28DIGITAL, Europe's leading digital innovation and entrepreneurial education organization, and Milan-based venture studio e-Novia, announced today a strategic collaboration aimed at transforming high-potential European research into market-ready deep-tech ventures.
In sync with the EC push for greater independence in critical tech, the initiative will bridge the critical gap between laboratory innovation and commercial success, focusing on Physical AI and advanced technologies.
The collaboration centers on a specialized edition of SPIN, 28DIGITAL's flagship entrepreneurial training and pre-incubation programme, focused on deep-tech ventures in key technology sectors including smart manufacturing and Industry 5.0, autonomous and sustainable mobility, distributed energy and storage systems, collaborative robotics and advanced sensing, and Physical AI applications across multiple domains.
28DIGITAL will deliver entrepreneurial education, fundraising guidance, and leverage its pan-European network to scout exceptional research projects, while e-Novia will provide venture studio services, organize matchmaking events with industrial partners and investors, and offer hands-on engineering and business development support.
For the most promising ventures, the partnership will facilitate company formation, with e-Novia and 28DIGITAL taking equity stakes alongside founders and investors to ensure aligned incentives throughout the growth journey.
The partnership addresses a persistent challenge across Europe: despite world-class research in AI and deep tech emerging from universities and research centres, many promising projects fail to reach the market due to lack of entrepreneurial infrastructure, industry connections, and venture-building expertise.
"Europe has outstanding research talent, but we need better mechanisms to help researchers become entrepreneurs," said Federico Menna, CEO of 28DIGITAL. "This partnership creates exactly that – a complete support system from initial concept validation through to successful market entry."
“Impact comes from execution. By joining forces with 28DIGITAL, we are building a complete venture-building pathway that enables researchers to become entrepreneurs and deep-tech innovations to become competitive industrial businesses, firmly anchored in Europe,” said Massimiliano Benci, CEO of e-Novia.
The initiative also aligns with broader European objectives to strengthen strategic autonomy in critical technologies and compete more effectively on the global stage.
By keeping innovation, IP, and value creation within Europe, the partnership aims to build a more robust and sustainable deep-tech ecosystem.
