Assolombarda is the association gathering the companies which operate in the Metropolitan City of Milano and in the provinces of Lodi, Monza-Brianza and Pavia.

Part of Confindustria (the Italian Entrepreneurial Association), it is the largest territorial body of the entire entrepreneurial system in the country.

It advocates for the interests of nearly 7,000 companies (employing 415,000 people) and provides a broad range of specialised services, from labour law and industrial relations assistance to strategic consultancy in environmental, tax & finance, internationalisation and innovation, among others.

More than 750 of its associates operate in the Life Sciences industry (10% of the total member companies of the Association), testifying the relevance of the sector for Milano and Lombardy Region, where it represents 13% of the local GDP for added value.

The regional supply chain is composed of over 1.650 pharmaceutical and medical devices companies (accounting for more than 30% of the total Italian pharma and medtech companies operating in Italy). Additionally, the industry ecosystem is completed by the presence of numerous research centres of excellence, over 1,026 healthcare facilities and 19 out of the 51 research hospitals “IRCCS” registered at the national level.

In the past 10 years, Assolombarda has built a solid aggregation and valorization model to further promote what is a strategic and fast-growing compartment for the whole territory. This effort resulted in the creation of the Life Sciences Hub, aimed at developing a regional and national strategy to push forward Italy and Lombardy’s excellence and promote it internationally.

Through this interassociative project – featuring the collaboration between Italian and foreign companies, associations, public institutions, scientific bodies and embassies – Assolombarda promotes the development of a consistent regional and national strategy aimed at promoting and fostering Italy’s competitiveness in the sector.