MIND Milano Innovation District is a major urban regeneration and innovation project built on the 100-hectare site of Milan's Expo 2015 in the northwest of the city. The district is being developed as an integrated ecosystem where world-class research institutions, innovative companies, startups, educational facilities, and residential communities co-exist, creating a new model for knowledge-driven urban development in Italy.
The district's anchor institutions include the Human Technopole, Italy's national genomics and data science research centre; a new campus of the University of Milan accommodating approximately 23,000 students and researchers; the Galeazzi-Sant'Ambrogio Hospital, one of Italy's most advanced healthcare facilities; and Fondazione Triulza, a social innovation hub promoting inclusive development. The masterplan, developed by Lendlease as the district's private development partner, integrates these institutions with commercial office space, co-working facilities, retail, public spaces, and approximately 4,000 residential units.
MIND's development approach emphasises sustainability and smart city innovation. The district is designed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions through renewable energy generation, district-level smart energy management, sustainable building standards, and a mobility strategy that minimises car dependency through excellent public transport connections and comprehensive cycling infrastructure.
The innovation programming at MIND fosters cross-pollination between the life sciences, technology, social innovation, and urban sustainability sectors, creating opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration that would be difficult to achieve in more traditional single-purpose developments. MIND hosts regular innovation events, acceleration programmes, and networking activities that bring together the district's diverse community of researchers, entrepreneurs, students, and residents.
MIND represents one of Europe's largest and most ambitious urban innovation district projects, demonstrating how former event sites can be transformed into permanent engines of knowledge-based economic development and sustainable urban living.