Moderators:
Giorgio Metta, Scientific Director, Italian Institute of Technology
Cecile Huet, Head of Unit, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Excellence, European Commission
Participants:
Alin Albu-Schäffer, Professor, Technical University of Munich (TUM); Director, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Marco Hutter, Full Professor, ETH Zurich
Anna Valente, Professor, University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI)
Daniele Pucci, Chief Executive Officer, Generative Bionics
Serena Ivaldi, Research Director, Inria, Head of the Human Centered Robotics Team (HUCEBOT)
David Reger, Chief Executive Officer, Neura Robotics
Description:
As part of ICRA 2026, this panel highlights how long-term, excellence-driven robotics research can translate into impactful industrial innovation. Recently, the research on the iCub project contributed to the launch of Generative Bionics, a startup from the Italian Institute of Technology. We trace the path from foundational research to startup creation, through the case study of the European Commission’s funding of the iCub. Conversely, Neura Robotics, a German high-tech company also developing humanoid robots, started as a direct industrial endeavor originating by its CEO.
The panel discussion aims to understand differences and investment strategies of these two cases, for instance, by highlighting the strategic role of “patient” investment in enabling the transfer of technologies from the academia to the market. Or, vice versa, whether VCs and direct industrial interest can support technological development at the forefront of technology sufficiently well.
Although different in nature, these two cases effectively addressed challenging technological problems and supported their transformation into innovative applications. Public funding helps de-risk early-stage research, supports technology transfer, and provides the time horizon required for disruptive ideas to mature beyond short-term market logic. By connecting public funding, long-term vision, and entrepreneurial execution, our speakers’ experiences illustrate a viable pathway from science to application.
Through invited contributions and a moderated discussion, the panel conveys a core message: to remain innovative and competitive, continued investment in basic research is essential, supported by stable mechanisms that translate frontier science into scalable innovation. Long-term investment is not a cost, but a prerequisite for shaping the next generation of transformative technologies.