Extension to 28 September 2025 to apply for the selection of 20 businesses that will participate in the intensive educational and workshop-based training on “Gaming and Immersive Storytelling”, which will be held on 15 and 16 October 2025 in Naples, promoted as part of the activities of the Casa delle Tecnologie Emergenti “Infiniti Mondi – Napoli Innovation City”, a project led by the Municipality of Naples and financed by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy.

Following the extension, the dates of the workshop are: 15 and 16 October 2025.
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The initiative is part of the activity line WP2 – Development of skills for businesses – and aims to enhance the skills on Emerging Technologies of companies operating in the field of Cultural and Creative Industries, concerning GAMING AND IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING.

The initiative is promoted by Cefriel, the Italian digital innovation centre founded by the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Naples Federico II, in collaboration with the MIAT-Multiverse Institute for Arts and Technology.

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

The Notice

The Notice aims for the selection of 20 businesses that will have the opportunity to participate free of charge in the intensive educational and workshop-based training on “Gaming and Immersive Storytelling”, which will be held on 15 and 16 October 2025 in Naples, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, at the Technological Laboratories of CTE Naples 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 days, participants will engage in a highly immersive and practical experience, having the opportunity to experiment with techniques for creating stories and images through AI, explore XR technologies, develop custom gaming and digital storytelling projects, and understand the impact of emerging and immersive technologies on transforming their business, brand, and corporate strategies.

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

• 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.

• Hands-on workshop AI + immersive storytelling: experimenting with generative AI tools for creating stories, visuals, and characters autonomously.

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

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

Who can participate

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

Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) include, for indicative and non-exhaustive purposes:

• 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, provided free of charge, constitutes non-financial support to participating startups and small and medium-sized enterprises. The value of this support is equal to €75 per hour of lessons for each participating company, for a total value of €1,200. The non-financial support will be provided under the “de minimis” regime of EU Regulation 1407/2013. The non-financial support under this Notice is compatible with other State aids within the limits provided under Article 5 of Regulation (EU) n. 1407/2013.

Application procedure

Applications under this Notice must be submitted by the Proponent exclusively by completing 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 28/09/2025.

All information relating to the Workshop is available on the website of the Municipality of Naples, the CTE of Naples, as well as on the partner sites of the CTE.  For further information, you can contact Smart Malico through the following email address: russo@smartmalico.it.