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24 January 2024
ADR: LAUNCH OF THE THIRD EDITION OF THE ‘CALL FOR STARTUPS’
THE FIUMICINO INNOVATION HUB PROGRAMME TO ATTRACT INNOVATIVE PROJECTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Fiumicino, 23 January 2024 – Aeroporti di Roma's Innovation Hub launches today the third ‘Global Call For Startups’ with the aim of attracting innovative companies and projects in the airport sector from all over the world.

Starting today, startups can submit proposals for new solutions for the macro-areas: Smart Operations & Processes, Infrastructure Management & Development, Passenger Experience, NetZero Target and Sustainability and Disruptive Solutions, with the support of other major industry players who will support in each area of application, inside the Fiumicino Smart City.

During the project period of eight months, the startups will have the opportunity to develop, inside the Fiumicino airport’s Innovation Hub at the Terminal 1, Proof of Concept (PoC), testing the solutions within the unique context of the airport, where they will be supervised by members of the ADR Innovation Cabin Crew, a team of specialists who will support them in the development of their projects in each area of expertise. A budget of EUR 80,000 will be assigned to each start-up and, as in the two previous editions, in the event of a positive outcome, they will also have access to potential business opportunities of up to EUR 2 million, contributing to shape the airport of the future.

The programme includes not only financial support in the realisation of the projects, but also the engagement from ADR's corporate partners, such as Plug and Play Tech Center – the leading private investor in start-ups in Silicon Valley– other industrial and academic partners and Airports for Innovation – the network of airports (more than 700 million passengers per year) launched by ADR, dedicated to innovation and now joined by several other major international airports on 3 continents and to get in touch for possible investments with the Corporate Venture Capital vehicle ADR Ventures.

In the first edition, in 2022, within the first industrial accelerator in the heart of an airport, 10 innovative start-ups from all over the world, were identified from among 96 candidates and 5 of them were given the opportunity to integrate and launch their services within Fiumicino Airport. The second edition, in 2023, saw a growing number of applications – 116 in total – including the 13 selected (of which 7 in the field of Artificial Intelligence) that are currently undergoing final testing.

During the two months following the opening of applications, ADR's Innovation Team will also be supporting startups with online webinars dedicated to broadening the scope of each of the proposed challenges and for registrations.
To participate in the call, project proposals must be submitted via the online procedure on the ADR website – www.adr.it/innovation section, by the expire date.

 
Aeroporti di Roma, an Mundys Group company, manages and develops the Rome Fiumicino and Ciampino airports and carries out other activities related and complementary to airport management. Fiumicino, the first and only airport in Italy with a Skytrax rating of 5 stars for excellent standards in service quality, has two passenger terminals and is dedicated to business and leisure customers on domestic, international and intercontinental routes; Ciampino is mainly used by low-cost airlines, express-couriers and General Aviation activities In 2019, ADR recorded 49.4 million passengers as an airport system, (in 2023 the Fiumicino and Ciampino airports together reached 44.4 million passengers). Over the past five years, Aeroporti di Roma has received numerous awards, recognitions and quality certificates. The main ones are the AIRPORT SERVICE QUALITY AWARD, awarded by ACI World for the category of European airports with more than 40 million passengers per year for the years 2017 to 2022 for the high level of passenger satisfaction, and the ACI EUROPE BEST AIRPORT AWARD, category of airports with more than 40 million passengers per year, for the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022: the award, in this case, rewards the achievement of excellence in several disciplines, including security, operations, infrastructure, community relations, environmental awareness and customer care. Thanks to these achievements, in 2022, ACI World included ADR in the 'Director General's Roll of Excellence', to which only 69 out of more than 18,000 airports worldwide belong for the very high levels of quality offered to their passengers. SKYTRAX, in 2018 awarded ADR the WORLD'S MOST IMPROVED AIRPORT AWARD based on the evaluation of services experienced by passengers at various airports around the world. In 2022, ADR received the BEST AIRPORT STAFF IN EUROPE AWARD from Skytrax for meeting precise parameters of friendliness and efficiency of customer service staff at the air terminal. ADR also distinguished itself in sustainability by receiving the LEADERSHIP IN SUSTAINABILITY AND COMMITMENT TO RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation in 2020. In the field of innovation, in 2021, in connection with the SESAR - Single European Sky project, ADR was awarded the ACI EUROPE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AWARD for the airport's investment in the brand new Airport Operation Centre, and the implementation of the innovation model focused on Open Innovation. In 2022, Plug and Play Tech Center, the largest private investment fund in Silicon Valley, presented ADR with the 'Corporate Innovation Award' for its commitment to promoting open innovation initiatives and building an innovative 'airport of the future', Award confirmed for 2023.


       
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