The course “History of engineering design” took place on 23 March 2026 in Rome, at the offices of the Fondazione MAIRE – ETS in Piazzale Flaminio; it was the first of the events scheduled as part of our series “Yesterday, today, tomorrow: a journey through engineering in the name of Made in Italy”, created to celebrate the Made in Italy excellence of the MAIRE “family”, including through the MAIREmpower project.

The initiative forms part of the wider programme of events organized to mark National Made in Italy Day 2026, promoted by the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy to support and promote, both nationally and internationally, our Country’s manufacturing excellence and cultural heritage; this year marks the third edition of the event.

The Fondazione MAIRE – ETS has chosen to take part in this year’s celebrations by combining this initiative with the mentoring programme – already underway – of the MAIREmpower project, offering young people an opportunity to engage with the Group’s engineering heritage on the one hand and its contemporary developments on the other, in an ongoing dialogue between technical heritage and innovation.

The training day thus launched the initiative “Yesterday, today, tomorrow: a journey through engineering in the name of Made in Italy”, structured around two sessions dedicated to the excellence of Made in Italy “at home” at MAIRE and designed to guide students through an educational experience that connects the past, present and future of engineering.

The first part of the training day was devoted to the MAIRE Historical Archive, a collection that is unique on the international stage: 10 linear kilometres of documents chronicling decades of design, research and industrial vision, which the students were able to explore and view, through both printed reproductions and the navigation of our digital vault. From hand-drawn technical drawings to calculation tools, from microfilms and period photographs to plant models, the presentation allowed students to engage directly with the roots of the engineering profession and to understand how the great projects of the 20th century took shape, right through to analyzing today’s techniques and tools.

The Archive has proved to be not merely a place of preservation, but a vibrant space for storytelling and learning: a tangible testament to how Italian craftsmanship has, over time, successfully combined technical rigour, creativity and visionary insight. The narrative explored the evolution of design processes: from pencil-and-ink drawings to the integrated digital platforms that now guide engineering design. A transition that has highlighted how technological innovation has profoundly transformed the engineer’s work, without ever severing the link to their core skills.

The second part of the training day thus offered a glimpse into contemporary engineering and the future, introducing the applications of 3D technology and artificial intelligence currently used in the MAIRE Group’s projects. Through immersive tools such as 3D headsets, the students were able to enjoy an engaging experience, seeing for themselves how digital models, data and AI help to make processes more efficient, safe and sustainable: they ‘visited’ the Palavela in Turin and a construction site on the other side of the world!

The day concluded with a practical activity that gave the young people a chance to express their own perspectives and voices. Building on what they had learnt, they were invited to write two newspaper articles, reworking the content and ideas they had absorbed into a narrative form, whilst drawing on their critical thinking and expressive skills. An exercise that fully reflects the MAIREmpower approach, which focuses on developing technical skills alongside awareness, curiosity and vision – the ‘soft skills’ essential for ‘humanist engineers’.

Our initiative dedicated to Made in Italy will continue with a second event, scheduled for May, during which the students will have the opportunity to continue their journey into engineering, looking towards the future: technologies, circularity and Artificial Intelligence, in a programme designed by and with colleagues from NextChem (a subsidiary of the MAIRE Group), once again exploring the link between innovation, industry and the future.

To stay up to date with our initiative dedicated to Made in Italy 2026, visit the project’s dedicated landing page.