PIEDMONT

With 18.281 research workers and a GERD/GDP ratio of 1.8, Piedmont ranks second among Italian regions.

Since early 1900 the Region has developed a leading industrial aeronautic sector.  The major aerospace and defence pole surrounding its capital city, Turin, counts 5 international players (Alenia Aeronautica, Avio Group, Microtecnica, Selex Galileo and Thales Alenia Space) and some 200 SME’s; it employs 12,000 people and records a turnover of 2.5 billion EUR (best data available at July 2009).

The Piedmontese specialization in manufacturing and technical services, can be applied to the development of aircrafts, motors, propellers, satellites, infrastructures as well as to ground and on-board control systems.

Applied technology and production processes are of international technical standards. The production chain has vertically developed in all aspects of end products of complex sub-systems, the supply of  parts, components or complete systems which are incorporated into the sub-systems, and sub-contracting of specialized work and equipment. The technical industrial services vary from project design to model making, from industrial design to structural calculation, but also include the manufacturing of specialized software and the carrying out of laboratory tests.

The project Torino Piemonte Aerospace aims to promote the aerospace sector abroad: from 80 candidate companies, 65 were selected according to 8 criteria. Two thirds of the selected companies are active in space design, planning and production of rocket, rocket engine (liquid and solid), rocket engine components, satellite system integrator, ground station, system integrator (satellite & ground), satellite engine. 

Since 2007 Torino is hosting an international business convention for the aerospace and defence industry (programme available from: www.aerospacemeetings.com)

The Galileo Promoting Committee which brought to Torino the construction of the Precision Timing Facility (PTF) Station, a strategic element of the land segment of the Galileo system, has been active since 2003.

A partnership of local actors set up the first international Master on space related issues to train specialized human resources. The Master on Navigation and related Applications brings together the  Politecnico di Torino, the Istituto Superiore Mario Boella, the Galileo Ferraris Institute, with the support of the OOSA United nation Agency.

The GAL PMI project is a unique experience: funded by the structural funds of the closed financial period and promoted by the GAL-PMI Consortium in partnership with the Torino Time Consortium (CTT), it brings together public and private research centres, some departments of the Politecnico di Torino, and big companies and SME’s. The 5.8 million EUR project is to provide innovative solutions, products and services in support of mobility and security, and is organised in 7 Work packages: TLA Management, Emergency Management, Payment System, Users terminal, Local Element, Middleware, Galileo/Egnos Monitoring. (More information on: http://www.progettogalpmi.it/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1). As an unofficial way to share opinions, comments and visions…, in March 2008, GAL partner Istituto Superiore Mario Boella launched the first GALILEO blog: http://www.galileoblog.eu/.