AFTER BERLIN, CARINTHIA: RIR AIR BRINGS VENETIAN COMPANIES TO THE HEART OF AUSTRIAN INNOVATION
Less than three weeks after the mission to Hamburg and Berlin, the AIR Regional Innovation Network brings a delegation of Venetian companies to Villach and Klagenfurt to meet centers of excellence in research and local high-tech supply chains.
The structured internationalization path of the Aerospace Innovation and Research (RIR AIR) Regional Innovation Network shows no signs of slowing down. Less than three weeks after the June 10–11 mission that led a delegation of 28 representatives from 19 Venetian companies to Airbus’s Final Assembly Line in Finkenwerder and the international air show ILA Berlin 2026, RIR AIR has expanded past the north-eastern border with a new step in its program: a two-day mission to Carinthia.
Organized in collaboration with AIRI (Italian Association for Industrial Research), the initiative took the Venetian aerospace cluster on June 29 and 30 to discover the Austrian region’s main innovation hubs.
The initiative took place between Villach and Klagenfurt with a dense schedule of technology tours, institutional meetings, and business-to-business (B2B) sessions with local companies. The strategic partner for the mission was BABEG (the Carinthian Economic Development Agency), supported by TRIARC and IC Partners, who ensured privileged access to key players in the regional production and research ecosystem.
Ten companies participated in the two-day event, while an additional 15 companies expressed interest in the project.
Day 1: Advanced Electronics and Aerospace Infrastructure
The first day kicked off at the High Tech Campus in Villach, where the delegation was welcomed for a networking “get together” with local partners, followed by a presentation on the Carinthian ecosystem.
In the afternoon, a guided tour of Silicon Austrian Labs—a leading European research center for microelectronics, sensors, and power technologies—offered participants a firsthand look at the frontiers of innovation in advanced electronics. The day concluded with a transfer to Klagenfurt and a visit to the capital city’s airport, which hosts infrastructure of strategic importance for the regional aviation sector.
Day 2: Robotics, 5G, and Digital Hubs
The second day, centered around the Lakeside Science & Technology Park, confirmed Carinthia’s standing as a top-tier scientific hub. The Venetian delegation visited:
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The 5G Playground showroom
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Joanneum Research laboratories (specializing in robotics and digital sectors)
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Lakeside Labs (an institute dedicated to self-organizing networked systems)
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The Drone Hall (a cutting-edge facility for developing and testing remotely piloted systems)
B2B sessions with Carinthian companies were scheduled on both days, underscoring the operational and commercial—rather than merely exploratory—nature of the mission.
«RIR AIR is developing an international relations network built on a clear strategic and industrial vision. For us, Carinthia is a laboratory of the future just across the border. This mission helps consolidate a cross-border axis of collaboration that holds strategic value for strengthening the competitiveness of the entire North-East. Over the coming months, we will work to turn the connections made during these two days into concrete partnerships aimed at mutual growth and attracting new opportunities.»
Federico Zoppas, presidente di RIR AIR
A strategic partnership
The choice of Carinthia follows a precise logic. Over time, the Austrian region has built a European-wide reputation for specialization in semiconductors, microelectronics, and emerging technologies, with institutions like Silicon Austrian Labs operating in close synergy with the continent’s most important industrial and academic players. Its geographical proximity and historic industrial interconnectedness with Northeast Italy make this territory a naturally complementary partner for RIR AIR.
