CIRA at ILA Berlin 2026: Research, Innovation, and International Cooperation

CIRA participated in the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) held in Berlin from 10 to 14 June 2026 at the Berlin ExpoCenter Airport. The delegation, led by President Tommaso Edoardo Frosini and Director General Stefania Cantoni, took part in an intensive programme of round tables, events, and bilateral meetings, providing an important opportunity for dialogue between Italy and Germany on aeronautics and space research.

One of the key highlights of the mission was the bilateral meeting with DLR – German Aerospace Center, which provided an update on the status of the cooperation initiated in recent months through a series of reciprocal visits to each other’s facilities. The discussion enabled an in-depth exchange on joint research activities in the space and aeronautics domains, as well as an exploration of potential synergies within several research lines included in CIRA’s new Three-Year Strategic Plan.

The meeting was attended on behalf of CIRA by Francesco Ferrigno and Ignazio Dimino, respectively Head and Deputy Head of Institutional Relations, Salvatore Borrelli, Director of Space, Marcello Amato, Director of Aeronautics, and Angela Vozella, Technical-Scientific Coordinator and Programme Manager of the Cross-Research Directorate.

The DLR meeting was preceded by the Pre-ILA Space Research Networking Event, focused on optical systems for Earth observation and planetary exploration, as well as emerging applications of quantum sensors. This was followed by the ACARE General Assembly, attended by Marcello Amato representing both CIRA and the Italian Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), and Angela Vozella in her role as co-chair of “Special Group 2 – Safety, Security and Resilience (SG2)” within the European Expert Board for Aviation (EEP).

As part of ACARE-related activities, the CIRA delegation also participated in the Berlin Aviation Summit, which brought together representatives from German ministries involved in defining and implementing the national aeronautics strategy, alongside key industry stakeholders.

German–Italian cooperation in the development of space activities was also a central theme of the German-Italian Aerospace Forum, in which CIRA took part. The initiative, promoted by the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Germany (ITKAM) and the Italian Trade Agency (ICE) at the Embassy of Italy in Berlin, brought together institutional, industrial, and research stakeholders from both countries, highlighting the wide range of ongoing collaborations in the aerospace sector.