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MILAZZO · SICILY · EUROPEAN UNION

Augusto Innovation Hub.

Research, creative technology and sustainable infrastructure.

A EUROPEAN CAMPUS IN DEVELOPMENT

A shared vision
for the Mediterranean.

Augusto Innovation Hub is a planned innovation campus in Milazzo, Sicily. It brings Super Intelligence, cybersecurity, virtual production and advanced geothermal energy into one development programme.

The project envisages the regeneration of the former Montecatini industrial site, covering approximately 47,000 square metres, with an architectural masterplan by Giancarlo Zema Design Group.

R. Rockefeller S.C. participates as technology and engineering partner for Augusto Innovation Hub, led by President and Founder Fabrizio Crimi. The programme connects applied research and engineering with practical uses for institutions, industry and digital production.

RRSC’S CONTRIBUTION
Technology and engineering expertise, software development and collaboration through its international research network.
PROJECT STATUS
In development, with planned facilities, activities and energy systems delivered through successive project stages.
Initial phase funding
€100M
Reported by the project promoters
Planned programme by 2028
€200M
Further private investment anticipated
Campus site
47,000 m²
Former Montecatini area
Planned direct jobs
500
At full operating capacity

THE MILAZZO PROGRAMME

One campus.
Connected disciplines.

The programme combines research laboratories, digital infrastructure and virtual production with technical training, workshops and scientific collaboration. Its intended applications span public institutions, critical infrastructure and industrial clients, connecting Europe with the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

According to the project promoters’ update, €100 million has been secured for the initial phase, within a funding framework involving the European Union and the Italian government, with the support of the Sicily Region. The announced plan envisages a structured expansion to €200 million by 2028, with additional private investment expected alongside that programme.

Augusto Innovation Hub · Campus architectural concept by Giancarlo Zema Design Group.

01 · ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS

The first RRSC AGS pilot in Italy.

The Milazzo collaboration includes the first Italian pilot within RRSC’s AGS geothermal programme, developed for Augusto Innovation Hub with RePG as the industrial and technological partner.

The pilot is intended to demonstrate how geothermal energy can support the campus’s laboratories, research activities and other continuous energy requirements. Its capacity and performance depend on the site investigation, engineering design and the operating conditions validated for the project.

The campus energy concept combines AGS geothermal and solar energy, with energy autonomy as a development objective. The work connects Milazzo with the Main Global Engineering Center and Green Energy research centre in Bursa, Türkiye, and with RRSC’s wider international engineering network.

Milazzo, Sicily · Planned RePG geothermal AGS pilot

02 · SUPER INTELLIGENCE & DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY

A strategic European laboratory.

R. Rockefeller S.C. Europe is structuring a partnership with Augusto Innovation Hub SRL for a laboratory dedicated to Super Intelligence, multiagent systems and cybersecurity. The planned programme focuses on sovereign control of software, data and infrastructure, with applications for institutions, European programmes and industrial organisations.

01

Software and multiagent systems

The planned laboratory focuses on systems in which specialised agents carry out defined tasks through an orchestration layer. Each agent has a specific purpose, access permissions and operating limits, with human approval where professional judgement is required.

The programme envisages agents that retrieve authorised information, prepare documents, check defined requirements and produce analysis supported by its sources. Custom software and data architectures connect this work to the needs of each institutional or industrial project.

02

Private intelligence and data control

The intended architecture separates identity and access, orchestration and model inference. A security gateway controls the information and actions available to each agent, with data access, retention and deployment rules defined for each project.

Development includes protection of sensitive information, permission boundaries, activity records and controlled connections to existing software. Human review remains part of consequential actions under the organisation’s rules.

03

Engineering, testing and validation

The laboratory is intended to support requirements analysis, architecture, software development, integration, testing and technical documentation. Models and agents are connected to the applications and interfaces needed for practical use.

Prototypes would be evaluated against agreed tasks, representative data and acceptance criteria. Work covers answer quality, traceable sources, access restrictions, failure handling, performance and the ability to review or interrupt an automated process.

04

Critical infrastructure and cybersecurity

Cybersecurity forms part of the proposed work on applications, infrastructure, connected tools and agents. It includes secure architecture, controlled security testing, protection against malicious instructions and unauthorised disclosure, and monitoring of system behaviour.

Prospective applications include institutional document workflows, enterprise knowledge systems, industrial analysis and support for energy and infrastructure projects. Each application follows its own requirements and validation process.

Research, training and regional collaboration

Demonstrations, specialist training, workshops and knowledge exchange connect the laboratory with RRSC’s international Super Intelligence and engineering centres. Milazzo is intended as a European base for collaboration across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The laboratory and its operating structure are in development. The proposed model envisages RRSC Europe coordinating technical direction, specialist expertise and software development, with Augusto providing the local spaces and infrastructure.

03 · VIRTUAL PRODUCTION

A dedicated creative technology activity.

Virtual production is a distinct part of the planned campus programme. It brings immersive audiovisual environments and digital production into the same ecosystem as research, engineering and technical training, creating a setting for collaboration between creative teams and technology specialists.

AUGUSTO · PROJECT LEADERSHIP

The people behind the programme.

Fabrizio Crimi

President and Founder · Augusto Innovation Hub

Fabrizio Crimi leads the Augusto campus initiative in Milazzo, Sicily.

Giancarlo Zema

President · Giancarlo Zema Design Group

His studio develops the campus’s architectural vision, connecting its spaces, environmental objectives and planned technological functions.

Valentino Loforese

Global CEO and Majority Shareholder · R. Rockefeller S.C.

He guides the Group’s executive direction and international development, including the strategic framework for the proposed European laboratory.

PROJECT MATERIALS

The programme and the press.

Augusto Innovation Hub. European programme overview and initial €100 million foundation.

The programme poster presents the initial €100 million foundation, European scope and planned geothermal and solar energy concept.

Press coverage · Il Sole 24 Ore
The supplied clipping reports the €100 million project and the promoters’ employment target.

ROME · 15 SEPTEMBER 2026 · PALAZZO GIUSTINIANI

Presentation in Sala Zuccari.

Senato della Repubblica Italiana. Augusto Innovation Hub was presented in the historic Sala Zuccari during Le Città del Futuro, a forum dedicated to innovation, Super Intelligence, finance, sustainability and new models of urban development.

The Senate event announcement: Le città del futuro. Innovazione, IA, Finanza e nuovi modelli di gestione urbana.
Augusto Innovation Hub · Presentation at the Italian Senate · 15 September 2026
FROM THE ITALIAN SENATE

Watch the presentation.

R. Rockefeller S.C.’s conference summary from the presentation in Sala Zuccari, Palazzo Giustiniani, Rome, on 15 September 2026.

Architect Giancarlo Zema, President of Giancarlo Zema Design Group and R. Rockefeller S.C.’s global strategic partner, presented the project’s vision: a Mediterranean campus connecting architecture, advanced technologies and sustainable energy infrastructure.

The forum was held on the initiative of Senator Antonio Salvatore Trevisi. It brought together Italian institutions, academia and the business community, with participants including Senator Roberto Rosso, Hon. Deborah Bergamini, Hon. Chiara Tenerini and Hon. Erica Mazzetti. The event was conceived by Davide Cavalli and moderated by journalist Barbara Gasperini.

Palazzo Giustiniani, one of the historic seats of the Italian Senate, provided the setting for a wider discussion about Europe’s technological independence and the future of its cities and productive infrastructure.

From left: Fabrizio Crimi, Giancarlo Zema and Valentino Loforese in Sala Zuccari, Palazzo Giustiniani, Italian Senate, Rome, on 15 September 2026, at the presentation of the Augusto Innovation Hub project.
Fabrizio Crimi, Giancarlo Zema and Valentino Loforese with Francesco Cuccurullo, Chief Executive Officer of R. Rockefeller S.C.’s Italian Branch, and Gianluca Annunziata, Director of the Italian Branch, at the presentation of Augusto Innovation Hub in Sala Zuccari, Palazzo Giustiniani, Italian Senate, Rome, on 15 September 2026.
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