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ComoNExT
The Innovation Hub next to Milano
ComoNExT - Innovation Hub was established in 2010 by the Como Chamber of Commerce and Industry, with the aim to stimulate the economic and social revival of the area. Today ComoNExT is the reference point of the Lombardy Digital Innovation Hub, it is a member of the SMACT Competence Center and a certified startup incubator of MiSE (the Italian Ministry of Economic Development).
ComoNExT- Innovation Hub is headquartered in Lomazzo, in the former Somaini cotton mill that was expertly restored thanks also to the substantial grant received by Fondazione Cariplo. It extends over an area of 21,000 square meters and currently it is home to 140 companies, including startups, SMEs and multinational corporations that employ over 900 knowledge workers. These companies operate across different sectors but all of them have innovation as core business function. Their admission to the hub, which is decided by an evaluation committee, depends on their ability to innovate.
The multiple skills available at ComoNExT have contributed to the creation of NExT Innovation®, a unique technology transfer model that fosters the "bottom-up" development of the area through innovation.
The involvement of key local stakeholders - companies, institutions, universities, investors and the startups launched by and based in ComoNExT – has made the implementation of this model in the innovation- and content-rich environment of ComoNExT even more successful. Thanks to this ethical model, today ComoNExT ensures technology and digital transfer from and to national and international companies through changeable teams, made up of in-house resources. These teams are hired on the basis of the skills necessary to the digital development of those companies that turn to ComoNExT to take the next big step in process and product innovation.
Thanks to the success of NExT Innovation®, ComoNExT has entered into partnerships with several Italian organizations and companies that aim to activate territorial regeneration processes, starting often from former industrial districts that are very similar to the Como district.
Download the company presentation for more info - pdf 6.19 MB 
As startup incubator certified by MiSE (the Italian Ministry of Economic Development), pursuant to Law 221/2012, ComoNExT provides a full-scale range of advisory, technical and logistics services that help turn an idea into a business, which include dedicated services to start up and develop a business, to network with in-house companies and conduct in-depth analysis of business plans to apply for subsidized loan programs and tenders.
Such activities are carried out through a unique and inclusive model of incubation that benefits from the considerable assets made available to startups by NExTinnovation©. Admission to the incubator is via an annual call for proposals called "From Idea to Enterprise", launched by the Como-Lecco Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and via other selection systems. Ninety-seven startups have been hatched so far.
ComoNExT has created Fabbrica diffusa® and NExT Marketing Lab®, two experiential learning labs based inside the innovation hub, where it is possible to get familiar with and acquire first-hand experience of some of the most advanced technologies that are transforming manufacturing.
The first lab, which offers the chance to see the Industry 4.0 enabling technologies at first hand, is a true factory "department" and is connected with other departments located across the country to create a "scattered factory".
The second lab, which combines technology with neuroscience, analyses the criteria and processes that lead individuals or groups to make specific choices and provides companies with very useful insights as to how design their strategies in the best way possible.
ComoNExT is a non-theme innovation hub and is cross-functional to a number of different activities focusing on innovation research and application. Its Community gathers numerous companies, ranging from startups to multinational corporations, which deal with soft and hard technologies, services and production. One of the leading sectors is Healthcare, where the ComoNExT Community offers a wide range of high-level skills acquired through hands-on experience; the Textile and Apparel Industry is the second most represented sector, thanks to the availability of skills in the fields of design, manufacturing, logistics and marketing, necessary to carry out innovation projects across the entire supply chain.
ComoNExT cooperates with several training institutions to run vocational courses (ITS, master, etc.), and through the C.Lab initiative, it collaborates with a number of universities to help students develop their entrepreneurial skills. The C.Lab is a meeting point for universities, students and businesses and aims to assess and support innovative ideas through the tutoring and business incubator services offered by ComoNExT.
