real-life applications. Therefore, scientific projects are not oriented to reach theoretical discoveries, but rather to deliver new technologies in robotics and nanotechnology. The most famous application developed and delivered by the Italian Institute of Technology is the humanoid robot iCub. IIT dedicates a complete facility to the study and the development of this robot. In 2014, IIT released BlindPad, an electronic device for blind people, developed by IIT researchers in collaboration with Istituto David Chiossone in Genoa. In 2015, the Italian Institute of Technology produced a robotics application for an artificial hand, a prosthesis able to replace a missing human arm. In June 2015, another of IIT's robot named Walkman, participated to the pre-eminent DARPA Robotics Challenge, in Los Angeles (USA). In 2016, the Italian Institute of Technology won the robotics grasping challenge at the IEEE/RJS International Conference On Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2016) in South Korea. In 2017, IIT and Momodesign released a motorcycle helmet made of graphene. Scientific plans The Scientific Plan 2009–2011 aims at developing the results of the start-up and sets a general framework which combines the integration and the reinforcement of the departments, the national network and the research platforms. The Scientific Plan 2009–2011 is the evolution of the 2005–2008 plan, which was dealing with a large scale program on Humanoid Robotics. According to the 2005–2008 strategic plan, the Humanoid Robotics program had a strong interdisciplinary character, merging human and humanoid technologies through the development of 3 technology platforms: Robotics, Neuroscience and Drug Discovery and Development (D3), supported by a few facilities for nano-biotechnologies (such as material science, nanofabrication, chemistry and biochemistry, electron microscopy laboratories etc.). Each platform was meant to develop specific topics/tasks in different IIT research units, such as the Departments built in Genoa, or, in some cases, the external research units forming the multidisciplinary research network of IIT country-wide. To date the research infrastructure of IIT in Genoa has been completed. It consists of more than 500 staff from 30 countries, operating in a 25000 sqm facility equipped with laboratories distributed over three Robotics departments (Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences; Advanced Robotics; TeleRobotics and Applications) and two life-science oriented departments (Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, and Drug Discovery and Development, D3), and a few shared facilities including nanofabrication clean room, material science lab, chemistry lab, biochemistry lab, animal facility, electron microscopy, mechanical and electronic workshops. The growth of the Humanoid Robotic program