The strategic collaboration scales up the AI Match pilot developed in Turin and builds on AI4I’s SUK platform to connect business needs with qualified AI solutions across Italy.
On 10 August 2026, the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence (AI4I) and Unioncamere announced a strategic, multi-year collaboration aimed at supporting the adoption of Artificial Intelligence by Italian micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The initiative marks the transition from a local pilot to a national operating model for AI technology adoption, leveraging the network of Chambers of Commerce and Digital Enterprise Points (PID) to reach businesses across the country.
The model combines the scientific and engineering expertise of AI4I with the territorial reach of the Italian Chamber of Commerce system. AI4I will contribute its capabilities in applied research, technology assessment, training and qualification of AI providers, while Unioncamere, together with the Chambers of Commerce, Dintec and the PID network, will support companies throughout their AI adoption journey.
SUK at the core of the national ecosystem
At the heart of the model is SUK – System for User Knowledge, the ecosystem developed by AI4I to connect companies’ innovation needs with qualified AI providers and solutions.
SUK brings together Artificial Intelligence solutions developed by Italian technology providers, qualifies providers according to technical and industrial criteria, and identifies the partners best suited to the specific objectives of each company.
The platform currently brings together around 140 qualified providers and 186 AI solutions, covering the entire business value chain and providing companies with an already validated and readily accessible technology ecosystem.
“AI Match has shown us that AI adoption among SMEs can be supported through a structured, scalable and replicable process,” said Fabio Pammolli, President of AI4I. “At the core of this model is SUK, the System for User Knowledge developed by AI4I, which structures a national ecosystem connecting innovation needs with technological capabilities. AI4I acts as the pivot of this ecosystem, bringing together scientific and engineering expertise, assessment and training capabilities, and a network of qualified providers to support companies throughout the entire adoption process.
From AI Match Torino to a nationwide model
The first testing ground for this approach was AI Match Torino, promoted by AI4I and the Turin Chamber of Commerce and implemented with Fondazione Piemonte Innova.
The pilot is now concluding with 20 projects chosen to move into the implementation phase*, providing the operational basis for a model that can be replicated across different territories.
Through the new collaboration, this approach can now be made available to the entire Chamber of Commerce system, while maintaining a common methodology and shared tools.
“Thanks to the collaboration and know-how of the Italian Institute of Artificial Intelligence, in the coming months the Digital Enterprise Points of the Chambers of Commerce will also support SMEs in adopting AI,” said Andrea Prete, President of Unioncamere. “Our goal is to make this technology accessible to the entire productive system, enabling even less structured companies to fully seize its opportunities.”
A national technology transfer value chain
The collaboration includes training activities, technology assessments, local AI Match initiatives, and co-design and development programmes, leveraging AI4I’s SUK platform to support small businesses from identifying their needs through to the implementation of AI solutions.
The objective is to create a national technology transfer value chain that brings together research, innovation and territorial proximity within a single operating model, accelerating the diffusion of Artificial Intelligence across the Italian productive system and strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs.
