Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition: 23–25 October 2026
Gazometro Ostiense, Rome. Tickets are available exclusively online at makerfairerome.eu.
Humanoid football, immersive hands-on research, and groundbreaking industrial collaborations are returning to the historic industrial backdrop of the Gazometro Ostiense in Rome. The 14th edition of Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition runs from October 23 to 25, 2026, featuring an expansive lineup that includes 26 secondary schools, 27 universities and research centers, and 145 unique projects. Encompassing sprawling programs across robotics, traditional craftsmanship, literature, food science, and modern design, the event continues to serve as Europe’s premier showcase for grassroots innovation and technological discovery.
Organized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce through its special agency Innova Camera, the three-day exhibition fills more than 400 stands across the Gazometro site. The overarching program is anchored by three primary pillars—Innovation, Creativity, and Discovery—yet the core ethos of the event remains firmly rooted in practical, tactile experience. Visitors are invited to inspect working prototypes, test emerging technologies firsthand, engage in direct dialogue with the creators behind them, and participate in interactive workshops designed to transition cutting-edge academic research directly into the public sphere. Robotics and artificial intelligence occupy a prominent space this year, complemented by digital manufacturing, the circular economy, agritech, aerospace, design, and advanced educational tools. While the majority of the events unfold within the Gazometro grounds, a portion of the comprehensive programming also extends to the nearby Istituto Superiore Antincendi.
Humanoid Robots Take to the Football Pitch
One of the most anticipated additions to the 2026 edition is Italy’s inaugural International Italian Open RoboCup Humanoid Soccer tournament. In this high-stakes competition, university and research center teams pit humanoid robots against one another in matches featuring five autonomous players per side. Once the whistle blows, the machines operate entirely without human intervention, relying on onboard vision and processing systems to read the pitch, track the ball, and make split-second tactical decisions.
Among the prominent competitors is the SPQR team from the Sapienza University of Rome. Representing the university’s Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering—and competing in the RoboCup circuit since 1998—the SPQR squad recently reached the final of the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, standing proudly as the sole non-Chinese team remaining during the competition’s final three days. Led by engineer and researcher Vincenzo Suriani, the team highlights the advanced state of autonomous robotics research taking place within Italian academic institutions.
Robotics Beyond the Laboratory
Running in parallel with Maker Faire Rome is I-RIM 3D 2026, the eighth annual conference organized by the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Machines. The scientific agenda addresses a broad spectrum of advanced fields, including assistive and medical robotics, collaborative systems, Embodied Intelligence, and Physical AI, alongside industrial applications for autonomous agents.
To bridge the gap between academic theory and public understanding, the newly introduced I-RIM 3D DEMO program brings research systems straight to the convention floor. Continuous live demonstrations give attendees the rare opportunity to observe complex robots operating in real time and interact directly with emerging prototypes. Furthermore, the I-RIM 3D Exhibition aggregates pioneering work from various research centers, while the RoboPitch initiative grants selected start-ups and research groups a platform to pitch their robotics proof-of-concept projects to a curated audience of investors, industrial partners, and innovation hubs. The craft perspective is further championed by CNA Roma, which explores how artificial intelligence and advanced robotics can practically elevate small businesses and traditional artisans.
Italian Craftsmanship Meets Advanced Technology
A major thematic thread for the 2026 faire is AvantCraft, a specialized exhibition curated by Stefano Micelli, Professor of Business and Management at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and organized by Upskill 4.0. The showcase investigates how digital fabrication, robotics, and artificial intelligence are fundamentally reshaping Italian craftsmanship and small-scale production workflows. Divided into three distinct zones—mobility and precision engineering; contemporary craft spanning ceramics, glass, scagliola, and inlay; and fashion, jewellery, and biomaterials—the exhibition tells its story through physical objects.
Visitors can examine high-performance sports cars, titanium bicycles, 3D-printed ceramics, meticulously hand-set titanium jewellery, large-scale embroidery, and sustainable materials derived from industrial waste. Among the standout exhibits is the Dallara Stradale, a lightweight and mechanically pure vehicle constructed in an environment where advanced composite engineering successfully coexists with manual assembly and specialist technical knowledge. Retaining an analog philosophy, the car purposefully avoids superfluous electronics to prioritize pure mechanical engagement on both road and track.
Technology Built Around People
A significant portion of this year’s exhibits shifts the focus from theoretical technological capabilities to practical human solutions. Institutions such as Inail and the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) are presenting vital research dedicated to workplace safety, featuring wearable robotics, advanced training systems, and cognitive studies. Among these is an eye-tracking system designed to analyze how workers perceive potential hazards and how visual attention directly influences risk awareness in high-pressure environments.
Also featured is the SIDE haptic exoskeleton, developed collaboratively by Inail and Sapienza University of Rome. The device realistically recreates physical forces and tactile interactions within virtual or augmented reality environments, offering a risk-free training platform for workers operating in hazardous, confined, or contaminated spaces. Additional wearable prototypes from IIT and Inail include the XoTrunk and FleXoTrunk, which provide targeted lower-back support during manual material handling, as well as an advanced wearable airbag system integrated with fall-detection technology. Capable of distinguishing an accidental fall from everyday movement within milliseconds, the airbag deploys swiftly to protect the torso, sides, shoulders, and neck.
From Food Design to Farming in Space
The agrifood research sector at Maker Faire Rome unites leading institutions including CREA, ENEA, CNR, Sapienza University of Rome, University of Tuscia spin-off Value Groovers, and the CMCC Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change.
CREA is showcasing innovations in food design, a software-controlled micromalting system, and 3D food printing technologies. Meanwhile, ENEA explores sustainable food production under extreme conditions, highlighting technologies applicable to space agriculture, cellular agriculture, and plant biotechnology. The National Research Council’s CNR FoodEye project utilizes advanced spectroscopy to evaluate food quality, verifying nutritional properties, geographical origins, and detecting potential contamination or fraudulent labeling.
Value Groovers contributes a sophisticated digital planning system designed to optimize plant-protection treatments in agriculture, while Sapienza’s MicroBites presents cutting-edge research in food microbiology and technology transfer. Terravionics integrates Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, Earth observation data, and algorithmic analysis for proactive tree management, and Yeastime applies proprietary ultrasound technology to accelerate fermentation processes while reducing energy consumption.
Books Become Part of the Programme
The introduction of Books@MFR26 establishes a dedicated editorial strand focused on science, technology, and broader societal transformation. Featuring discussions and main-stage presentations spanning education, space colonization, quantum research, and interpersonal human dynamics, the program engages authors and intellectuals directly with the audience. As an interactive community element, visitors are invited to bring a favored book concerning science or innovation, pitch its merits to fellow attendees in a two-minute presentation, and donate their copies to build a shared "BiblioMaker" library collection.
A DeLorean, a Driverless Racing Car, and a Robot That Cooks Cacio e Pepe
A diverse array of standout exhibits highlights the unbridled creativity of the maker community. Switzerland’s Enter Technikwelt Solothurn museum has transported an iconic DeLorean DMC-12—styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and immortalized by the Back to the Future film franchise—directly to Rome.
On the motorsport front, Sapienza Corse presents the Gajarda AWD Hybrid Driverless, an advanced Formula Student racing vehicle equipped with integrated cameras and autonomous actuators enabling it to navigate a track entirely without a human driver. Demonstrating the diverse applications of youth innovation, a 17-year-old Italian maker is exhibiting a neural headset that translates body signals into digital commands, alongside a 3D-printed bionic hand capable of mimicking human dexterity through computer vision and electromyography.
Other notable displays include the DaVinci Bicycle, an interactive experience combining Leonardo da Vinci’s historic conceptual aerial screw with stationary pedaling and virtual reality flight simulation; the Gran Sasso Science Institute’s dark-matter exhibit, featuring microscopy and cloud chambers linked to the DarkSide-20k experiment; and Robby Minichef, a prototype kitchen assistant capable of learning cooking timings and physical gestures directly from a professional chef to prepare traditional dishes like spaghetti cacio e pepe.
The P3DALO, engineered by a Sardinian maker, is a modular five-meter inflatable pedal boat whose structural elements and paddlewheels are largely fabricated using a standard desktop 3D printer, allowing the entire vessel to be dismantled and transported in a compact passenger car.
CNR Opens Up Current Research
The National Research Council (CNR) returns with an extensive schedule of workshops, interactive displays, and research presentations covering robotics, environmental science, open data, and advanced medicine.
Among the headline projects is Babots, an investigation into biological animal robotics featuring "living robots" constructed from microscopic C. elegans worms with modified behavioral patterns intended for indoor farming applications. Other CNR initiatives include a solar-powered atmospheric water generator utilizing 3D printing, Melandetect for app-based predictive melanoma diagnostics, and RoseBio, which is dedicated to personalized oncology. Furthermore, the GLAM project highlights open science and cultural heritage by celebrating the centenary of the CNR Central Library Guglielmo Marconi.
Practical Learning Through Direct Participation
Emphasizing the philosophy that authentic learning stems from hands-on experimentation, the Educational and Gaming area offers expansive interactive programming. MakerCamp, recognized as Italy’s sole official Minecraft Partner and Minecraft Education Partner, is utilizing the platform to teach fundamental coding and logical problem-solving concepts. The area also features robotic combat arenas, circuit-printing workshops, augmented reality simulations, European Space Agency space-exploration activities, and live chemistry demonstrations. Notably, the 2026 edition of the STEAM in Minecraft initiative has already drawn registrations from 417 primary and secondary school classes across Italy.
Institutional Collaboration and Future Skills
MAIRE participates through Fondazione MAIRE ETS and the newly established Green Innovation ITS Academy, an institution founded to train technical specialists for the ongoing energy transition. Founding members include prominent industrial entities and academic bodies, with the academy’s inaugural two-year course slated to launch in Rome by November 2026. Additionally, Unindustria is sponsoring ten member start-ups to exhibit free of charge at the faire.
Additional programmatic contributions include NABA’s presentation of the AURORA project by graphic design students, and Assoutenti APS hosting the ninth annual Expo Consumatori to examine how artificial intelligence, financial literacy, and the circular economy influence consumer behavior. Tecnopolo Roma is showcasing technological innovations from its Tiburtino and Castel Romano hubs, alongside collaborative work on digital skills through the European Digital Innovation Hub network and the Erasmus+ E.U-Re.C.o.V.E project.
Competitions remain a central pillar of the event, including MakeITcircular 2026—promoted by CNCU consumer associations to highlight durability and repairability—and the Top of the PID 2026 awards, which honor small and medium enterprises successfully adopting Industry 4.0 and AI solutions.
Eni returns for its thirteenth consecutive year as Main Partner, hosting the faire within the industrial heritage of the Gazometro Ostiense site. To mark the centenary of Agip, Eni presents "Pioneers to Makers," an interactive installation tracing a century of energy research, complemented by the Eni2050 Lab showcasing advancements in biofuels, carbon capture, and energy storage. Regione Lazio and Roma Capitale are also heavily represented through regional startup incubators, the FabLab Lazio network, and the Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti.
Maker Faire Rome is promoted and organized by the Rome Chamber of Commerce through Innova Camera, curated by Alessandro Ranellucci alongside area coordinators, and supported by a broad coalition of institutional and media partners.
