Confindustria today awarded the "Enterprise Award for Innovation to 12 companies that have successfully invested in Research and Innovation.

The winners of this edition are: Argotec, Chiesi Farmaceutici, Cosberg, Farmalabor, Fluid-o-Tech, Masmec, Sanofi, Sogei - for the AWARD category; Diasen, Flash Battery, Teleperformance - for the category PRIZE; Bit4id - for the FINALIST category.

Six special mentions were also awarded: on enterprise training LMA and Sogei; on life sciences Fluid-oTech and Masmec were honoured; the mention for enterprises led by under 40s goes to 3D4MEC and AGC Biologics.

"Italy is a reservoir of companies that manage to play a leading role in creating widespread prosperity and employment by investing in research and innovation, the true pillars on which to build the development of companies and the country," commented Francesco De Santis, Confindustria Vice President for Research and Development. "Industrial companies are the engine of technological innovation, an indispensable factor in meeting social and economic challenges and increasing competitiveness in the markets. The Award is an acknowledgement for companies that have distinguished themselves for the quality of their innovation. Therefore,' added De Santis, 'a national commitment is needed to accompany this process and make the national research, development and innovation system increasingly integrated. This requires promoting public and private partnerships and thus increasing research excellence and the ability to apply the results. This is precisely the challenge to which the PNRR can respond and which we must support'.

The Imprese per Innovazione award, established by Confindustria, is now in its 13th edition: it is of an all-round innovation analysis and growth path in which the company is guided to carry out a self-analysis of its level of innovation and benefits at the end of the path from a detailed report on its state of innovation and possible ways to improve it.

The IXI Award is the first in Europe to have adopted the parameters of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and was realised in collaboration with the Giuseppina Mai Foundation and Audi, with the support of Fondimpresa and Il Sole 24 Ore, with the contribution of Prima Sole Components and with the technical support of the Associazione Premio Qualità Italia (APQI).

The 'Companies for Innovation' Award participates in the 'Prize of Prizes' for the Industry and Services category, an award set up by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers on behalf of the President of the Republic and whose ceremony will be held in 2023.