19/12/2025
The Italy–Mongolia Business Forum took place on 2 December 2025 at Villa Madama. This internationally significant initiative was dedicated to strengthening economic, industrial, and institutional relations between the two countries, with particular attention to sustainable development prospects and cooperation in strategic sectors.
Organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE – Italian Trade & Investment Agency), the Forum brought together representatives from Italian and Mongolian institutions, the business community, trade associations, and the research sector. It served as an important platform for dialogue on opportunities for collaboration in areas such as textiles and the leather supply chain, agri-food and agro-industry, as well as infrastructure development, with a focus on renewable energy, green technologies, and waste management.
The Institute for Research on Innovation and Services for Development (Cnr Iriss) took part in the initiative by contributing to the “Infrastructure Development” session. On this occasion, Gabriella Esposito, urban planner and Research Director at Cnr Iriss, presented the Institute’s experience in the fields of spatial planning, sustainable infrastructure development, and the role of innovation and research in processes of economic and urban transformation. Her presentation highlighted the experience gained through the project 3R4UB – The 3Rs for a Sustainable Use of Natural Resources in Ulaanbaatar, funded by the European SWITCH-Asia Programme and coordinated by Cnr Iriss.
In her contribution, the researcher emphasized the importance of integrated and interdisciplinary approaches to infrastructure design, underlining the value of cooperation among research institutions, public authorities, and businesses in supporting development models oriented toward sustainability, territorial resilience, and efficient resource use.
The 3R4UB project, coordinated by Cnr Iriss in partnership with Metellia Servizi on the Italian side and with the Municipality of Ulaanbaatar, the Fresh Water Resources and Nature Conservation Centre, and other Mongolian institutional and socio-economic stakeholders, aimed to support the transition of the Mongolian capital toward a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable waste management system. This was pursued through capacity building, knowledge transfer, civic engagement, and support for local SMEs and micro-enterprises.
A key outcome of the project, cited during the Forum as a concrete example of international cooperation and innovation transfer, was the inauguration on 3 November of the Ulaanbaatar Eco Hub, Mongolia’s first Ecological Hub. The facility will operate as a central node for the collection, sorting, and routing of recyclable flows and introduces innovative tools for the direct engagement of citizens, thereby contributing to the strengthening of Sustainable Production and Consumption practices and to the development of a more circular economy in Ulaanbaatar.
The day’s proceedings were structured into three thematic sessions and concluded with a high-level plenary session attended, among others, by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, and the Mongolian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Battsetseg Batmunkh, confirming the strong institutional commitment to supporting economic and scientific cooperation between Italy and Mongolia.
Cnr Iriss’s participation in the Italy–Mongolia Business Forum represented an important opportunity for scientific outreach and for enhancing the Institute’s expertise, further strengthening its role in international dialogue on sustainable development and on cooperation between research, policy, and the productive system.
Per informazioni:
Gabriella Esposito
CNR - Istituto di Ricerca su Innovazione e Servizi per lo Sviluppo
gabriella.esposito@cnr.it
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