Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) is a scientific research centre established by law in 2003 by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in order to promote excellence in both basic and applied research and to facilitate the economic development at national level. IIT scientific activities started in 2006, they are multidisciplinary and with a very strong approach to technology transfer. IIT staff is composed by approximately 1,900 people with an average age of 35 years. Female staff is more than 40%. Half of the researchers (51%) come from abroad: 30% are scientists from more than 70 foreign countries and 21% are Italian researchers who have come back to Italy after a professional experience abroad. IIT has a vast experience in managing and supervising research projects with a portfolio of 678 external funded competitive research projects, 341 of which financed by EU funding programs as FP7, H2020 and HEU - 57 are funded by European Research Council (ERC). IIT has produced about 21,000 publications and 406 inventions resulting in 1335 active patents. Its research activity led to the creation of 34 start-ups, with additional more than 50 under due diligence. Research is carried out in the Central Research Laboratories in Genoa (IIT headquarters), in 11 centers across Italy and in 2 outstations in US. IIT scientific vision is interdisciplinary, based on the concept of "translating evolution into technology", that is mimicking natural solutions to develop new technologies in the fields of robotics, materials science, and life science. The 2024-2029 Strategic Plan prioritises Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare and Earthcare. It is organized into four research domains: Computational Science, Life Technologies (LifeTech), Nanomaterials, and Robotics. Each research domain consists of independent research units, each led by a principal investigator, and it is supported by state-of-the-art facilities. The main goal is to produce technologies that will have a positive impact on some important societal challenges, such as sustainability and the environment, healthcare and aging society, also reflecting the priorities of EU framework programs. This approach promotes the creation of joint-labs and research agreements with industrial partners, universities, and international research centers.
Last updated: 12 Jun 2025