Airi is a not-for-profit private organization, funded in 1974. Its mission is to promote industrial Research and Innovation and co-operation between the private and public sectors, and a sustainable growth. Airi members are large industrial enterprises and SMEs, universities, public research institutions, technology clusters and financial organizations. Due to its broad representative base, Airi is acknowledged as a key opinion leader in Technology forecasting and Research-policy design.
Themes of interest include public-private cooperation, technology assessment, monitoring and analysis of R&I policies and incentives and norms and standards, promotion of STEM training and education, dissemination and communication of science and technology activities.
Airi publishes every three years the report «Key Enabling Technologies for the Italian Industry», based on the work of more than two hundreds R&D Managers, to set priorities for industrial research in key economic sectors, and address sustainability goals and global challenges. Sectors addressed mirror the areas of activity of the members of the Association, including materials and chemicals, constructions, environment, energy, pharma, ICT and microelectronics, transport, aerospace, mechatronics .
The Association co-operates with public entities, including the Italian Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Italian Trade Commission.
Airi is member of UNI-Italian Standard Body, following activities of the Committee on Nanotechnologies (UNI/CT U22, mirror of ISO TC 229) and on Circular Economy (UNI/CT 057, mirror of ISO TC 323) and of APRE – Agency for the Promotion of European Research. Airi experts participate to the OECD WPMN group on Safe(R) Innovation Approach (SIA).
Airi is co-organizer of the International Conference NanoInnovation, a reference event on nanomaterials and Key Enabling Techs (around thousand participants every year).
Airi has participated to 20+ European, national and regional cooperative projects, in partnership with companies, universities and research organizations, public bodies and civil society organizations. Nowadays,
the Airi network include over 5000 R&I players in all Europe.
Main areas of activity concerns:
Technology assessment and foresight:
- Monitoring and assessment of R&D trends and applications
- Technological scenarios to map players, areas of interest, needs and opportunities
Ethical, legal and social impacts, risk analysis:
- Methods and strategies to address ethical, legal, environmental and social impacts
- Risk governance (assessment, management, communication of risks)
- Responsible Innovation
- Safe and Sustainable by Design strategies
Multi-stakeholder dialogues:
- Co-creation, stakeholder and public engagement activities to debate and develop R&I activities and policies, involving industry, research, policy makers, civil society organizations and citizens
- Stakeholder consultations (e.g., thematic workshops, Delphi-exercises, surveys)
- Organizations of participatory and interactive events
Exploitation & Technology Transfer:
- Technology scouting, promotion of research to business and business to business cooperation
- Definition of strategies and plans for the exploitation of technologies, products and services
- Development of good practices and standards in cooperation with authorities, standard and certification bodies
Networking and dissemination:
- Dissemination and communication plans
- Media briefings targeted to R&I audiences
- Dissemination of information through a wide database of R&I players in Italy and EU
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Airi is also member of the BioNanoNet Association, a non-profit organization aiming at strengthening innovative research by promoting cooperation and creating synergies. It works in the fields of Health & Safety, Data & Sustainability, and Enabling Technologies to support a European sustainable development of connected high-tech ecosystem.