Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and Politecnico di Torino:
A TECHNOLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM FOR THE SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY OF THE FUTURE
Turin is emerging as a national and European reference point for sustainable innovation, thanks to a unique collaboration between leading research institutions and industry. At the heart of this ecosystem are the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) and the Politecnico di Torino, whose combined expertise bridges fundamental scientific research and applied technological development. The city hosts a growing network of laboratories, technology hubs, and pilot facilities where cutting-edge research meets industrial application, fostering practical solutions for the energy transition, the circular economy and clean energy technologies.
The energy transition is not just a technological challenge; it is also an infrastructural one. It demands spaces where research, industry, and institutions converge to turn ideas into tangible solutions. Since 2018, in Torino, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) and Politecnico di Torino have built a one-of-a-kind national ecosystem, attracting resources, projects, and industrial partnerships that drive innovation forward.
Research and technological hubs
Within the Environment Park, a technology park active for over twenty years in the environmental sector, the Center for Sustainable Future Technologies (CSFT) serves as IIT’s hub dedicated to ecological transition, circular economy, and the development of a European green hydrogen supply chain. With an integrated approach, the Center develops technologies that make hydrogen production, storage, and use more sustainable, safe, and accessible. In addition, its scientific activities include reducing anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, improving renewable energy efficiency, and designing next-generation processes and systems. Key areas of focus include the development of advanced nanomaterials, innovative catalysts and electrodes, membranes for molecular separation, and green fuels. Significant attention is also given to valorizing waste molecules, which can be transformed nto reusable industrial products though bacteria and microalgae.
From flagship projects to European-scale infrastructure
These competencies have given rise to flagship projects that have gradually expanded the infrastructure, making it a driver of sustainable innovation in Italy. The journey began with the CO₂ Circle Lab, a pioneering laboratory co-funded by the Piedmont Region, dedicated to CO₂ capture and valorization. With the SEASTAR competence center, developed in close collaboration with MASE (the Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security), research expanded to solutions for the sustainable conversion of decommissioned offshore plants, underground storage, and green hydrogen production, in continuous connection with major European networks. The National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRPP) further accelerated progress, leading to the establishment of the iENTRANCE Research Infrastructure, designed to support Italian SMEs in the energy transition and promote the adoption of technologies for clean energy materials and systems. Today, the ecosystem is ready to take a further step forward with CoSyET – Components and Systems for Energy Transition, a €40 million Innovation Infrastructure funded by the NRPP and developed through a public-private partnership. With over 5,000 m² of laboratories and pilot lines, CoSyET will soon enable pre-industrial scale testing of solutions for hydrogen production, storage, and conversion, CO₂ valorization, and integration with renewables. It is a platform designed to bring research and industry closer together, strengthen the competitiveness of Italian manufacturing, and provide practical tools for SMEs.
A strategic hub for clean energy and circular economy
Thanks to this evolution, Torino is now confirmed as a strategic reference point for clean energy and the circular economy: an ecosystem where collaboration between IIT and Politecnico di Torino has successfully combined fundamental research, technology transfer, and industrial prototyping. A model that not only consolidates the city’s national role but also makes it increasingly attractive on the European stage.
