On 2 October, Dronitaly returns to the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre for a special invitation-only event, organised by ENEA, Assorpas and BolognaFiere Water&Energy (BFWE), under the patronage of Emilia-Romagna Region and ENAC*.

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Useful information


Special invitation-only event.

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WHEN

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FOCUS

Applied research, training, technological innovation and operational dialogue.

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TARGET

Companies, institutions, the research community and Public Administration.

The conference

Drones and air mobility: ENEA Brasimone as an infrastructure for addressing technological, regulatory and operational challenges Security, transport, agriculture and monitoring: innovation through a sandbox in Emilia-Romagna

Event organised by

ENEA
Assorpas
BolognaFiere Water&Energy - BFWE

Under the patronage of

Regione Emilia-Romagna
ENAC *

The current context, shaped by geopolitical crises and environmental, health and social emergencies, calls for new solutions to ensure security and resilience. In this scenario, drones and advanced air mobility can make a major contribution to environmental monitoring, territorial surveillance, infrastructure protection and the transport of materials to hard-to-reach areas, as well as support for routine services, with economic, industrial and social benefits.
To fully unlock this potential, suitable physical, digital and regulatory infrastructure must be developed in cooperation with ENAC. A key role could be played by a “sandbox”, a testing environment at the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre (Bologna), in Emilia-Romagna, where institutions, research organisations and companies can work together to innovate and test new applications, laying the foundations for an innovative model that can be replicated in other contexts and contributing to security, sustainability and territorial protection.

Programme


10.30
Welcome remarks
Mariano Tarantino – Head of Nuclear Energy Systems Division ENEA
Paolo Angelini – Chief Executive Officer, BFWE
Nicola Nizzoli – President, Assorpas
10.45
Institutional greetings
Maurizio Fabbri – President of the Legislative Assembly, Emilia-Romagna Region
11.00
National Strategic Plan (2026–2030) for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and the development of Sandboxes
Marco Catalano – Innovative Mobility Regulation and Research Directorate, ENAC
11.15
Sandboxes as an enabler for service deployment
Alberto Iovino – Head of Operational Support and Innovative Air Mobility Management ENAV
11.30
Is a Sandbox in the Apennines possible?
Luca Catti – Coordinator, Drone Competence Center, Emilia-Romagna Region
11.45
The role of ENEA and the Brasimone Research Centre for the local area
Marco Lamberti – Head of the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre
12.00
ExaDrone: services for a more efficient Sandbox
Erik Tassin – Training Coordinator ENAC – Business Development & Operations ExaDrone Academy
12.15
Cooperation between Regions for the development of the UAS sector – Round Table
Moderator: Nicola Nizzoli
Participants:
Paola Olivares – Director, Drones and AAM Observatory, Politecnico di Milano
Luca Catti – Coordinator, Drone Competence Center, Emilia-Romagna Region
Daniela Piccolo – E.Q. Technical Support, Information Systems and Communication, Veneto Region
Tuscany Region Representative (TBD)
Sardinia Region Representative (TBD)
13.00
Lunch and Business Matching

Thematic sessions

14.00
Environmental Monitoring – Round Table
Moderator: Nicola Nizzoli
Alessandro Zuccarini – Researcher, Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna
Thomas Mullano – Drones & Conformity Technical Coordinator Bureau Veritas Nexta
14.45
Logistics – Round Table
Moderator: Nicola Nizzoli
Francesco Sgromo – Project Manager AeroHub, Clust-ER MECH
Claudio Canella – CEO Cardtech
Calogero Giammusso – Head of Infrastructure and Operations UrbanV **
Giuseppe Tortora – CEO & Founder ABzero
15.30
Agriculture – Round Table
Moderator: Nicola Nizzoli
Stefano Boncompagni – Head of the Phytosanitary Service, Emilia-Romagna Region
Kiwi Drone Solutions Representative
16.15
Security – Round Table
Moderator: Marco Festa – Member of the Board of Directors, Assorpas
Mirko Franzoni – CEO & Co-Founder SkyEU
Marco Illarietti – President & CEO GALEELEO
Paolo Tassin – Founder & President Metaprojects
17.00
Conclusions and closing remarks

* Patronage requested
** TBC

Research, companies and public authorities working together at Brasimone


The event will provide an opportunity to create operational connections between those who develop technologies, those who generate applied knowledge and those who need to integrate innovative solutions into public processes and services.

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Connect public-sector demand with market solutions.

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Leverage research expertise and technology transfer.

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Promote dialogue among companies, institutions and public authorities on real-world applications.

The ENEA Brasimone Research Centre as the event venue


The ENEA Brasimone Research Centre provides an ideal setting for an event focused on technologies, expertise and operational applications for professional civil drones.

Looking ahead to Dronitaly 2027


The Brasimone event is a special milestone on the road to the 12th edition of Dronitaly, the international event dedicated to the use of UAS in civil and professional contexts.

7–9 April 2027|Bologna Congress Center
Discover Dronitaly 2027