In Piacenza, the research system has greatly developed in recent years, by fostering public and public-private partnerships that could support the system as a whole.

This is a well-structured chain, that consists of 31 research centers, connected on five continents through well-established international networks: 15 of them depend on the university system, 16 are public or public-private laboratories - developed from university spin-offs, foundations and consortium of universities - or private laboratories approved by the MIUR. Tecnopolo has national relevance because it co-ordinates the repositioning strategies of Italian capital goods manufacturing.

Supported by internal resources dedicated to this activity, R&D research is mostly focused on the traditionally strong sectors of the local economy: the fields of mechanics, energy and agro-food. The researchers and the growing number of foreign students make Piacenza a city that focuses on R&D as an expanding sector: a "smart city" with high quality of life for new people to convince, attract and motivate.


Sources
ITL – Piacenza Territorio Snodo (2011)