The Shanghai Expo is set to become a launch pad for a greater cooperation between Italian and Chinese firms in the field of innovation, Italian Public Administration and Innovation Minister Renato Brunetta told Xinhua on Monday.

"A future marriage between the Italian original style and the Chinese productivity genius could have an explosive effect on the global economy," said Brunetta, who is one of Italy's top economists.

The minister said he had great expectations and looked forward to the expo as a first step toward enhancing bilateral cooperation in several strategic innovation fields, including manufacture and public administration.

"We will be showcasing at the Italian pavilion over 250 high- tech projects that have passed a national competition. Italy is a country of innovators, where our small and medium-sized enterprises are the real protagonists," he said.

The winners of the competition are to take part in the expo. Among the projects are an ecological robot for differentiated waste disposable, a portable ecographer for emergency cases such as earthquakes, and an example of vertical grass walls aimed at improving cities' image.

The competition was launched in honor of the Shanghai Expo and will continue to take place each year as a way to celebrate such ground-breaking global events, the minister noted. Another 250 projects not showcased at the pavilion will be posted on an English-Chinese institutional website for a second "virtual Shanghai."

According to Brunetta, the Shanghai Expo represents a starting point for future bilateral collaborations. "It's an opportunity to outline pioneering projects for the first time ever to the Chinese public. Our goal is to create new partnerships and joint ventures between Italian and Chinese firms," he said.
                                                                                                             Source: Xinhua