Valuebiotech, a Milan company founded in 2012 by surgeon Antonello Forgione, develops the M.I.L.A.N.O. Robotic Platform, compact robots for minimally invasive abdominal surgery. Its EIC application described camera, assistive and operative robots that are "compact and easily portable", need "no dedicated surgical room", can be set up "in only 10 minutes", and switch between single-port and multi-port surgery for gastrointestinal, gynaecological and urological operations, according to CORDIS.
The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,999 towards a €4.03 million project from April 2023 to September 2025. The final report says Valuebiotech "successfully developed, integrated, and validated fully functional robotic units for Assistive Robots", ran accredited functional tests "marking the initiation of the MDR conformity-assessment pathway", completed preclinical tests in which surgeons rated ergonomics and usability, built a virtual-reality training system, and set up an ISO 13485-aligned supply chain. It does not report a validated operative robot, a CE mark or use on patients.
Company file
- Legal entity
- Valuebiotech S.r.l., Milan
- Founders
- Antonello Forgione (CEO), Renzo Zaltieri (CTO)
- Product
- M.I.L.A.N.O. assistive and operative robots; Academy 4.0 VR training
- Team
- 19 people listed, mostly engineers
- Other public funding
- Lombardy Bando Ricerca & Innova 2023
- EIC project
- 1 Apr 2023 to 30 Sep 2025, closed
- EIC funding
- Grant first
Where Valuebiotech Stands Now
Valuebiotech's team page lists 19 people, most of them mechanical, software and control engineers, plus regulatory and quality staff. Its latest news item, from May 2025, reports presenting the project at the SPRING event in Paris-Saclay with EIC support. In September 2023 it won funding under Lombardy's Ricerca & Innova call for a surgeon-robot interaction project, the company said, without giving the amount. It has not announced an equity round, a hospital partner for clinical trials, or regulatory approval.
"Extremely compact and lightweight robotic units that maintain high dexterity and precision, enabling robotic surgery in hospitals without dedicated infrastructure."
Valuebiotech, final report to the EICThe Technology: Robots That Move Inside the Body
Current surgical robots are "expensive, bulky, and complex to use", and robotic adoption in Europe "remains below 40% even in well-established minimally invasive procedures", the report says. Valuebiotech's robots reposition internally rather than through a large external arm structure, and its assistive robots integrate into the operative robot so one purchase covers both approaches. Press coverage republished on the company's site put the robot's weight at three kilograms against 700 for the current standard.
What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows
The application described a full platform, including an operative robot for single-port and multi-port surgery. The final report documents assistive robots built to MDR and ISO 13485 standards and tested preclinically, and the start of conformity assessment. The operative robot's development status is not reported, and no clinical study is mentioned. CORDIS lists the project as closed.
- Assistive robotsDeliveredPreclinical validation.
- Operative robotUnverifiedNot in report.
- MDR certificationStartedPathway initiated.
- Clinical useUnverifiedNone announced.
The Money
The EIC grant is the largest public funding Valuebiotech has announced. Press coverage from 2022 republished on its site said Israel was trying to lure the start-up away and that its only support in Italy had come from UniCredit. The company's revenue, investors and cash position after the grant are not public, nor is whether it applied for EIC Fund equity.
What Cannot Be Checked
Questions for the EIC
How far the operative robot got, when a CE mark and first-in-human study are expected, how Valuebiotech will fund them, and why a company founded in 2012 has no disclosed equity round are not public.
Why Europe Should Care
The report calls current surgical robots expensive and bulky. A light, portable robot could let smaller hospitals offer robotic surgery. The EIC funded Valuebiotech's step from prototypes to certification-ready assistive units; the step to patients is still ahead.
What the project promised
A portable platform of camera, assistive and operative robots for single-port and multi-port surgery.
What the record shows
Preclinically validated assistive robots, a VR training tool and the start of MDR assessment, with no clinical use.
The Verdict
Progress, not yet a product
Valuebiotech advanced part of its platform with EIC money. The operative robot, certification and first patients remain undocumented a year after the grant ended.
Valuebiotech and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.
