Armando De Crinito: “With Innovation Zones, We Are Building the Lombardy of the Future”

On the sidelines of the event “Research and Development for the City of the Future” promoted by MUSA in collaboration with Assolombarda and A2A, the General Director of Economic Development for the Lombardy Region, Armando De Crinito, illustrated the new regional strategies to strengthen the innovation ecosystem. Two days of meetings at the Assolombarda headquarters brought together the academic world, institutions, and businesses around a common goal: to design more sustainable, technological, and inclusive cities through the synergy of diverse skills.

“We have been collaborating with MUSA for some time now,” explains De Crinito. “We are working with them on several fronts, including various startups, and we have already implemented many of our measures to support startups. Today, we are focusing on a new strategic phase, with the aim of identifying specific areas in the Lombardy region to transform into true innovation hubs.”

The so-called “innovation and development zones” are born with the idea of gathering local excellence around key sectors for each province, involving universities, research centers, and businesses. “We want each area to express the potential of its territory, enhancing what already exists and creating favorable conditions for growth,” continues De Crinito. “But all this must be shared with local authorities: we need to work together to identify the natural vocations of each territory and build on those.”

The expected impact is not only economic but also social and environmental. “Concentrating resources in strategic sectors is fundamental to strengthening Lombard excellence. We are not just talking about employment, but also about sustainability and social inclusion. This approach can make the territories stronger and more attractive.”

Indeed, Lombardy continues to record strong demand from companies interested in settling in the region. “To attract companies,” he concludes, “it is not enough to offer infrastructure, but we must also highlight the competitive advantages: the presence of excellent universities, the high level of training of researchers, the network of companies that facilitates collaborations and the development of new products and processes. This is the vision we are building together with MUSA.”