Meaning “Laboratory for Collaboration”, Collaboratorio is a company located at VEGA (Venice Gateway for Science and Technology, a scientific park for the promotion of innovative business enterprises), with headquarters in Venice, Marghera. The company focuses on new trends in architecture. Since 2000 it has operated in the field of training, communication, and construction. It has exhibited projects and installations at the “Biennale di Architettura di Venezia” in 2000, 2002 and 2006, and has organized international symposiums, trips, and training courses. Collaboratorio also produces the www.architecture.it Internet portal.

Furio Barzon is an architect and the General Director of Collaboratorio S.n.c., which since 2000 has produced the www.architecture.it Internet portal. Furio Barzon has produced a number of articles and essays on contemporary architecture and, in addition, he has held lessons in Italian and foreign universities.

Matteo Zambelli is an architect, Ph.d in “Ingegneria edile (Construction Engineering)” (2002), and teaches at the Faculty of Engineering of Trento. He is currently the Scientific Director of Collaboratorio, and has carried out research activities at the Faculties of Engineering of Trento and Ancona and at the Faculty of Architecture of Venice - IUAV. He has been involved in the co-ordination of the following research projects, financed by national and European Institutions, in the design phases, realization, and presentation to the European revision commissions: WINDS (Web-based Intelligent Design tutoring System), 1999; L.O.T.O. (Landscape Opportunity for Territorial Organization), European initiative Interreg III B - CADSES (Central Adriatic Danubian South Eastern European Space), 2001; C-TIDE (Changeable Thermal Inertia Dry Enclosures), European initiative CRAFT 2000).

The research group from UNIVPM has deep knowledge of both architecture design/construction issues and information technology models. The WINDS project (IST-1999-10253), which was coordinated by this group, is now evolving into a technology enhanced learning community in Architecture and Civil Engineering, involving more than 20 universities across Europe. UNIVPM will serve as hub for making the contents of these universities available to MACE.

Humance AG (HUM) has contributed to several national and international research projects and has a large partner network in vocational training and services for adult education centres. It has a large customer base ranging from SMEs and academies specialized on training and educational services to large international corporations (Degussa, SAP, Hewlett Packard, Klett Verlag). In the public sector, Humance has worked with Siemens Business Service (as an OEM) for Education Business. HUM will make the MACE project known throughout its partner network and also prepare for dissemination in professional communities.