The series of Innovation Talks created by ICE, the Italian Trade Agency, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Abu Dhabi as part of EXPO 2020, opened with a debate on “Rational consumption, sustainable development, and the green economy”.
Opening the debate, the Ambassador to the UAE, Nicola Lener, recalled that these Innovation Talks are the second phase of the “InnovItalyUAE” project (held in webinar mode in autumn 2020) and aim to give continuity to the commitment of Italian institutions to deepen the opportunities for cooperation between Italy, the UAE, and the wider MENASA region, in highly innovative sectors by involving their research centres, universities, companies, incubators, and financial entities.
The debate, which was moderated by the Director of ICE Dubai, Amedeo Scarpa, saw the participation of over 70 operators who analysed the potential, in terms of environmental sustainability, for the recovery and redevelopment of abandoned existing built spaces, and for waste management, and the concept of sustainable mobility as a positive social impact on communities. The event presented Italian excellence in these sectors, with representatives of Adler Group, Tree / Oppino Italy, Remtech, and Confindustria Cisambiente, whilst on the Emirate side there were representatives of pioneer groups in waste recycling and treatment, Bee’ha di Sharjah and Tadweer of Abu Dhabi. The meeting concluded with an address by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, Gennaro Migliore, who underlined the coherence between the theme of the Italian Pavilion (“Beauty unites people”) and the objective of the Innovation Talks, which are aimed at exchanging technological experiences to respond to global challenges with innovative solutions.
