Social innovation and community engagement tie Lombardy region together

In the Milan region of Lombardy, the site of the first Microsoft Cloud region in Italy, Fondazione Triulza is designing better connected communities. A network of Italian organizations in civil economy, Fondazione Triulza is collaborating with Microsoft to engage youth and share opportunities in technology.

As the “social heart” of the Milano Innovation District (MIND), Fondazione Triulza focuses on two strategic goals: social innovation and community engagement. It boosts social innovation by providing support and growth space to startups, impact enterprises, and third-sector organizations. Localized engagement involves the people and territories in the development and design of their area to create communities.

Microsoft’s collaboration with Fondazione Triulza began with the Social Innovation Campus 2024—a two-day event to involve new generations in the design of a sustainable future—and a second initiative called “Smart Mobility and Infrastructures: Innovation Serving the Community”, which was organized during the G7 meeting of Transport and Infrastructure Ministers, in Milan.

The Social Innovation Campus in February 2024 featured a hackathon open to high school students and provided Microsoft-supported cross-disciplinary challenges on the use of AI and cloud computing. A special prize was given to a project that proposed the redevelopment of bus stops into “mini hubs” that would connect with mobility-as-a-service apps.

The second initiative hackathon hosted in April 2024 involved 90 students, ages 18 to 22, from the Lombardy Higher Technological Institutes participating in “tangible innovative solutions enhancing infrastructure and mobility” with a focus on safety, inclusivity, shared mobility, and traffic monitoring for small communities. The first-place project, CloudLamp, featured smart sensors that enhance security through video surveillance and lighting devices, while the second-place project, TAKE ME Inclusive Mobility, proposed on-demand transportation services in rural areas. The top two teams were comprised of nine students each who study in the Milan area. The jury included a representative of the Metropolitan City of Milan and the winning teams were awarded by U.S. Ambassador to Italy Jack Markell.

Following this hackathon, the Metropolitan City of Milan hosted an event on October 10, 2024, for the student groups to present their concepts with local administrators and policy makers. The public meeting combined the themes of innovation and sustainability with an approach to open governance in which officials, citizens, young people, and businesses work together to achieve better results for the community.

In February 2025, the Social Innovation Campus hosted a new hackathon event with competitions available both in-person and online. The dual competitions involved 25 teams in person and 14 teams online, with Microsoft mentors supporting participants. The first-place project in person was Coopnext, an app that uses AI to analyze purchasing trends and suggest responsible choices for a sustainable circular economy. In the online competition, the first-place project was MIND ZERO WASTE: RAE EDITION, which proposed several specific practices to reduce the problem of electrical and electronic waste through awareness, repair and reuse, and proper disposal.

Microsoft also offered a special prize for best use of AI in social innovation, which went to R3VO in person and Conversione della Raffineria di Milazzo online. R3VO uses AI to optimize home deliveries through traffic management and electric vans, while the Conversione proposes converting the Milazzo refinery into a self-sufficient city centered around a hydroelectric power plant with AI-regulated energy, ending the need for taxes or bills. The 2025 Social Innovation Campus welcomed 13,500 participants overall.

“Partnerships with international technology companies are key for Fondazione Triulza to achieve its goal of engaging students in co-design activities in the area of social innovation. The collaboration with Microsoft allowed us to ask young people to propose innovative solutions, based on artificial intelligence, aimed at increasing environmental sustainability and social inclusion. This is the path that allows us to look to the future with confidence and hope,” said Chiara Pennasi, Director of Fondazione Triulza.

Microsoft and Fondazione Triulza will continue their collaboration with future efforts on promoting digital transitions and sustainability innovation in the Lombardy region.