Bologna Empowering Talent has been selected for the ADI Design Index 2025, among the 17 Italian projects recognised in the “Research for Business” category, which showcases initiatives that highlight the ability of design to generate value within production and organisational processes.
What is the ADI Design Index
ADI – the Association for Industrial Design – is the main reference point for Italian design. The association promotes design culture and its ability to connect business, research and society, fostering sustainable development and quality of life through design.
Each year, the ADI Permanent Design Observatory selects the best projects and products at the national level, which are then included in the ADI Design Index. This selection represents excellence in Italian design across innovation, research, services and sustainability.
Being included in the ADI Design Index means entering the selection process for the ADI Compasso d’Oro Award, a prestigious recognition in Italian design, which for over 70 years has celebrated projects capable of improving quality of life and the environment through design.
The 2025 selection consists of 344 projects, divided into different thematic categories, and represents the first step towards the 2026 Compasso d’Oro, whose exhibition will take place first in Milan and subsequently in Rome.
The Bologna Empowering Talent project
BET is an open innovation programme developed by Bologna Innovation Square, part of the Metropolitan City and Municipality of Bologna, and carried out in collaboration with Almacube and Fondazione Golinelli.
The programme aims to strengthen the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, attract and retain talent in the territory, and promote a culture of open innovation capable of connecting businesses, public institutions and young professionals.
Through the Innovation Residency, selected graduates and graduating students take part in a training and hands-on experimentation pathway, working in multidisciplinary teams on corporate innovation challenges related to digitalisation, ICT and organisational process transformation.
Companies have the opportunity to test innovative solutions and engage directly with participating talents, while participants develop practical and methodological skills based on design thinking, needs analysis and co-design.
A recognition of the value of design for territorial innovation
BET’s inclusion in the ADI Design Index 2025 acknowledges the role of design as a driver of social and entrepreneurial innovation — one that can bridge institutions, universities and enterprises, while generating meaningful impact on the local territory.