The eighth edition of Maker Faire Rome, the European Edition, was held digitally from 10 to 13 December.

Eni was the main partner at the event, which included a new and free format under the banner of “fully digital”. With this in mind, Maker Faire hosted a platform where the pavilions were thematic itineraries and the stands were internet pages, where exhibitors could interact with users as they would at a traditional fair. The visitor experience was rounded off with a calendar of live events, talks, webinars, workshops and conferences on the main topics.

The most important innovation event in Europe was a significant opportunity for Eni to showcase its proprietary technologies to the maker public, such as Waste to Fuel, which is used to produce biofuels using the organic fraction of municipal solid waste or the ISWEC system, based on wave energy. It is also a chance to share research projects such as the use of the HPC5 supercomputer, that contributes to the research against Covid-19, and to promote initiatives such as Joule, Eni's business school and JUST, the path towards sustainability for our supply chain.

Francesca Zarri, Eni's Director of Technology, R&D & Digital, took part in the Opening Conference on 10 December. The Data Driven Innovation conference on 10 December with Dario Pagani, Eni's Head of Digital & Information Technology, discussed Eni's commitment to big data, machine learning and supercomputing.

The webinar on “Circular Economy and Sustainable Development” took place on 11 December with Teresa Valentini, Head of Process, Reporting and Support, Circular Economy and Green Refinery at Eni. Talks on JUST (Join Us in a Sustainable Transition) also took place on 11 December with Stefano Fasani, Head of Procurement Innovation, People Knowledge & Change at Eni and Marco Casati, Head of Strategic Sourcing & Marketing Intelligence at Eni, followed by “Exscalate4Cov” with Alberto Delbianco, VP LNG Technology & Concept at Eni.

Finally, on Saturday 12 December, a talk on consumerism, “Science and technology at the service of the citizen”, was held with Luisa Lavagnini, Eni's Head of Research and Technological Innovation. 

For Eni, technological innovation plays a key role in the evolution of the business model that will lead to reaching the targets set by the long-term Strategic Plan to 2050, as well as a fundamental driver in the decarbonization process.

HPC5, the world's most powerful industrial supercomputer, is leading the search for effective drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Exscalate4CoV is a consortium made up of universities, research centres and private companies throughout Europe, launched with the aim of finding a cure for COVID-19 with the help of molecular modelling. HPC5 is carrying out advanced simulations of over 70 billion anti-viral molecules with virus proteins.

The Waste to Fuel system produces biofuels from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste (OFMSW), made up of leftover kitchen waste. The first of its type in the world, it was designed, developed and patented at Eni's Renewable Energy and Environmental R&D Centre in Novara. Also our patented Ecofining^TM system, with a view to circularity, allows us to transform raw materials of biological origin into biofuels, notably including high-quality biodiesel, known in technical terms as HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil).

ISWEC is the project to produce electricity from wave motion to power offshore plants. The MORE - Marine Offshore Renewable Energy Lab, created in collaboration with the Politecnico di Torino, is a laboratory given over entirely to the development of technologies to harness wave motion, the largest source of untapped renewable energy on the planet, ocean currents, tides and the salinity gradient, as well as to improve wind and solar offshore.

There are several projects underway within CCS - “Carbon Capture and Storage” and CCU - “Carbon Capture and Utilization”. With regards to the Capturing stage, we are developing systems that use ionic liquids that are more efficient than conventional amine-based liquids. Where Storage is concerned, we are using an integrated approach to capture, transport, fluid-to-rock interaction and monitoring studies relating to the geological storage of CO₂. On the operations front, we want to create the world's largest CO₂ storage hub off the coast of Ravenna, taking advantage of depleted deposits and disused assets in the area. For the Utilization stage, the main projects relate to microalgae biofixation and the conversion to methanol.

With a view to circularity, plastic can also become a protagonist of sustainability. Eni's commitment, through Versalis, rests on three pillars: the eco-design of products, with solutions to improve resource efficiency along the entire life cycle and product recyclability, the diversification of raw materials, thanks to projects that use renewable sources and reused materials and polymer recycling, through the development of innovative technologies to recycle plastic and rubber.

CappottoMio is the Eni gas e luce solution for the energy updating of blocks of flats through the installation of thermal insulation to reduce heat loss from the building. CappottoMio, in addition to thermal insulation for walls, includes energy updating for the heating systems in flats, as well as earthquake protection, which will reduce energy consumption in blocks of flats from 30 to 50%.

Joule's mission is to train and support the development of those who want to do business by providing tools and skills, as well as supporting those who have already started a business and want to develop it further Joule's Human Knowledge Programme began in October 2020, the Blended Programme, with classroom and distance teaching, is aimed at 25 participants, while the Open Programme is a full distance learning programme, free and open to all, involving over 4,000 members on an innovative path.

Finally, Energizer is the hybrid accelerator supporting those who have already started a sustainable startup. Some Joulees of the Blended Programme will be taking part in the event sharing their experiences, ideas and projects for a more sustainable future.

JUST “Join Us in a Sustainable Transition” è l’iniziativa del Procurement Eni a supporto della transizione energetica. Un invito rivolto a tutti i fornitori a unirsi a Eni sui temi della sostenibilità lungo tutta la filiera e in tutte le fasi del processo di procurement, da quella di market intelligence, attraverso le call e gli scouting, alla qualifica fino alle gare. Il portale Eni Space intende essere il canale di ascolto e collaborazione con i fornitori, uno spazio comune nel percorso di transizione energetica di Eni.