Polifactory proposes and participates in design-related research projects and initiatives aimed at the competitive and pre-competitive development of businesses or the social and local development of communities. It provides consulting services to public and private entities interested in the laboratory and its technologies and expertise for innovation, experimentation, and education purposes. It promotes, supports, and organizes public engagement events and initiatives to disseminate the culture of experimental design research in scientific contexts and society.
We operate throughout all phases of the research and innovation process, integrating design, technical, and scientific expertise. We scout and screen funding calls and manage collaborative processes for the co-creation and drafting of research proposals and innovation projects. We define methodological frameworks and develop quantitative and qualitative studies and analyses, using tools such as surveys, ethnographic research, and case studies. We design and implement proof-of-concept products, services, and processes within demonstrators and pilot projects, on a sectoral or urban scale. We develop methods and tools for the validation, evaluation, replicability, scale-up, and policy uptake of research projects and processes. Finally, we manage the dissemination and exploitation of results, from scientific publications to patenting and incubation activities.
Want to learn more about a Polifactory project or collaborate on a new activity? Contact us at polifactory@polimi.it
Competitive Research
Through participation in funding calls, we collaborate with institutions, public bodies, administrations and companies to develop design research and innovation projects.
We collaborate with universities, public institutions and administrations, foundations, companies, and professional and business associations from various sectors to develop research and innovation actions and projects that require participation in local, regional, national, and international funding calls.
Polifactory, through the Department of Design at the Politecnico di Milano, can act as a coordinator or partner in the implementation of technical and scientific applied research and design research proposals and projects that consider design as a strategic factor and are characterized by an experimental approach and the use of action-research methods and tools.
Polifactory develops design innovation linked to various application areas, approaches, and methodologies. We focus on product-service and process-system innovation to create new products (industrial and non-industrial) or adaptively or incrementally improve existing ones, to explore new methods and processes for the production and distribution of goods and services, and to stimulate changes in corporate organizational models related to digital transformation or the sustainable and circular transition of sectors or markets.
We focus on social innovation, supporting the co-creation and co-design of solutions aimed at improving the quality of life and well-being of individuals, the environment, organizations, and communities.
We also focus on frugal innovation, collaborating with nonprofit organizations and institutions to develop effective solutions for communities and contexts with limited economic and technological resources.
Polifactory believes in open and participatory innovation, actively involving stakeholders and communities outside the university. It is committed to responsible innovation, considering the ethical, social, and environmental impacts of the research activities it coordinates or participates in.
Consultancy
We offer strategic, technical and design consulting services to companies that want to transform products, processes and systems in a digital and circular way through research and innovation in design.
Polifactory offers consulting services based on design research and the experimental use of advanced manufacturing technologies to digitally and circularly innovate artisanal and industrial production processes, logistics and distribution processes, and post-consumer processes such as repair, recycling, and remanufacturing.
We offer strategic, technical, and design consulting services to develop research and innovation projects, collaborating with companies, from SMEs to large corporate groups, business incubators and accelerators, institutions, and associations of various nature and scope. We conduct preliminary analyses on the digital traceability and circularity of products and services and their related production, logistics, and distribution processes. We conduct technical and design feasibility studies, proof-of-concepts, and product and service prototypes. Finally, we co-design new product and service solutions by engaging user groups and communities and experimenting with digital technologies in R&D, prototyping, and manufacturing processes.
We support companies, organizations, and institutions in designing, building, and launching makerspaces, innovation hubs, and collaborative and experimental laboratories dedicated to design, making, and digital fabrication on an urban scale. At the same time, we support public administrations in designing and developing pilot projects at sectoral and regional scales, which encourage businesses and designers to create and implement new, smart, and sustainable products that experiment with circular materials, IoT technologies, and digital manufacturing processes.
Explorative Research
We investigate scenarios and explore research opportunities in design and production systems, experimenting with emerging trends, phenomena and technologies.
Polifactory develops self-funded exploratory research activities to explore new scenarios and opportunities in design and the evolution of production models. Through independent initiatives, we experiment with and analyze emerging research lines, aligned with the strategic themes of the university and the Departments involved in the makerspace or in collaboration with other universities, foundations, and research centers. This approach allows us to anticipate emerging trends and phenomena, test the use of developing technologies, and identify innovation challenges in the manufacturing and service sectors, thus contributing to the construction of an evolutionary vision of design and contemporary design-driven innovation.
Ideas Pre-incubation
We support students and PhD students in the implementation of projects and research, from idea development to patenting.
Makerspaces are, by definition, spaces that foster experiential and experimental learning, collaborative and peer-to-peer, and support individuals in developing strategic and design skills, organizational, technical, and technological expertise, and aptitude for self-entrepreneurship. Polifactory follows this philosophy by offering students and PhD students at the Politecnico di Milano access to the makerspace to implement projects related to their master’s theses and doctoral research. Furthermore, we can support project development even after theses, supporting potential patenting activities or participation in entrepreneurial empowerment programs such as PoliHub‘s Switch2Product.
Talents in Residence (TiR) is the pre-incubation program for ideas promoted by Polifactory to support the experimental testing and prototyping phase of thesis projects developed by young designers from the Master’s Degree Programs at the School of Design at the Politecnico di Milano and by PhD students from the Department of Design. We also welcome Visiting PhDs, who come from foreign universities and participate in exchange programs such as Erasmus+, to spend a few months in the makerspace to develop their doctoral research.
Talents in Residence program
Experimental Didactics
We involve students and young designers in experimental digital manufacturing training experiences by collaborating with educational institutions and large companies.
Polifactory co-designs and organizes experimental teaching initiatives involving young designers from the Politecnico di Milano. We organize workshops, hackathons, summer schools, and crash courses in collaboration with the Fondazione Politecnico, Career Services, Schools, Departments, individual research laboratories, and student associations at the Politecnico di Milano, as well as major companies such as Vodafone Italia and Sanofi.
These initiatives provide students with both basic knowledge of 3D printing and physical computing and engage them in exploring more complex innovation challenges, such as data representation through digital manufacturing processes, the development of IoT solutions for Smart Cities, or the use of open design and distributed manufacturing processes for the resilience of Fab Cities.
Thesis Noticeboard Polifactory
Public engagement
We organize and host cultural and educational events to explore together the contemporary challenges of design research.
Polifactory organizes various events, such as conferences, roundtables, and exhibitions. Open Polifactory is our main cultural initiative: an annual series of talks, presentations, and debates that explores complex themes in contemporary design research, inviting scholars from the Politecnico and other universities and cultural contexts to engage in open and informative dialogue with the academic world and society. Polifactory also hosts special events organized by the School and the Department of Design, as well as seminar series organized by the PhD in Design.
If you are interested in organizing an event or cultural initiative with Polifactory, please contact us at polifactory@polimi.it
Open Polifactory
Open Polifactory is an annual series of presentations, events, and debates addressing complex issues in contemporary design research, fostering open and informative discussion.
The series, curated and produced by Polifactory, the makerspace and fablab of the Politecnico di Milano, together with the Service Design research group and the Design Policy Lab, is aimed at faculty, researchers, and students from the Polytechnic community, as well as citizens, designers, professionals, and civil servants interested in exploring advanced perspectives on design culture.
