Sustainable cooling: EPIC Deploy launched
The Politecnico di Milano hosted the launch event for EPIC Deploy, an initiative dedicated to accelerating the adoption of innovative and sustainable cooling technologies in the commercial and industrial sectors. The project is promoted by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Politecnico di Milano and AiCARR – the Italian Association for Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration.
EPIC Deploy was created to address an increasingly urgent global challenge: over 1.1 billion people worldwide currently lack adequate cooling services, and demand is set to grow significantly by 2050, with potential negative effects on energy consumption and emissions. The initiative proposes an integrated approach combining technological innovation, environmental sustainability, financial instruments and public-private partnerships, focusing on scalable and replicable solutions.
Its objectives include funding pilot projects in high-potential contexts, strengthening cooperation between institutions, the private sector and the scientific community, and improving access to investment and collaboration aimed at increasing the efficiency of cooling infrastructure.
A call for project proposals is scheduled to be launched in July 2026 in Marocco, Tunisia, Kenya and Ethiopia - as part of the Mattei Plan for Africa - as well as Brazil, with a particular focus on opportunities for Italian companies involved in the development of sustainable and innovative solutions.
The event was attended by, among others, Alessandro Guerri, Director-General for European and International Affairs and International Finance at MASE; Alessandro Perego, Vice Rector for Sustainable Development and Social Impact at the Politecnico di Milano; Matteo Maestri, Head of the Department of Energy at the Politecnico di Milano; and representatives from UNEP and AiCARR.
For the Politecnico di Milano, this event holds particular significance, as it directly addresses some of the priorities set out in our 2026-2028 Strategic Plan. The Plan reaffirms the University’s role as a leading public institution in both the Italian and international contexts and identifies two key pillars: internationalisation and sustainable growth. For us, internationalisation is not merely about mobility, but a structural dimension that permeates teaching, research, governance and institutional cooperation.
Alessandro Perego, Vice Rector for Sustainable Development and Social Impact at the Politecnico di Milano
A key aspect for us is the link between research and application. The Department of Energy collaborates on an ongoing basis with businesses, public institutions and international bodies, because we know that the quality of research is also measured by its ability to generate solutions that are adoptable, scalable and useful to society. In this sense, initiatives such as EPIC are particularly important: they are not merely opportunities for discussion, but tools for building
partnerships, guiding investment and accelerating the transition from innovation to widespread adoption. Today’s event is a step in exactly this direction.
Matteo Maestri, Head of the Department of Energy
For the Politecnico di Milano, EPIC Deploy represents a strategic opportunity to highlight the contribution of technological research to the development and deployment of sustainable technologies, promoting the large-scale application of innovative solutions through international partnerships and targeted investments.