House of Emerging Technologies of Naples “Infiniti Mondi”: Call for the selection of 20 Startups & SMEs for the training Workshop on GAMING AND IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING (25-26 September 2025, Naples)

As part of the activities of the Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti “Infiniti Mondi – Napoli Innovation City”, promoted by the Comune di Napoli and funded by the Ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy, the call for the selection of 20 startups and SMEs interested in participating, free of charge, in the intensive training workshop “Gaming and Immersive Storytelling”, which will be held on the 25th and 26th of September 2025, at the Technological Laboratories of CTE Napoli, located within the Real Albergo dei Poveri (Piazza Carlo III, n. 1 – Napoli), has been published.

The initiative is part of the WP2 activity line – Skills Development for Businesses – and aims to enhance the skills on Emerging Technologies of businesses operating in the field of Cultural and Creative Industries, in terms of GAMING AND IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING.

The initiative is promoted by Cefriel, the Italian digital innovation center founded by the Politecnico di Milano and the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, in collaboration with the MIAT-Multiverse Institute for Arts and Technology.

The organizing body is Smart Malico s.r.l., a company specialized in the design, implementation, and management of innovation labs and advanced training paths for smart cities and smart communities.

The Call

The Call is aimed at the selection of 20 companies that will have the opportunity to participate, free of charge, in the intensive training and laboratory workshop on “Gaming and Immersive Storytelling”, which will take place on 25th and 26th September 2025 in Naples, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, at the Technological Laboratories of the CTE Napoli at the Real Albergo dei Poveri, in Piazza Carlo III n.1.

The intensive course is designed to introduce key concepts and offer practical skills on immersive media, such as Web3, AI, and the Metaverse. During the two-day event, participants will be involved in a highly immersive and practical experience, and will have the opportunity to experiment with techniques for creating stories and images using AI, explore XR technologies, develop customized gaming and digital storytelling projects, and understand the impact of emerging and immersive technologies on the transformation of their business, brand, and business strategies.

The program is structured in training modules (some of which in English) that include:

• An overview of the immersive media sector, Web 3, AI, and the Metaverse, exploring applications and their impact on business.

• Analysis of international case studies, with replicable models and successful strategies in the immersive sector.

• Practical AI + immersive storytelling workshop: experimenting with generative AI tools for creating stories, visuals, and characters independently.

• XR hands-on session: direct experience with headsets and virtual environments, exploring selected immersive content.

• Creation of a customized gaming or immersive storytelling project prototype, guided by mentors and industry experts.

  
  

Who Can Participate

The Call is open to startups and SMEs operating in the cultural and creative industry sectors with registered offices and/or operational headquarters in Italy, which demonstrate economic, research, and development interests in the Metropolitan City of Naples’ areas of reference of Infiniti Mondi.

Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) include, but are not limited to:

- CULTURAL HERITAGE
- AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR
- GAMING AND GAMIFICATION
- TOURISM
- COMMUNICATION AND NEW MEDIA
- PERFORMING ART, VISUAL ARTS & SHOW BUSINESS
- ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, ARTISTIC CRAFTS
- LITERATURE, BOOKS AND PUBLISHING
- EDUCATIONAL
- MUSIC
- CREATIVE DRIVEN SECTORS (fashion, packaging, consulting, agri&foodtech etc.)

Each company can submit only one application. Participants are required to have a good knowledge of the English language.

Type of Non-financial Support

The training program, offered free of charge, constitutes non-financial support to participating startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. The value of this support is equivalent to €75 per teaching hour for each participating enterprise, for a total value of €1,200. The non-financial support will be provided under the “de minimis” regime pursuant to EU Regulation 1407/2013. The non-financial support provided under this Call is compatible with other State aid according to the limits provided for under Article 5 of EU Regulation No. 1407/2013.

How to Participate

The submission of applications concerning this Call must be made by the Proponent exclusively by filling in the Application Form (Annex A) and sent via PEC to the address: smartmalico@legalmail.it

The application must be submitted by the company's legal representative.

Applications must be sent no later than 07/09/2025.

All information related to the Workshop is available on the website of the Comune di Napoli, CTE Napoli, as well as on the websites of CTE partners. For further information, please contact Smart Malico at the following email address: russo@smartmalico.it