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Innovation Tools

We design and organize activities to encourage the promotion and development of Trentino research with companies, financial operators, public administrations, social operators and citizens.

Open Innovation

Open innovation is a strategic and cultural approach, based on which companies choose to take advantage of external ideas, solutions, tools and technological skills. In particular, they collaborate with universities, research institutes, startups, suppliers, inventors, programmers and consultants.

The methods used to facilitate open innovation are many – thematic innovation challenges are surely among the most used. Since 2017, HIT has been promoting this type of initiative, matching solutions promoted by solvers from its scientific founders (university and Ph.D. students, researchers and university professors) with the technological needs of local SMEs.

MediTech Challenge

The challenge for devising solutions to technical problems in the field of vascular surgery.

Management Engineering Challenge

The challenge applying advanced methodologies and software for production process optimization.

UX Challenge

The challenge to innovate and redesign the user experience of digital products and services.

Industrial AI Challenge

STARTING FROM SEPTEMBER 2026

Public AI
Challenge

STARTING FROM SEPTEMBER 2026

PROTO
Challenge

The challenge to solve industrial problems related to the mechanical design of manufacturing companies.

+ 610

Students

+ 130

Mentors and researchers

+ 100

Businesses

+ 9

European partners

Through a European Commission-funded project, HIT developed a specific guide to open innovation challenges. The guide received the project of the month award by the European Agency for SMEs (EASME) in September 2019, and its model was used throughout Europe during the 200SMEChallenge project.

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