The 2026 edition of IFAB 4 Next Generation Talents, the training programme promoted by IFAB, came to a close today at DAMA – Data Manifattura Emilia-Romagna, at the Bologna Tecnopolo. The initiative is designed to bring together young talent, universities and companies through the practical use of data, Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies.
Now in its fourth edition, the programme has once again confirmed a simple but highly effective formula: students work on real business challenges, experiment in interdisciplinary teams, receive high-quality guidance from mentors belonging to some of Italy’s leading companies, and develop innovative solutions that are applicable, scalable and aligned with the needs of the productive system.
This year’s edition involved over 80 university students and 6 companies from the IFAB network — CRIF, Hypermeteo, Lavazza, Indicoo, SCS Consulting and Unipol. Together, the teams worked on projects related to Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Digital Twins, knowledge management, climate intelligence, insurance services and digital transformation.
A day focused on the future of AI and young talent
The final event opened with a keynote speech by Alec Ross, Distinguished Adjunct Professor at Bologna Business School and member of IFAB’s International Scientific Board, dedicated to the theme “AI and Innovation: the future is in the hands of young people”.
Professor Ross highlighted the crucial role of younger generations in shaping the next frontiers of Artificial Intelligence. In particular, he pointed out that the fields of agentic AI and physical AI still offer major opportunities for Italy and Europe. To seize them, however, a cultural shift is needed, together with a strong investment in young people’s skills.
The event was also attended by Elena Mazzoni, Regional Councillor for Digital Agenda, Legality and Combating Poverty of the Emilia-Romagna Region, who underlined the value of the project in creating concrete links between education and the world of work. Offering young people as many opportunities as possible to engage directly with companies means supporting them in their future choices while also strengthening the competitiveness of the local ecosystem.
The challenges: concrete ideas for real-world problems
At the heart of IFAB 4 Next Generation Talents was the work carried out by the teams on innovation challenges proposed by the programme’s partner companies. Each company launched a project challenge and supported the teams throughout the journey, with the aim of turning ideas, data and technologies into useful and replicable solutions.
The projects presented showed how Artificial Intelligence can become a practical tool to tackle very different issues: from energy transition to climate risk management, from easier access to weather data to the enhancement of corporate knowledge.
Here are the solutions developed by the young talents:
- CRIF – “HabitAI”. An AI-based territorial planning engine designed to help municipalities organise energy redevelopment projects for public buildings, district by district, by integrating open data, energy data and regulatory frameworks.
- Hypermeteo – “HYPERchat”. A conversational AI agent that simplifies access to weather and climate data, turning complex datasets into ready-to-use insights, with applications in sectors such as agriculture and insurance.
- Indicoo / Legacoop Bologna – “Inclusive pathway for cooperative incubation”. A redesign proposal for the “From idea to enterprise” pathway, with a strong focus on linguistic inclusion, accessibility, community building, tutoring and gamification.
- Lavazza – “BeanSight”. A market and climate intelligence platform designed to support decision-making along the coffee supply chain, integrating climate, logistics, production and geopolitical data.
- SCS Consulting – “Project Phoenix” (winning project). An AI-based knowledge management system capable of transforming fragmented document archives into searchable and easily retrievable knowledge.
- Unipol – “DataStorm AI”. A solution for managing climate-related insurance claims, combining automatic event mapping through web sources and AI, economic damage assessment, forecasting of required expert assessment hours and optimisation of expert allocation.
IFAB as a bridge between universities, technologies and companies
IFAB 4 Next Generation Talents confirms the Foundation’s role as a bridge between academic research, advanced digital skills and the productive world. Beyond the training pathway and the challenges, the programme also represents a valuable and concrete opportunity for students and companies looking for talent and excellence to meet.
The final event also included dedicated recruiting sessions, designed to encourage matching between emerging skills and new professional opportunities.
An ecosystem growing together
The fourth edition of IFAB 4 Next Generation Talents was carried out with the support of BOOM Knowledge and Innovation Hub, employer branding partner of the initiative; Associazione Big Data, which ensured the scientific quality of the training pathway; and Action, communication partner.
Through initiatives such as IFAB 4 Next Generation Talents, IFAB continues to make innovation more accessible to companies, young talent and local stakeholders, enhancing the potential of the technological infrastructures of the Bologna Tecnopolo and the know-how of its network – an ecosystem where skills, research, data and advanced technologies come together to turn today’s challenges into opportunities for growth.
