FORMAT Tutorial at TRIZ Future Conference at EPFL
October 29, 2014; Lausanne, Switzerland.

FORMAT Dissemination at the Twelfth Edition of the Economy Day:

(FORMAT Project as a Driving Engine for developed forecasts at SMEs)

October 24, 2014; Treviso, Italy.

In October 24, a conference presenting the project "TECHNOLOGICAL FORECASTING FOR THE SMEs NETWORKS" was organized at the national level in Italy by the Italian Union of Chambers of Commerce during the twelfth edition of the Economy Day "dodicesima edizione della Giornata dell'Economia".

Prof. Gaetano Cascini, coordinator of FORMAT project, explained in details what Technological Forecasting is and how it can support business decisions.


Prof. Gaetano Cascini
Professor at the Politecnico di Milano
For the full presentation about "TECHNOLOGY FORECASTING: Purpose, method and comparing experiences", follow this link: http://goo.gl/uY0v9m

Prof. Cascini then introduced the reports of the two working groups:

The first group of companies - made ​​up of Renato Buziol (Fmb Srl), Luigi Cover (Cst Stampi Srl), Tanja Colautti, Luca Nadal and Ivan Samogin (Meteor Sas),Silvia Stocco (Sac Serigrafia Srl), Giorgio Zanchetta(Anodica Trevigiana Spa) - has developed a forecasting with reference to the segment of "domestic ovens".

The second group - consisting of Marco Dedin (Cst Stampi Srl), Sandro Feltrin (Ric Srl), Gabriele Gerometta (Futura S.C.),Mario Lucchese (Lucchese Industria Srl), Paolo Santi (Sac Serigrafia Srl), Davide Staiano (Anodica Trevigiana Spa) - has told how the approach was applied to the segment of "car interiors" from the perspective of those who make plastic components.

The results of these two groups of companies have been achieved through the application of the FORMAT methodology: methodology that has been developed within a European project coordinated by Prof. Cascini with intent to provide a systematic guide to the development of technology foresight in the industrial sector .

These two experiences was accompanied by the talk of Pierluigi Petrali, ofWhirlpool Europe, industrial partner in FORMAT project. This large multinational is not only one of those cases that reinforce their investment in Italy, but also for several years has used a structured approach of forecasting to support their decision-making processes, and to contribute to the development and validation of the FORMATmethodology by various innovative case-studies.

Pierluigi Petrali
Whirlpool Europe
For the full presentation about "TECHNOLOGY FORECAST ACTIVITY IN WHIRLPOOL: Objectives and Requirements", follow this link: http://goo.gl/QCxkmI

The discussion continued with a speech by Prof. Antonello Pezzini, a member of the European Economic and Social Committee , which has placed the instrument of forecasting in the framework of European policies for development.

At the end of the conference, a summary of the day, from the perspective of those who work to promote business development and growth, has been provided by ' Regional Minister for the Economy and Development, Research and Innovation, Maria Luisa Coppola.

Strengths and Weaknesses of Some Popular Technology Forecasting Techniques

Innovation through FORMAT Handbook for Technology Forecasting

(A Training Guide with Validated Case-Studies)

Events Organised by European Commission:


Fast Track to Innovation Pilot (2015-2016)
A Free Interactive Information Event

January 9, 2015, Brussels, Belgium.

This is your chance to discover a new exciting opportunity for industry-driven innovation under Horizon 2020.

Participants at this event will:

• Acquire insight into the objectives of this new scheme
• Become familiar with the modalities of the Fast Track to Innovation call
• Get practical tips and tricks on how to apply and how to maximise chances for success when applying
• Be able to interact throughout the event with EU-officials

Register now via e-mail: [email protected]. 

Seats are free of charge and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Maximum two seats per organisation.

The event will be recorded and made available via webstream (link available soon).

Smart, Green and Integrated Transport Information Day, save the date!

February 2, 2015, Brussels, Belgium.

To support the preparation of proposals, DG RTD's Transport Directorate of the is organising an Information Day on Monday 2 February 2015 from 9 AM untill 6 PM in the European Commission Charlemagne building, rue de la Loi 170, in Brussels.

The aim of the day is to inform potential participants in the next round of calls under the Smart, Green and Integrated Transport Challenge of the new Horizon 2020 Framework Programme and to offer opportunities for networking.

The sessions will deliver a brief presentation of the surface transport, the aviation and the cross-cutting topics of the Transport challenge Work Programme 2015.

Information will be given on the Evaluation Guidelines and on the legal and financial Rules for Participation covering all aspects from the submission of a proposal to the signature of a grant agreement.

The participants will have the opportunity to address specific technical questions related to the Work Programme 2015 to European Commission's project officers.