Innovation District

Dedicated to Italian and international excellence, the Lorenzo Cagnoni Award for Green Innovation is awarded to the most cutting-edge technology in the various exhibition sectors and to the three most innovative start-ups.

An initiative designed for all those companies that for years have been committed to developing increasingly innovative products and offering advanced services, thus contributing to the migration of our country, and in general the planet, towards a circular and sustainable economy.

All companies participating in Ecomondo will be able to get involved and send in their applications, which will be evaluated by a specially formed Evaluation Committee.

Prizes will be awarded to the six most innovative projects, one for each product sector at Ecomondo: 

          >> waste as resource
          >> water cycle & blue economy
          >> bio-energy & agriculture
          >> circular and regenerative bio-economy
          >> site & soil restoration
          >> environmental monitoring and earth observation

REGULATIONS


These Regulations are drawn up to safeguard the purpose of the Competition and the proper conduct thereof. They determine the operating procedures and criteria of the Competition for the 2024 edition and are valid and effective for that edition only.

Participation in the Prize, expressed through the submission of one's proposals via the online form, together with the other declarations referred to in Article 5 below on how to participate, implies full and unconditional acceptance of these Rules and Regulations by the participants.

PURPOSE - Art.1

The purpose of the Competition is to highlight successful projects and business and entrepreneurial experiences that have striven to strengthen the concept of ecological transition, and have set themselves apart by combining research, innovation and financial results, as well as by contributing to the development of the region, with particular reference to digital, ecological and energy transition paths. . 

AWARDS - Art.2

There are no cash awards or awards that can be economically evaluated.

ELIGIBLE PERSONS - Art. 3

In accordance with the established rules, the Competition may be entered by private and public companies, which at the time of submitting their application, are:

  • Established and active;
     
  • Duly registered in the Ecomondo 2024 exhibitor catalogue;
     
  • Duly registered in the commercial register of the local Chamber of Commerce;
     
  • In compliance with all social security and insurance obligations and with the rules on combating illegal and undeclared work as set out in Regional Law no. 35/2000;
     
  • Not under receivership, extraordinary receivership without continuation of operations, composition with creditors, bankruptcy or liquidation or any other insolvency proceedings provided for by the Bankruptcy Law and other special laws, nor subject to proceedings against them for the declaration of one of these situations;
     
  • Companies whose legal representative has not been convicted by a final judgement or a criminal conviction that has become irrevocable or a judgement imposing the penalty requested, pursuant to Article 444 of the Code of Criminal Procedure for serious offences against the State or the Community concerning professional ethics.

ADMISSION CRITERIA - Art. 4

  • Parties referred to in Article 3 that are interested in entering the Competition must submit detailed documentation of their projects.
     
  • Only projects already decided on, in progress or completed within the last 12 months may be submitted.
     
  • Each participant may submit only one application. Should they send several applications, only the last application in chronological order will be examined.
     
  • Applications are not admissible if they relate to the following parties: 
     
  1. Members of the Judging Committee, their spouses and their relatives, up to and including 2nd-degree relatives;
     
  2. Members of the Promoting Committee, their spouses and their relatives, up to and including 2nd-degree relatives;
     
  3. Members of the Organising Secretariat;
     
  4. Those holding institutional or management positions within supporting organisations. 

HOW TO TAKE PART - Art. 5

  • Entry to the Competition is free of charge. The application consists of the documentation sent to the Organising Secretariat, including all declarations/sheets, and complete with all the mandatory documents listed below:
  1. Application form (including consent to data processing);
  2. Project information sheet and company description sheet;
     
  • Applicants may attach to the application any additional documents they consider useful for the selection of projects (e.g. digital presentations, brochures, photos, videos, etc.) up to a maximum of three documents, with a total limit of 10,000 characters.
     
  • The mandatory documentation to be submitted and any additional documentation must be signed by the legal representative of the applicant company or a responsible delegate.
     
  • Entries for participation, accompanied by all the mandatory documents listed above, must be submitted no later than 30 September 2024 in accordance with the procedures set out in these regulations. Any changes to the indicated dates will be promptly communicated by the Organising Secretariat through the website www.ecomondo.com and its social channels.
     
  • No applications received after the deadline will be admitted under any circumstances.
     
  • By signing the application form, applicants explicitly agree that all necessary data, company profiles and biographies will be examined in complete accordance with the principles of business confidentiality.
     
  • All information collected concerning the company and the candidates' profile is processed in compliance with the GDPR, EU Regulation 679/2016, for the sole purposes of the Competition.
     
  • By entering the Competition, applicants guarantee that the proposal submitted is original and does not violate any copyright or other third-party rights. In this regard, each participant undertakes to fully indemnify the promoters, organisers and all parties involved in the Competition against any claims by third parties.
     
  • The winners undertake to guarantee their attendance and that of their legal representative or, if this is not possible, of an official representative, in the case of companies, at the award ceremony, and agree to appear in press reports and in any television and photographic coverage of the event, without any claims in respect of their own rights or those of the companies they represent. In the event of restrictions and/or limitations, the ceremony will be organised remotely. The winners must in any case ensure they attend remotely.
     
  • While complying with industrial secrecy and the confidentiality of the candidates, through the Organising Secretariat, the Judging Committee may request information, interviews or visits from the candidates for selection purposes.
     
  • The communication of untruthful, inaccurate and incomplete data, and failure to comply with the entry procedures set out in these Regulations and the requirements for participation shall result in the exclusion of participants from the selection or the return of the prize received.​

ORGANISING SECRETARIAT - Art. 6

The Organising Secretariat is based at ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP SpA and performs organisational and promotional functions for the Competition. ​

EVALUATION COMMITTEE - Art. 7

The Evaluation Committee, which will be specially appointed by the Promoting Committee and composed of individuals with recognised experience in the field of innovation from the worlds of science, academia and industry, will act as the Jury. Its task is to identify the winners on the basis of the best projects validly submitted. 

SELECTION PROCEDURE AND COMMUNICATION OF RESULTS - Art. 8

  • The Competition promoters verify the eligibility of the applications submitted in accordance with the regulations and the requirements set out in articles 3, 4 and 5 above. It then makes the documentation available to the Judging Committee.
     
  • The Evaluation Committee scores the applications selected based on the evaluation criteria set out in article 9 below, and the weights to be assigned thereto, which it will define once it has been established.
     
  • Should it deem it necessary to gather further information for the purposes of evaluation, the Judging Committee may ask the candidates for the Competition for an interview or a special meeting.
     
  • Applications will then be ranked on the basis of the points allocated.
     
  • The winners will be contacted by the Organising Secretariat promptly and will be invited to the award ceremony. On this occasion, they will be asked to exhibit their project to the public. The winners therefore undertake to guarantee their attendance at the awards ceremony, as set out in article 5, and agree to appear in press reports and in any television and photographic coverage of the awards event, without any claims in respect of their own rights or those of the companies represented.
     
  • The classification, with the list of participants and winners, will be made public from the day of the award ceremony on ecomondo.com and through the websites of the supporting organisations.  

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA - Art. 9

The assessment of the applications, to be carried out autonomously by the Selection Committee under its own responsibility and at its own indisputable and unquestionable judgement, shall take into account the parameters and criteria referred to in the descriptive and project sheets, listed below:

  • The project’s degree of innovation
  • Business model
  • Economic benefits
  • Quantitative and qualitative benefitS
  • Impact on local supply chains and production systems
  • Environmental sustainability and consideration for the environment and the principles of circularity

NATURE, SIZE AND AWARDING OF PRIZES - Art. 10

The prizes consist of ceremonial plaques that will be produced by ITALIAN EXHIBITION GROUP SpA, specifically coordinating their content and graphics with the other promoters.

AWARD CEREMONY - Art. 11

  • Prizes will be awarded during the public awards ceremony to be held during Ecomondo 2024. The date, place and further logistical details of the ceremony will be announced in due time via email by the Organising Secretariat to the winners, who undertake to guarantee their attendance as indicated in article 5. Maximum visibility will be given to this in all media.
     
  • In the event of restrictions and/or limitations, the ceremony will take place remotely.
     
  • The winners will in any case have to ensure that they physically or remotely attend the ceremony.

COMPANIES AWARDED | 2023 EDITION


>> ECO RECYCLING
specialized in the development and implementation of processes and equipment for the recovery of metals from MPS

>> HBI
has developed a polygenerative technology for the treatment of sewage sludge

>> AMP ROBOTICS
presented AI-powered automation solutions to improve the recycling process.

START-UP AWARDED | 2023 EDITION



>> 3BEE
has developed technologies to regenerate biodiversity

>> OXOCO
was awarded for developing facilities that produce reusable material and technical gases

>> MIXCYCLING
creates environmentally friendly alternative materials to plastic through the use of production waste

The award is named after Lorenzo Cagnoni president of Italian Exhibition Group, who recently passed away. A man of extraordinary vision, he first believed in the potential of Ecomondo 27 years ago.

The Lorenzo Cagnoni Award is part of the Innovation District's initiatives with Start-Up&Scale-Up and Green Jobs.