional Development Fund – established as part of the EU’s cohesion policy to help address the main regional imbalances within the Union – includes a specific strand dedicated to green technologies.

The two measures are designed to boost the region’s competitiveness and support businesses and research organisations in Lazio, thereby strengthening the development of critical technologies and the regional production system’s capacity for innovation. According to the regional authorities, ‘Filiere Tecnologiche’ and ‘Step-Fri’ will also enable large companies to take on a leading role, encouraging co-funding through private investment.

Furthermore, from September, the organisations selected through a public tender process – including a venture capital fund and five specialist accelerators – will be announced; they will receive €26 million to support the growth of innovative start-ups in the cleantech sector over the next three years.

The role of the European Union

Europe plays a crucial role in the Region’s strategy. Lazio, in collaboration with ENEA (the National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development), is developing European projects worth over 10 million euros under the I3 (Interregional Innovation Investments) and Horizon Europe programmes on research and innovation. At the heart of these initiatives are Smart Building Hubs, renewable energy, energy storage systems and artificial intelligence applied to energy.

As Angelilli points out, the Region is devoting considerable attention to the negotiations on the European Union’s next Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028–2034, and in particular to projects such as the ‘European Competitiveness Fund, with a budget of 410 billion euros, of which 67.4 billion is earmarked for the clean transition and industrial decarbonisation, Horizon Europe for research and innovation, with €175 billion, and the Connecting Europe Facility, which provides for around €30 billion for energy networks as well’.

Indeed, Lazio’s objective remains “to seize every European opportunity to strengthen the region’s competitiveness by supporting innovation, research and the energy transition”, the vice-president concluded.

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