Background

Fincantieri, one of the world’s leading shipbuilding groups, the only player active in all high complexity marine industry sector, is seeking innovative technologies that can transform how ships are built by augmenting and automating intensive processes across its production environments.

Shipbuilding remains one of the most complex and physically demanding industrial sectors. Core activities such as welding, inspection, and outfitting rely on highly skilled workers operating in constrained, hazardous, and highly variable environments. At the same time, the industry faces growing pressure from labor shortages, rising costs, stricter safety requirements, and the urge to deliver projects faster and at higher quality.

While automation has advanced in controlled factory settings, shipyards present a fundamentally different challenge. Irregular geometries, confined spaces, dynamic workflows, and harsh environmental conditions have limited the deployment of robotics, AI, and digital tools, creating a significant opportunity for breakthrough solutions.

On behalf of Select Friuli Venezia Giulia and in collaboration with Fincantieri, Newlab is launching this Open Call to identify and work with startups and technology companies developing next-generation solutions that enhance productivity, improve safety, and increase quality across shipbuilding operations, through real-world deployment and testing in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy.

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Why This Matters

Shipbuilding is at a pivotal moment. Addressing labor constraints and operational complexity through automation and augmentation is essential to ensuring the long-term competitiveness, resilience, and sustainability of the industry.

By partnering with Fincantieri, selected companies will help define the future of maritime manufacturing, unlocking new standards for productivity, safety, and technological capability in one of the world’s most challenging industrial environments.
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Opportunity Spaces

We are particularly interested in solutions that address the following high-impact opportunity areas:

PILOT TRACK ONE: ADVANCED WELDING IN COMPLEX, SPACE CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENTS

Welding is a critical and resource-intensive process across ship construction, involving panels, blocks, and structural closures. These operations are often performed in confined spaces with complex geometries, requiring high precision under difficult conditions.

We are seeking solutions that:

• Enable robotic and cobotic welding, laser cutting, and deck-straightening also in constrained and non-standard shipyard environments, including curved surfaces, vertical and overhead positions, and external hull structures.
• Introduce auto-adaptive welding systems capable of real-time fine-tuning of welding parameters and welding typologies, leveraging advanced sensing, computer vision, and AI to automatically recognize joints, compensate for tolerances, deformations, and variability.
• Integrate laser welding and laser cutting technologies suitable for shipyard conditions, improving weld quality, speed, distortion control, and repeatability across different materials and geometries.
• Support mobile, lightweight, and modular robotic systems that can be rapidly deployed across blocks, panels, and onboard environments, improving productivity, consistency, and worker safety while reducing manual effort.

PILOT TRACK TWO: QUALITY ASSURANCE & INSPECTION

Inspection and quality assurance processes are essential but often act as bottlenecks. Defects identified late in production lead to costly rework, delays, and inefficiencies.

We are seeking solutions that:

• Enable automatic or semi-automatic execution of dimensional surveys, using robotic or sensor-based systems to verify geometry, alignment, and installation accuracy directly in production.

PILOT TRACK THREE: OUTFITTING & INSTALLATION OPTIMIZATION

Outfitting, the installation of pipes, cables, HVAC systems, and equipment, is one of the most labor-intensive and least automated phases of shipbuilding. Work is highly variable and frequently disrupted by access constraints and late-stage design changes.

We are seeking solutions that:

• Enable robotic and assisted outfitting systems, including robots for onboard cable pulling and dedicated robotic outfitting platforms, capable of operating in confined environments and adapting to variable layouts.
• Introduce robotic or automated solutions for deck straightening during outfitting phases, capable of compensating deformations and misalignments caused by welding, loads, or progressive installation, while operating safely alongside ongoing outfitting activities.

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Who Should Apply

We welcome applications from startups and technology companies working in areas including (but not limited to):

• Robotics and autonomous systems
• Computer vision and advanced sensing
• AI-enabled inspection and quality assurance
• Industrial software and digital twins
• Human-machine interfaces (e.g., AR/VR, assistive systems)
• Advanced manufacturing and construction technologies
• Robotic programming, control, and deployment software

Solutions should be applicable to complex, real-world industrial environments and demonstrate a clear path toward deployment in shipyard settings.

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Program Support

Selected participants will have the opportunity to:

• Work with Newlab team to design a pilot to help scale their business in-line with market needs
• Collaborate directly with Fincantieri’s Innovation team and Business Units to deploy pilot projects in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia in Italy, generating learnings of mutual interest and explore follow-on paths for engagement
• Access to Newlab and its ecosystem of 250+ companies, advisors, and $5M+ in onsite prototyping resources in New York
• Potentially receive funding to support pilot execution. Availability and size of funding will be dynamic.

Key Dates:

Open Call Launch: August 12th, 2026

Application Deadline: August 28th, 2026

Pilot design stage: Following August 28, a select group of startups will advance to an additional stage focused on developing detailed pilot designs and requirements.

Final cohort selection: Target October 2026

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Click here to apply.

Learn more about the program and pilot tracks in an informational session on August 17th or August 19th.

Questions? Email fvg@newlab.com

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ABOUT FINCANTIERI

Fincantieri is one of the world's largest shipbuilding groups, the only player active in all high complexity marine industry sectors. The Group is a leader in the construction of cruise ships, naval and offshore vessels, and stands out for its extensive experience in the development of underwater solutions, thanks to its integrated industrial structure capable of managing and coordinating all activities related to the commercial, defense, and dual-use sectors.

It holds a strong presence in key markets also thanks to the internalization of high value-added, distinctive technologies; it is also a leader in sustainable innovation and in the digital transformation of the shipbuilding sector. The company is active in the field of mechatronics, electronics, and digital naval systems, as well as in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and marine interiors solutions. It also offers a wide range of after-sales services, including logistic support and fleet assistance.

With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, Fincantieri is a global player with a production network of 18 shipyards worldwide and over 24,000 employees; It maintains its know-how, expertise and management centers in Italy, where it directly employs approximately 13,000 workers and creates around 90,000 indirect jobs.

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ABOUT SELECT FRIULI VENEZIA GIULIA

Select Friuli Venezia Giulia is the agency of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia dedicated to attracting investment. It promotes the regional economy internationally and offers support to businesses throughout all phases of their establishment and development in the region. As part of the development of strategic regional production chains linked to the maritime economy, the Agency aims to attract and facilitate the establishment in Friuli Venezia Giulia of international companies aligned with the sector’s technological needs through the creation in Trieste of an innovation hub where companies and startups can collaborate—a space designed to become a magnet for talent, investment, and global industrial partnerships.  Working in partnership with all entities that manage business relocation opportunities, the Agency supports companies in their investment, expansion, and redevelopment projects by providing tailored advice and information and creating networking opportunities to foster collaboration between businesses and strengthen ties with the local economy. Finally, it supports existing businesses, workers, and aspiring entrepreneurs in understanding and accessing regional incentive programs, making these opportunities easily accessible, supporting the development of new business projects, and contributing to employment growth in the region.

https://www.selectfriuliveneziagiulia.it/Portale/index.aspx

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ABOUT NEWLAB

Newlab is a venture platform for critical technology startups transforming core industrial sectors. We help startups commercialize faster by aligning Infrastructure, Commercialization Projects, and Capital in locations with strategic advantages. Newlab operates 5 innovation hubs globally and manages active pilot programming in additional regions. To date, Newlab has partnered with over 60 industry and government leaders and has supported its 400+ member companies in raising over $5B from venture capital firms, with over $2.3B of successful exits and a collective valuation of over $17B. Visit www.newlab.com to learn more.

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