Casa Vallonia returns to Italy this year on 11 April, this time in the city of Turin. This itinerant concept is an opportunity to present Wallonia in all its facets and to strengthen collaboration between operators from Wallonia and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and their Italian counterparts. The central theme of this 2024 edition is aeronautics and space, one of our leading sectors in which Italy has also decided to increase its investments.

Organised by Wallonia Export & Investment Agency, Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI) and VISITWallonia, Casa Vallonia is a prestigious 360-degree event held alternately every other year in Spain and Italy.  After Milan in 2022, this year it's Turin's turn, with an economic, academic, cultural, tourist and gastronomic programme.

Wallonia and Italy enjoy close ties, not only thanks to the large number of Italian immigrants who have settled in our region since 1946, but also our economic relations, since Italy is Wallonia's 5th largest customer in terms of exports and its 5th largest supplier in terms of imports. 

Italian companies also seem to see Wallonia as a real land of opportunity for developing their activities. Since 2000, there have been almost sixty Italian investments in Wallonia. More than 270 Walloon companies also benefit from a minimum Italian holding of 51%. 

16 space companies and research centres

Around 15 Walloon companies and research centres from the aerospace sector will be on hand on 11 April to present their products and research projects to their Italian partners, thereby strengthening the collaboration between our two countries in this sector. 

• ANY-SHAPE: supplies additive manufacturing parts (3D printing) in metal, metal alloys, plastics and composite materials for sectors as varied as aerospace and aeronautics, automotive, defence, energy, medical, rail, etc.
• ASTROFOOD: the only company in the world to develop food products based on fresh microalgae grown in bioreactors. Their research, based on close links with numerous universities, laboratories and health professionals in the Benelux, enables them to provide optimised nutrition for top-level athletes.

• CENAERO: an internationally recognised applied research centre. Provides companies engaged in a process of technological innovation with digital simulation methods and tools to invent and design more competitive products in the fields of aeronautical design, spacecraft, manufacturing processes, buildings and smart cities.

• DARDENNE: over 40 years' experience in high-precision machining in the aerospace and defence sectors.

• GDTECH: provides an integrated service covering all the stages involved in the design, simulation and industrialisation of projects in a wide range of sectors, including aerospace, aeronautics, automotive, defence, energy, medical and rail.

• ISOMATEX: marketing of FILAVATM mineral fibre (a unique recipe combining volcanic rock with a special selection of minerals). ISOMATEX holds a leading position in the global composite materials and technical textiles markets.

• MACHINESIGHT: design and production of machines incorporating automated inspection in fields such as aeronautics, pharmaceuticals and the steel industry. 

• MECASOFT: over 40 years' experience in high-precision machining using EDM and other advanced techniques.It has also developed extensive expertise in micromechanics, producing metal components with a wide range of profiles and a level of precision that is hard to match.

• NANOPYRO: a start-up active in the development and production of energetic materials based on nanotechnologies. Thanks to their new technology, they offer safe, ecological and high-performance energetic materials for the Defence, Civil and Space industries.

• NCP WALLONIE: offers high-quality professional services on European funding for research and innovation.

• SABCA TECHNOLOGIES: a new subsidiary, created in 2022, of Belgian aerospace flagship SABCA, dedicated to the design and manufacture of actuation systems of the future, for aeronautical, space and UAV applications using New Space practices. 

SABCA technologies has signed a research and development partnership with UC Louvain, with the aim of strengthening its European leadership in the design and manufacture of electromechanical actuation systems (including control and power electronics as well as the power supply), a critical sub-system used in launcher thrust vector control and aviation flight control.

• SKYWIN: Walloon aerospace cluster.  It is an association of companies, research bodies and training centres involved in public-private partnerships and the implementation of innovative collaborative projects.

• TAURI INDUSTRIES: a fast-growing innovative company with nearly 15 years' experience in aircraft manufacture and design. They are currently focusing on the unmanned aviation market to provide a fully autonomous UAS designed for multiple missions, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

• TELESPAZIO BELGIUM: a subsidiary of Telespazio, Telespazio Belgium is at the forefront of the distribution of advanced and innovative satellite services for navigation, earth observation and space operations.

• WAN: an aeronautical skills centre that works closely with skills centres, aeronautical schools, airlines, defence (AIR component), and players in the Walloon aeronautical industry grouped together within the EWA (Entreprises Wallonnes de l'Aéronautique, SONACA, SABCA, SAFRAN AERO BOOSTER, etc.) and members of the SKYWIN cluster, as well as with the Haute-École Condorcet in Charleroi and the University of Liège.

• X-RIS: has developed its own range of X-ray generators, detectors and software platform: Maestro. Portable and stationary digital radiology solutions that are extremely user-friendly and intuitive for industrial, laboratory and security applications, without skimping on image quality.