Chpt. 0001
Kilometro Rosso: where ideas become innovation
A scientific park that welcomes companies committed to research and progress.
Many of these choose to develop their R&D sector, taking advantage of an environment designed to foster connections, innovation and collaboration, where knowledge spreads through continuous confrontation, because "by contaminating I get contaminated. "
The name comes from its iconic structure: a long red wall that does not delimit, but marks a symbolic entrance, opening access to a space where innovation takes shape. Crossing it means entering in a place designed to stimulate ideas, synergies and growth.
Guiding us through it are Manuel Medau, Head of Marketing and Communications at Kilometro Rosso, and Giuseppe De Marco, Advanced Technology & Manufacturing Engineer, both with a complementary perspective on innovation..
Upon coming into contact with this system, its spirit becomes immediately evident: to create opportunities for encounters to give rise to new industrial and research perspectives, making collaboration between companies and institutions increasingly fluid and synergistic.
The architecture of the park embodies this philosophy. Buildings of bold and functional design that stand as instruments of innovation: spaces that inspire and foster a vision open to change, transforming work into an experience that stimulates new perspectives.
When it comes to the connection between industry and research, the biggest barrier is often communication. Kilometro Rosso stands as a bridge between two worlds that speak different languages: the rigor of scientific research and the concreteness of industry.
Through shared projects and strategic collaborations, this exchange is transformed into an ongoing dialogue, bringing out connections between realities that are seemingly distant, but in reality deeply complementary. But its role as a mediator does not stop there: it is also the meeting point between established companies and emerging startups.
Two entities with different goals, but which often find precisely in collaboration the key to overcoming their respective challenges.
By listening directly to companies' needs, Kilometro Rosso facilitates dialogue with startups through targeted scouting activities.
This connection allows companies to innovative solutions without losing their operational focus, while for startups it represents a concrete opportunity to validate and apply their ideas within already structured industrial contexts.
A virtuous circle that accelerates innovation and creates new opportunities for growth. Its role is to be an active mediator, a place where ideas and skills meet to give rise to new synergies. Here, the future is not waited for, it is built.
Chpt. 0002
The value of people and shared spaces
People are the heart of the new industry, the real engine of progress.
Kilometro Rosso does not just connect different realities; its role is central in terms of being innovative within companies. It doesn't matter how technology-driven a company already is, because the driver of change is people.
For this reason, it may be more strategic to collaborate with a company that is initially less innovative but open to learning and challenging itself, rather than with facilities that are technologically advanced but not very inclined to change.
Walking through the spaces of Kilometro Rosso, a dynamic energy and a constant tension toward the future are perceived in a context that values resources and talent.
It is an ecosystem designed to break down the barriers between professional and personal life, going beyond the simple concept of a working space.
Shared environments become places of exchange, where relationships are transformed into opportunities.
An emblematic example is "Piazza delle Idee", which makes spontaneous encounters possible, transforming ordinary moments into opportunities for innovation.
Kilometro Rosso goes beyond simply offering workplaces, integrating services and activities that simplify everyday life and foster a new balance between life and profession.
This focus on individual well-being translates into an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration and productivity.
From the presence of green areas to the ability to conduct daily activities on campus, every element contributes to a more fluid and less fragmented work environment.
Shared spaces, both indoor and outdoor, create a network of informal connections that foster immediate interactions and valuable exchanges.
Innovation is born in a context that fosters and nurtures it. Here, every space is designed to make interactions more natural, because often the best ideas are not born in isolated laboratories, but in places where people meet to contaminate each other.
Chpt. 0003
Training today to innovate tomorrow
In an ever-changing reality like Kilometro Rosso, where values and ethics development lie at the basis, training new resources has become a central goal.
Investing in skills means preparing new generations to face the challenges of innovation, transforming them into opportunities.
In a context where technological progress accelerates relentlessly, it is not enough to adapt: one must be ready to lead it, to avoid being subjected to change.
This focus on professional growth, with spaces and initiatives dedicated to training, has marked a fundamental evolution for the district.
Knowing how to integrate new technologies into one's industry means knowing how to use them, understanding their potential and applying them strategically to create value. Today, attracting and retaining talent is one of the biggest challenges for companies.
Kilometro Rosso addresses this need with a proactive approach: approaching young people about their studies, it offers them an environment where growth and innovation are not abstract concepts, but concrete experiences.
Thanks to its state-of-the-art facilities, shared spaces and direct interaction companies, it creates a space capable of attracting new minds and, above all, enhancing them and incentivizing them to stay, reducing the risk of skills dispersion.
A key example of this vision is the collaboration with the University of Bergamo, which allows students to take part in innovative research projects and have an immersive educational experience.
Hosting a university institution within Kilometro Rosso represents a mutual opportunity: on the one hand, the scientific campus benefits from the presence of young talents, who bring new ideas and fresh perspectives, contaminating the ecosystem with their innovative approach.
On the other hand, students have the chance to work on concrete projects, immersing themselves in a business context already during their academic career. It is not just about studying the world of work, but physically entering it.
The university's presence within the science park creates a direct link between theory and practice, giving students the opportunity to interact with companies and, in some cases, experience firsthand what it is like to work in a business.
This approach prepares them for the future and, more importantly, makes it immediately concrete, turning training into a stepping stone to the professional world.
It is not uncommon, indeed, that these experiences translate into hiring, demonstrating that the link between education and business can be the key to sustainable and lasting innovation.
Chpt. 0004
Open Innovation: from concept to action, the reality Kilometro Rosso
In line with its vocation innovation, Kilometro Rosso has adopted an Open Innovation model over the years, becoming a point of reference for collaboration between industry and research.
An approach that reflects the paradigm shift experienced by Italian companies, which are increasingly aware of the need to open up to new ideas, technologies and contamination.
When we talk about Open Innovation, we refer to a process of technology and knowledge transfer, which spills over from the world of research into industry, accelerating the development of innovative solutions.
However, this exchange does not happen spontaneously: it requires a business fabric capable of supporting and incentivizing it, creating a fertile ecosystem for innovation.
Kilometro Rosso is concretely committed to fostering this dynamic, constantly organizing moments of confrontation, both structured, such as technical working tables and informative meetings between companies and research centers, and informal, facilitated by the shared spaces and services of the campus.
Occasions that, beyond their format, are always based on dialogue between people and ideas, the real engine of innovation. Looking to the future means investing in the long term.
An innovation developed today may find application tomorrow, perhaps in a different sector than the one for which it was conceived.
The ability to create synergies therefore becomes essential, allowing knowledge to be shared, existing solutions to be reused and insights born in different contexts to be given new life.
As evidence of this approach, the Cobra project represents an emblematic example of Open Innovation: a collaboration between Brembo and Italcementi he develops an innovative and sustainable braking system.
A revolutionary idea that took quite some time before finding the right context to be applied. A case that highlights the link between innovation, timing and vision, elements that are indispensable for translating ideas into progress.
In this scenario, training plays a crucial role: being prepared means being able to recognize the value of new solutions and understanding when the time is right to turn them into reality, seizing the opportunities offered by progress.
Born spontaneously, the Cobra project demonstrates how Kilometro Rosso fosters dialogue between different skills, creating the conditions for innovative, cross-cutting applications.
A model in which research, business and talent converge to build the future of industry.
Chpt. 0005
From the idea elite to shared innovation
Kilometro Rosso is a place where innovation takes shape through the meeting of different skills, talents and visions.
Research and industry intertwine here, generating opportunities that go beyond the individual project and creating a fertile ecosystem for collective progress.
The value of this reality comes from contamination, the comparison of different experiences and the ability to transform insights into concrete solutions.
In this sense, Kilometro Rosso is reminiscent of the literary salons of the past, spaces where discussion fueled thought and gave rise to new perspectives.
Within it, people feel free to be, to express ideas without imposed hierarchies. That is why, in the moments meeting, it is possible to observe a CEO dialoguing with a student in an open and mutual discussion, where knowledge flows without barriers.
Unlike those salons, however, which are often reserved for the few, Kilometro Rosso breaks down all barriers and innovation accessible.
Students, startups, small, medium and large companies with the same desire to share knowledge and collaborate to build the future.
If words once shaped culture, today it is research and technology that shape tomorrow.
As then, progress comes from the meeting of different visions, the ability to cross boundaries and the willingness to turn ideas into reality.
This same openness to collaboration is reflected in the way work today is increasingly structured around multidisciplinarity.
At the micro level, within companies, teamwork has become essential for tackling complex problems from different perspectives.
At the macro level, Kilometro Rosso amplifies this principle by creating a place where business- to-business collaboration becomes the key to innovation.
Its very structure fosters these exchanges, demonstrating how the coming together of diverse expertise is an indispensable engine for progress.
Kilometro Rosso is a laboratory of innovation that does not impose limits, but creates connections, because it is only by opening doors to dialogue that tomorrow's revolutions are built.
