Aeroporti di Roma (ADR) – a Corporate Partner of the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub – has launched a fourth ‘Call4Startups’ as part of its ‘Runway to the Future Acceleration Program’. In this interview, Giorgia Marizza shares how the Runway to the Future acceleration program is structured and explains how startups can develop a Proof of Concept within Fiumicino Airport, which ADR likes to consider a smart city.
Giorgia Marizza, Acceleration Program & Open Innovation Specialist, Aeroporti di Roma: “We’re seeking visionary startups ready to transform the future of travel and redefine what airports can become. Our doors are open to bold innovators who want to turn groundbreaking ideas into reality within a living laboratory – our airport ecosystem. After successful proof of concept validation, the most promising solutions will scale across our entire smart city infrastructure, creating lasting impact for millions of travellers.”
The fourth edition of ADR’s ‘Call4Startups’ is based on six main challenges:
- Asset Intelligence & Predictive Maintenance
- Robotics & Autonomous Operations
- Automation and AI for Construction Management
- Data Intelligence for Pax Experience & Retail Management
- Road to Net Zero: Sustainability Solutions
- Enterprise AI Transformation
Selected startups receive €80,000 funding to develop their Proof of Concept over eight months at the ADR Innovation Hub in Fiumicino Terminal 1. The Innovation Cabin Crew provides specialised mentoring across all expertise areas, ensuring startups can effectively implement their technology solutions.
“Real innovation happens when startups collaborate with our Innovation Cabin Crew,” Marizza explains. “This dedicated mentoring transforms technical solutions into valuable business applications, driving enhanced passenger experience, operational efficiency, and sustainability initiatives.”
Finally, this year’s key enhancement is ADR Ventures, the Corporate Venture Capital arm focused on aerospace, sustainable travel, hospitality, and passenger experience innovations.
Accelerating innovation through strategic
ADR’s latest Call4Startups initiative in 2024 attracted significant global interest, with 389 applications and 716 project proposals. The response was truly international, with 40% coming from Italian startups and 60% from companies worldwide.
Through its innovation acceleration program, ADR has been partnering with promising startups to deliver tangible business results across four key areas:
- Enhancing Operational Efficiency: “We tested with SeeTrue, a revolutionary AI-powered security screening solution that transforms threat detection capabilities. By integrating seamlessly with existing X-ray and CT scanning systems, SeeTrue enhances airport security with unprecedented accuracy while reducing human error and increasing screening efficiency.”
- Improving Customer Experience: “Our collaboration with Outsight brought groundbreaking LiDAR-based technology to people flow monitoring. This advanced spatial intelligence solution tracks and analyses human movement patterns in real-time, enabling airports to optimise space utilisation, improve crowd management, and enhance security protocols for more efficient operations.”
- Boosting Commercial Performance: “We selected Aindo to develop sophisticated predictive models using synthetic data. These models forecast how external factors – such as passenger flow changes, route adjustments, or extraordinary events – impact retail and food & beverage sales within airport environments.”
- Advancing Sustainability Goals: “Our support for FlyOro focused on conducting a comprehensive feasibility study for establishing blending stations that combine Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) with conventional JetA1 fuel. This initiative specifically targets crucial endpoints in the aviation fuel supply chain, with Rome Airport as a key focus.”
These partnerships demonstrate ADR’s commitment to fostering innovation that addresses real-world challenges while creating measurable value across the aviation industry.
Learn more about the FTE Digital, Innovation & Startup Hub >>
