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Camugnano, October 2026 – The event attracted a total of 523 attendees, including 96 in person at the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre and 427 connected via live streaming, with 1,122 online views, 29 speakers and 9 participating companies. The figures from the Dronitaly Special Event held on 2 October, organised by ASSORPAS, ENEA and BolognaFiere Water&Energy-BFWE, under the patronage of the Emilia-Romagna Region and ENAC, confirm the success of an initiative designed to foster dialogue between institutions, research organisations, businesses and public administrations on the professional applications of drones and Advanced Air Mobility.
The event focused on the potential development of a sandbox at Brasimone, a controlled testing environment where companies, research centres, institutions and authorities can test new technological and operational solutions while jointly addressing regulatory and safety requirements. The discussions highlighted the value of the ENEA Research Centre as a hub for integrating applied research, training and field testing.
From the national strategy for Advanced Air Mobility to cooperation between regions and practical applications in environmental monitoring, logistics, agriculture and security, the event brought together experiences, projects and operational needs. The shared objective is to accelerate the transition from experimentation to the operational deployment of drones in activities of strategic importance for local communities, infrastructure, public services and businesses.
“The figures from Brasimone confirm that there is a clear demand for environments where businesses, researchers, institutions and public administrations can discuss real-world drone applications,” commented Paolo Angelini, CEO of BolognaFiere Water&Energy. “The level of participation encourages us to continue developing this format. Brasimone was the first stop on the roadshow towards Dronitaly 2027. We will bring the topics, projects and connections developed during this event to Bologna, turning dialogue into new development opportunities for the industry.”
Nicola Nizzoli, President of ASSORPAS. “The strong participation recorded at Brasimone confirms the growing interest in professional drone applications and the need to create opportunities for dialogue among all stakeholders in the ecosystem. ENAC's participation was particularly valuable, as dialogue between industry, research and regulatory authorities is essential to fostering the sustainable development of the sector and accelerating the transition from experimentation to operational deployment. Initiatives such as this demonstrate how a shared approach can bring together innovation, safety, training and service development for the benefit of public administrations, businesses and citizens. Brasimone has all the characteristics needed to become a national reference centre for testing and advancing new UAS applications.”
“The Brasimone event,” stated Marco Silanos, Director of Innovative Air Services at ENAC, “provided a valuable opportunity to bring together industry, research organisations and local authorities to work towards the development of the sector. The establishment of a sandbox at Brasimone is considered highly promising. Within an environment of technological excellence, it will enable UAS operators to test new technologies and develop sustainable, scalable operational models, while fostering synergies with other national research organisations. This will support the shared commitment to moving beyond experimentation towards full operational deployment. This innovation process forms part of Italy's National Strategic Plan for Advanced Air Mobility, which ENAC is currently updating in line with the European Drone Strategy 2.0, itself undergoing review.”
FROM NATIONAL STRATEGY TO REAL-WORLD APPLICATIONS. The event opened with speeches by Alessandro Dodaro, Director of ENEA's Nuclear Department, Paolo Angelini, CEO of BFWE, and Nicola Nizzoli, President of ASSORPAS, followed by institutional greetings from Maurizio Fabbri, President of the Legislative Assembly of the Emilia-Romagna Region. The morning sessions addressed the 2026–2030 National Strategic Plan for Advanced Air Mobility with ENAC, the role of sandboxes in service development with ENAV, the potential establishment of a sandbox in the Apennines, the role of the ENEA Brasimone Research Centre and the services offered by ExaDrone Academy. A roundtable discussion also brought together the Drone and Advanced Air Mobility Observatory of Politecnico di Milano and representatives from several Italian regions to discuss ongoing initiatives and opportunities for interregional cooperation.
In the afternoon, four roundtable discussions explored environmental monitoring, logistics, agriculture and security, with contributions from representatives of the University of Bologna, Clust-ER Mech and companies operating in the sector. The 9 companies involved in the initiative were ABzero, Bureau Veritas Nexta, Cardtech, Dronemat, Galeeleo, Kiwi Drone Solutions, Metaprojects, SkyEU and UrbanV. They presented use cases, technologies and solutions already applicable across various professional sectors.
TOWARDS DRONITALY 2027. The dialogue initiated at Brasimone will continue at the 12th edition of Dronitaly, scheduled to take place from 7 to 9 April 2027 at the Bologna Congress Center. The topics explored during the Special Event – sandbox development, integration between research and the market, cooperation with public administrations and professional UAS applications – will be among the key themes of the exhibition, which will once again bring together companies, institutions, researchers and industry professionals.
BFWE is a joint venture established in 2021 by BolognaFiere and Mirumir with the aim of developing a business initiative that promotes knowledge and the exchange of ideas on issues related to the economic and social value of water and the drone industry, with a particular focus on emerging technological applications (https://www.bfwe.it). BFWE's portfolio includes the international exhibitions ACCADUEO, dedicated to the water industry and its supply chain, and DRONITALY, an event focused on the professional civilian drone sector.
For further information:
Dronitaly Press Office
Lead Communication
Anita Lissona - 335 498993 - anita.lissona@leadcom.it
Lorenzo Mazzoni – 349.8450008 – lorenzo.mazzoni@leadcom.it
