As part of the Cluster “Innovation Processes for the Development of Intelligent Territories,” the participants in the Habilitas project, promoted by IILA (Italian-Latin American International Organization) and supported by the DGCS/MAECI, hosted by the Spin-off Unical Smart City Instruments , visited some of the realities of GOEL – Gruppo Cooperativo in Calabria, to explore how the concept of “intelligent territory” can embrace an ethic oriented towards concrete and sustainable change.
The concept of “intelligent territory,” presented by Dr. Alfredo Sguglio, CEO of Smart city Instruments at the VI Foro Pymes of IILA in Medellín, Colombia, arises from the analysis of the exceptional urban regeneration process of Medellín, which has become a global model of transformation, capable of evolving from a context of profound crisis social to a resilient and cohesive environment, thanks to a system of social networks that have been able to rethink the territory in an inclusive and sustainable way. This process inspired the vision of an intelligent territory as a space where regeneration is based on the interaction between local heritage, innovation and active community participation, transforming challenges into opportunities.
The visit to some of the realities of the varied world of GOEL – Gruppo Cooperativo was selected precisely to offer the interns a concrete example of how in Calabria an intelligent territory can combine progress and ethical responsibility. In his Manual of Effective Ethics, Vincenzo Linarello, founder and President of GOEL, describes ethics not only as right, but that to work it must also become “effective”: an ethics that solves problems without creating new ones and that it becomes a development tool capable of supporting communities, creating economic opportunities by promoting and rewarding those who oppose the ‘Ndrangheta. GOEL represents a laboratory of social innovation and resilience, a reality that combats criminal infiltration and demonstrates how sustainability can be based on ethical commitment.
Sguglio highlighted how the GOEL Group exemplifies the concept of intelligent territory, in which progress is rooted in ethical action that supports the territory and the people. “GOEL’s experience demonstrates that innovation must not just be technological, but must also be supported by an ethic that inspires trust and ensures shared prosperity,” he said. In this way, Calabria presents itself as a model of a resilient and innovative territory, capable of inspiring similar approaches in Latin America and elsewhere.
The participants coordinated by Dr. Angelo Macilletti, Director of International Relations of Smart City Instruments, were:
• Freddy Francisco Faundez Campodonico (Chile), CEO of Venti and Director of Climate Action at Aymapu Family Foundation;
• Joselyn Carolina López Cruz (Honduras), administrator at Grupo Constructor Guerra;
• Henry Paul Llumiquinga Loya (Ecuador), technical analyst at the Escuela Politécnica Nacional;
• Jesús Miguel Martínez Vizcarra (Peru), engineer in Occupational Safety and Health and Environment at Energy Ingeniería y Consultoría;
• Sara Teresa Musio Nava (Venezuela), economic studies analyst at the Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico del Estado Zulia;
• José Willington Ramirez Cabezas (Colombia), program manager at Michael Page/Ecopetrol;
• Johanna Monserrat Vásquez Ramón (Dominican Republic), sector analyst at the Ministerio de Economía Planificación y Desarrollo;
• Facundo Villar (Argentina), director of the Centro de Investigaciones en Turismo (CIT) at the Provincial University of Ezeiza (UPE).
Coordinated by Dr. José Luis Rhi Sausi, the Habilitas Project, a spin-off of the Pymes Forum of IILA, represents a virtuous model of cooperation between Italy and Latin America. The initiative, based on the exchange of knowledge and innovative strategies, aims to promote sustainable growth in the territories involved. The meeting thus strengthened the cooperative ties between Italy and Latin American countries, laying the foundations for a future of exchanges and collaborations focused on innovation, sustainability and social integration.