Social Impact

Sustainable development

Politecnico di Milano promotes the culture of sustainable development in all its institutional activities, in teaching and research. Working in partnership with society and helping it to achieve sustainable development goals at global, national and local levels is an integral component of the mission of a University which is firmly embedded in both the relevant community context and the international academic setting. We have been doing this with growing commitment for many years on at least four fronts: environmental sustainability, promotion of responsible research, international cooperation for development and equal opportunities. The experience gained and the results achieved are shown here in the framework of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda, as well as being described and collected in a dedicated series of publications:

Innovation

Politecnico di Milano aims to play a driving role in research and innovation, combining cutting-edge technological contents with social issues. A flexible and interdisciplinary research that counts on structures of excellence and on the development of human capital, while successfully obtaining financing from European programmes. Among the main objectives: a consolidated relationship with enterprises, also by supporting start-ups and enterprise development.

Poli360

Poli360 is the new investment fund – the only one of its kind in Italy – that hinges on the University’s research potentialities and fields of competence, as well as on the Technology Transfer Platform managed by the TTO and the incubator PoliHub. The investments support the development of high technology projects and start-ups – based on research and intellectual property – in the sectors of industrial manufacturing and automation, energy efficiency management, civil infrastructure and telecommunication, development of advanced materials and design.

Patents

Politecnico enhances inventions owing to a technology transfer process based on the scouting of scientific results, pre-seed financing and the technological development of projects. Specific paths are also envisaged such as the Switch2Product competition and Poli360, a venture capital fund devoted to supporting Politecnico’s innovative potential. The direct relationship with enterprises - strengthened owing to the promotion of new technologies via the Internet - is realised by granting patents to third parties or through other forms of collaboration with the entrepreneurial environment.
Patent Portfolio

Spin-Offs

Our University promotes entrepreneurship within its structures by establishing spin-offs, new high-tech enterprises aimed to transform the scientific and technological know-how into innovations that can be exploited from a commercial viewpoint through the realisation of products or services. The creation of the Poli360 fund allows to support entrepreneurial projects and stimulate the collaboration of corporate partners. The aim is to impart both internationality and scalability from the very outset of the spin-offs’ lifecycle, as such characteristics are at the basis of entrepreneurial success.
List of spin-offs

Poli-Hub

PoliHub is the Startup District & Incubator of Politecnico di Milano. It is the ideal place to enhance ideas, transforming them into an entrepreneurial project. PoliHub is addressed also to well-established high-tech firms, offering the possibility to share knowledge and to access the network of one of the best technological universities at European level for the launching of new entrepreneurs. It is managed by Fondazione Politecnico di Milano.
www.polihub.it

 

"Cantieri" for the city of Milan

The “Cantieri” are practical projects shared with the city of Milan: initiatives with and for the city aimed to make Milan increasingly appealing. They are open laboratories devoted to innovation and research involving the best realities of the territory (bodies, institutions, enterprises) relating specifically to relevant technological themes: industry 4.0 (competence centre with MISE); smart cities (5G with Vodafone and the Municipality of Milan); health (Human Technopole); frailty of the territories (projects for urban recovery with the municipality); cultural heritage (Fabbrica del Duomo).

Self-financing

Self-financing constitutes, alongside the Ordinary Financing Fund (FFO) and students’ taxes, one of the main forms of support of Politecnico di Milano. It is made up of research contracts, consultancy and didactics addressed to national and foreign private enterprises as well as Bodies. It also includes competitive financing mainly toward the European Union entered into principally by the University’s departmental Structures. These last years’ trend shows a constant growth: 99,447 k€ (2013), 97,795 k€ (2014), 98,788 k€ (2015), 104,390 k€ (2016), 111,226 k€ (2017), 118.663 k€ (2018), 136.428 k€ (2019), 142.230 k€ (2020), 147.879 k€ (2021).

Culture and social responsability

Owing to a close and fruitful network of relations and strategic alliances with cultural bodies and institutions, both national and international, Politecnico di Milano organises various cycles of cultural events open to the city, enhancing the University’s role as catalyst of free culture available to all. Shows, concerts, meetings, book presentations, conferences, laboratories, exhibitions, guided tours, film discussion groups, all ranging from science to technology, from architecture to design, from art to book trade … give life to a rich programme of events throughout the year. Free initiatives open to the city are organised in Politecnico’s classrooms and in the renovated piazza in front of the historical premises of the University, transforming these places into increasingly alive areas “lived” by citizens of all ages. The calendar of the appointments is available at: www.eventi.polimi.it

Public Engagement and Third Mission report

Alumni

The Alumni Polimi Association is the Association of Politecnico di Milano’s graduates greatly wanted by the University’s Governance. The Association is led by a Board of 9 Alumni, it counts more than 1,000 Supporting Members and is provided with a specially devoted Office. Its two aims are to develop solid relationships among the Alumni and to maintain a continuous bond between the University and its former students.

www.alumni.polimi.it