Innovation, Lombardy is setting up projects relating to drugs, environments and print technology

On a proposal by the Councillor for Economic Development, Guido Guidesi, Lombardy Regional Council has approved innovation agreements with the Ministry of Economic Development, who allow companies, selected through a ministerial call for bids, to develop their projects.

 

GUIDESI: PROJECTS, WITH THE COLLABORATION OF THE AUTHORITIES – “Also in this case, Lombardy Region is supporting the innovative ideas of Lombard companies, thereby contributing, on the one hand, to the development of the companies themselves and, on the other hand, to strengthening Lombardy’s economic fabric. The 5 funded projects have a significant technological impact that will influence the competitive ability of the companies, and protect the levels of employment. These interventions have been made possible thanks to collaboration among the Authorities, who are an essential element, especially at this historic moment,” Councillor Guidesi explained.

 

INNOVATIVE DRUGS AGAINST SMOG – A project is under way in the pharmaceutical field, that is being led by the multinational corporation Zambon, who have focused their attention on the study of innovative drugs. They are currently concentrating on the development of treatments for rare diseases and on some important specialist areas, such as Parkinson’s disease and cystic fibrosis, and are established in the 3 historical therapy areas: the respiratory system, pain and women’s health. The same project has the goal of developing a new product made up of a dry powder, produced using Edry® proprietary technology, to be administered using a powder inhaler. The product will act as a barrier against toxic substances, with an oxidising action produced in the lung following the prolonged inhalation of particles, gases and smog. Lombardy and Veneto are the regions involved. The total investment is €11,112,500, of which €8,418,750 is in Lombardy, with a regional contribution equal to €252,562.50.

 

3D PRINTERS WITH LINEAR ELECTRON ACCELERATORS – In the approved agreements, also the one led by Beamit Space deals with the aerospace sector, using the know-how that was developed by their parent company, extending it to new applications. The aim of the project is to create a prototype for a powder bed 3D printer with ALM (Additive Layer Manufacturing) technology that uses a Linear Electron Accelerator (LINAC) as an alternative source to the laser, with the aim of tackling and overcoming the current technological limits of the process. An innovative prototype is being developed for a 3D printer for metals, with the medium-term aim of producing a new generation of printers in Italy, introducing highly innovative technological elements. The regions involved are: Lombardy, Lazio, Abruzzo. The total investment is €5,073,500, of which €1,635,000 is in Lombardy Region, with a contribution equal to €49,050 (Company 3D New Technologies).

3D FOR LARGE-SCALE PRINTS – Also the project led by CMS, a leader in the field of machining centres for wood, glass, marble and plastic, focuses on a new range of 3D printing machines. The project was conceived to make composite material manufacturing technologies more competitive, using new large-scale 3D printing technology. The region involved is Lombardy. The total investment is €6,000,000, with a contribution of €180,000 from Lombardy Region.

 

REDUCING ENERGY CONSUMPTION – The project led by the company Bormioli Luigi SpA, who specialise in high-end containers for perfumery and distilleries, as well as tableware in superior sound glass, is environmental in nature. It includes a reduction in the energy consumption of the melting furnaces and feed channels, a reduction in set-up times along the line with an increase in flexibility, process stabilisation thanks to the control action as well as monitoring and improving the efficiency of the process and the quality of the finished product. The region involved is Lombardy. The total investment is €7,310,571.67, of which €1,435,864.84 is in Lombardy, with a regional contribution of €43,075.94.

SMART FACTORY – The project of the Brescia-based company Palazzoli, a partner of the lead company Benelli Armi, is being funded. Palazzoli is specialised in electrical equipment for industrial energy supply systems, particularly low-voltage equipment for industrial, tertiary, naval and infrastructure use. The goal of the project is to create a highly efficient, automated and synergistically interconnected process, from an extended smart factory 4.0 perspective, for the advanced manufacture of weapons for sports use, with unprecedented characteristics not currently available on the market; the project consists of developing a single automated and interconnected process with new methods of moulding, turning and surface treatments. The regions involved are: Lombardy and Abruzzo. The total investment amounts to €7,026,983.33, of which €3,155,333.33 is in Lombardy, with a regional contribution of €94,660.00.

 

Translated by Vittoria Bonanomi and Chiara Brovelli

Reviewed by Prof. Rolf Cook