Maker Faire Rome 2025: A Festival of Human-Centred Innovation

Some events go beyond exhibitions — they tell the story of change. Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition is one such event. Each year, it brings together thousands in the heart of Rome: students and teachers, makers and scientists, startups and global companies.

But above all, it stands for a simple, radical idea: technology can be human.

A European Festival of Innovation

In 2025, Maker Faire Rome celebrates its 13th edition, with over 1,500 projects from 40+ countries currently under final review. Held at the striking Gazometro Ostiense, a post-industrial site turned innovation hub, it showcases hands-on technology you can see, test, and share.

This is innovation made tangible – from 3D-printed solutions to biohacking labs, smart cities to green energy.

Innovation with Empathy

Over the past decade, Maker Faire Rome has nurtured a unique form of collective intelligence — open to people, regions, and complexity. Here, technology is empathetic. Every prototype tells a story. Every stand becomes a space for connection.

In contrast to parts of Silicon Valley where efficiency overrides ethics, Rome champions a European model of inclusive innovation: where schools team up with researchers, families meet entrepreneurs, and institutions support grassroots visionaries.

The European Way: Culture Meets Code

As Europe seeks a louder voice in the global tech debate on AI, climate, and digital ethics, Maker Faire Rome offers a different vision. Not of faceless algorithms, but of communities building together. Not technology as an end, but as culture in action.

This is why applications come from across Europe and beyond. Maker Faire Rome is not just an event — it’s a living lab for empathetic, sustainable innovation. A place where failure is part of the process. Where collaboration drives progress.

A Living Manifesto of Human-Centred Technology

Maker Faire Rome champions a vision where machines don’t replace people — they empower them.

From smart prosthetics for sport to tactile maps for the visually impaired, from sustainable farming tools to inclusive communication apps, every project reflects technology as a tool for connection and social impact.

You’ll see students restoring vintage phones next to AI startups. Universities presenting next to garage inventors. This diversity reflects the real world — where the boldest ideas often arise at the intersection of formal and informal, local and global.

Stories That Matter

The stories emerging from Maker Faire Rome are deeply human:

• A teacher building a STEM lab for neurodivergent children
• A mother designing inclusive dolls
• A retiree automating a school greenhouse
• A group of girls launching a carpentry and robotics club
• These aren’t just anecdotes — they’re micro-manifestos of a better future. They show that Italy and Europe can lead in ethical, inclusive innovation.

A Different Innovation Model Is Already Here

Perhaps the faire’s most powerful message is this: innovation is not neutral. It can include or exclude, empower or isolate. At Maker Faire Rome, we see a working model of collective, distributed, ethical innovation.

Since 2013, the Rome Chamber of Commerce has promoted and organised the event, driven by a systemic and public-minded vision. It’s now a global reference point for those who believe that true innovation comes not from perfection, but from curiosity, collaboration, and courage.

Celebrating Technological Humanity

From educational robots to AI healthcare tools, food printers to student-built rockets, what’s celebrated here is not just technology — but technology in service of people.

A festival where the future is built with empathy, and where technology doesn’t replace our humanity — it amplifies it.