The objective

Sicily aims to build a regional innovation system

The number of start-ups and innovative SMEs has risen to 794. The Region is allocating 7.18 million in EU funding to sixteen clusters. From 17 to 20 November, Innovation Week – organised by the Innovation Island Foundation – will bring together businesses, researchers and investors in Palermo and Catania

by Nino Amadore

8 November 2026

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5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

EU funding: 7.18 million for sixteen centres
From the Award to Innovation Week
Pilot projects in production chains
New capital and acquisitions
From research to the market: the test of skilled labour

5' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

In the space of a year, the number of start-ups and innovative SMEs in Sicily has risen from 725 to 794. This 9.5 per cent increase, as revealed by figures released by UniCredit at the Start Cup Sicilia 2026, coincides with the launch of a network of hubs funded by the Region through the ERDF 2021–2027. Meanwhile, some technology firms are raising capital, forming partnerships and expanding into new markets. The question is whether these developments can support one another and ensure continuity along the path from research to the first customers, and from investment to recruitment.

EU funding: 7.18 million for sixteen centres

The overview of public funding emerges from the survey conducted by Maria Pia Bottino, the director in charge of the Technical Coordination Unit for the Regional Innovation Strategy within the Department of Productive Activities, who oversaw the call for proposals. The Open Innovation Sicilia programme allocates 7.18 million to sixteen clusters. Around 60 per cent of the funds, 4.33 million, goes towards support for participating businesses. The remaining 2.85 million supports the clusters. Fifteen offer acceleration programmes and six offer incubation programmes, with five clusters carrying out both activities. Seven are based in the Catania area, three in the Palermo area, two in the Messina area, two in the Ragusa area and one in the Trapani area. Another operates between Palermo and Messina.

From the Awards to Innovation Week

The work of the Innovation Island Foundation also focuses on how to link these initiatives together. In its first three editions, the Sicily Innovation Award attracted over 640 entries. With Innovation Week, taking place from 17 to 20 November in Palermo and Catania, the Foundation is expanding this initiative to foster dialogue between businesses, universities and investors. “Our aim,” says President Biagio Semilia, “is to bridge the gaps within the innovation ecosystem that has already taken shape over the past three years. Innovation Week addresses this need, and the other initiatives we have planned for the coming months also pursue this objective.”

Trials in production chains

The regional network focuses first and foremost on the needs of the supply chains. In Partanna, in the Trapani area, INN-SO aims to support at least fifteen businesses in the wine, olive oil and dairy sectors, with around 306,000 euros in funding for these companies. In Ragusa, ELIS and Eni are planning feasibility trials in sustainable chemistry and recycling. In Palermo, the SiLIFE programme is dedicated to the applications of data analysis in the life sciences.

These initiatives are complemented by the Meccatronica Cluster Sicilia Innovation Hub, which is set to open on 10 November in Termini Imerese thanks to an investment of 1.5 million funded by the Regional Department for Productive Activities. Businesses, including small ones, will be able to access robotics, artificial intelligence, machinery and specialist expertise, whilst sharing the costs of innovation. An Academy will provide training for the roles required by smart factories. The opening will also provide an opportunity for dialogue with the Bi-Rex and Meditech competence centres and the Brescia Innovation Hub, whilst a memorandum of understanding with the Apulian Cultural and Digital Industry District will extend collaborations beyond the island.

In Catania, forms of collaboration between start-ups and large companies are already being trialled. CrossConnect, a programme within the CDP Venture Capital network managed and co-funded by Plug and Play and ELIS, has involved eight start-ups in a programme with industrial partners. Each has received 150,000 euros in the form of investment and services. For the most promising start-ups, a follow-on investment of up to €400,000 is possible. In the same region, the EIT Food Accelerator Network hub hosted by Isola Catania brought together eleven start-ups from ten countries in September, seeking agricultural businesses with which to trial technologies for irrigation and water reuse.

In Palermo, PATIC – Palermo Technology Innovation Centre, supported by Sispi with a regional grant of around 615,000 euros, has selected ten start-ups from over fifty applications. Through Zest and SkillforEquity, the programme focuses on business models and preparing start-ups to raise capital. Alongside the digital platform connecting start-ups, businesses, research organisations and investors is the project to refurbish the Tre Navate space at the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, which is set to host training sessions and meetings.

New capital and acquisitions

On the private sector front, in July CreationDose announced a €1 million funding round from existing investors and new family offices. The group, which operates between Catania and Milan under the Vidoser brand, has acquired Snap Marketing and set up a subsidiary for the Iberian market. In Catania, Madfarm’s entry into the Aitho group stems from years of collaboration on digital projects. In one case, growth is driven by new markets; in the other, by the integration of expertise capable of supporting more complex projects.

From research to the market: the test of skilled labour

The research offers another measure of the potential. Samothrace, the Sicilian network of universities, research centres and businesses active in micro- and nanotechnologies, presented a report in April detailing over one hundred prototypes, seventy patents and five spin-offs launched. The Start Cup gave rise to Aetos Ai, a project from the University of Palermo that offers low-cost drones to detect tree diseases. The next challenge for these initiatives will be to find companies willing to adopt the technologies and investors ready to fund the transition to production. “At UniCredit, we want to support this journey not only through financial backing, but also by providing expertise, connections and networking opportunities, so that the best ideas can be transformed into robust and competitive businesses,” says Salvatore Malandrino, the bank’s regional manager in Sicily.

A comparison with other regions highlights the gap that still needs to be bridged. According to TEHA’s InnoTech Report 2026, in 2023 Sicily allocated 1.10 per cent of its GDP to research and development, compared with 1.22 per cent in Campania and 2.11 per cent in Emilia-Romagna. In 2024, those employed in high-tech sectors accounted for 2.4 per cent of the total workforce, compared with 3.9 per cent in Campania and 2.6 per cent in Puglia. In terms of capital, in 2025 the island accounted for 2.2 per cent of the total number of funding rounds in Italy, whilst Lombardy accounted for 47 per cent.

“An economy truly grows when it creates skilled jobs, when it offers young people the chance to choose to stay, and when it narrows the gap between the opportunities available in different regions,” says Edy Tamajo, the regional councillor for Productive Activities. “Competitiveness, if it does not also foster social cohesion, risks remaining merely an economic indicator devoid of corresponding collective growth.” The gap will narrow if these pilot schemes lead to orders and investment and if, as businesses grow, research, development and production activities on the island also increase.