Think, Make, S.T.E.A.M @ Maker Faire Sardinia 2026

With the title “THINK MAKE S.T.E.A.M.”, Thought – Creation – Re-evolution, the fourth edition of Maker Faire Sardinia returns to Olbia from May 29 to 31, 2026, at Olbia’s Archaeological Museum. Inside the container of an island renown for its traditions, the event is dedicated to the culture of innovation, digital manufacturing, and the new professions of the 21st century. Not just a technology fair, but a space where different experiences intersect: schools, universities, research, businesses, and creative communities. A place where change is observed, narrated, and above all experienced.

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The theme of the 2026 edition, “THINK MAKE S.T.E.A.M.”, highlights the increasingly central role of scientific and creative disciplines — science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics — in educational and productive processes. From this perspective, Maker Faire Sardinia also becomes a lens through which to understand what is happening in the region, particularly in the relationship between schools, educational innovation, and new technologies. The city of Olbia itself represents a significant case. In recent years, it has embarked on a path of growth linked to advanced education and applied research, with new entities such as the Department of Naval Engineering, the Department of Innovation, and the Olbi@ in Lab laboratory. The event helps tell the story of an ongoing transformation, made up of emerging skills, new professional profiles, and increasingly close connections between the education system and the productive world. In community with Maker Faires across the world, artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing, virtual reality, coding, metaverses, digital art, and sustainable design are just some of the themes that will run through the three-day event, offering a broad and multifaceted picture of contemporary maker culture.

The 2026 program unfolds on multiple levels. Alongside the exhibition area, which will host dozens of makers, schools, Fab Labs, and research centers from Sardinia, Italy, and across Europe, a central role will be played by the workshops. Not simple demonstrations, but hands-on experiences designed to directly engage the public — children, students, teachers, and enthusiasts — and bring them closer to the languages of innovation. These innovative educational workshops, aimed at adults and children, have the goal of bringing the public closer to technology, digital creativity, and maker culture through practical, accessible, and engaging experiences.

Alongside digital techniques and traditional crafts, these workshops also evidence the strong focus on the circular economy that animates Fab Lab Olbia and many makers and businesses in the Italian innovation ecosystem.

Makers, researchers, and innovators bring experiences and expertise from diverse fields: from architecture to biofabrication, from technological fashion to materials research. Alongside the Italian participants, guests are expected from Norway, Belgium, and Armenia, confirming an increasingly well-established international dimension.

Enrico Dini, who will present the theme of large-scale 3D printing applied to architecture, construction, and digital building. Dini is reshaping architecture with D-Shape, a groundbreaking large-scale 3D construction printing technology. Coming from a lineage of innovation — descendant of mathematician Ulisse Dini and son of renowned Piaggio engineer Egisto Dini — Enrico brought industrial automation expertise into the world of architecture. In 2004, he envisioned scaling 3D printing for construction, leading to the first D-Shape patents in 2005 and a year later, Enrico unveiled the iconic Radiolaria Pavilion — the world’s first 3D-printed architectural structure — ushering in a new era of innovation in architecture and construction.

Selenia Marinelli will share her work in the field of biofabrication, biomaterials, and new scenarios in sustainable design.

Laura Muth and Romane Poret will be present with research and experimentation related to fashion, materials, textile innovation, and circular processes. Check out some of their recent work that will information the discussion and give a sense of the aesthetics, ethics, and techniques.

Fabrizio Giaconella, veterinarian and maker at Studio Veterinario Giaconella, will present an experiment on 3D-printed prosthetics for animals and the use of virtual reality to support surgical procedures. Located in the Monti Tiburtini area of Rome, the clinic specializes in custom 3D-printed prosthetics, orthotics, and patient-specific anatomical models to improve surgical outcomes and rehabilitation.

Pier Luigi Lai and Barbara Letteri will present the volume “Citizens in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Vol. 1 – Citizenship,” dedicated to pathways in digital civic education and the conscious use of AI in schools and contemporary society.

Katia Gasparini, researcher at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Sassari, will contribute insights related to parametric architectural research and new design languages.

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Gabriele Orotelli, a young maker and creator of the SardoPop, will instead represent a more pop, creative, and identity-driven side of Sardinian maker culture. Completing the picture is ITS TACS, a strategic presence to illustrate the relationship between advanced technical education, territory, businesses, and new professional skills.

Mater Olbia will organize a conference dedicated to the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare, with a focus on radiology, oncology, and surgery.

Erika brings to Maker Faire Sardinia 2026 her project “Threads of Tradition”: a book that combines Armenian legends and myths, storytelling, visual design, and digital fabrication. A work that blends culture and technology, turning tradition into a contemporary experience. Her journey comes from a deep interest in Armenian culture and traditional crafts, focusing on the dialogue between cultural identity and new creative technologies. For Erika, Fabricademy represents growth and connection: exchanging ideas with other participants and exploring new design perspectives.

A digital fashion show will light up the event, featuring clothing and accessories created using 3D printing technologies in collaboration with the Comprehensive Institute No. 1 of Arzachena. Alongside the more structured moments, there will also be space for informal meetings and interviews with young makers and innovators. During the event, the Best Maker, Best Artist, and Best AI in Making awards will also be presented.

Maker Faire Sardinia is biannual, its pause offering time for the development of new projects and the application of constantly evolving tools in the iterative environment that shapes innovation. To get a taste of what’s in store, check out the 2024 event.

Open to the public from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the event is promoted by Fab Lab Olbia and is part of the international Maker Faire circuit, under license from the Make network and in collaboration with Maker Faire Rome.