Twenty action points to revitalise the Brianza model
Biffi: ‘Internationalisation is the key to the region’s continued development’
The Brianza Model stems from a conviction that is as simple as it is challenging: today, it is no longer individual businesses that compete, but regional ecosystems capable of bringing together manufacturing, knowledge, research, universities, higher education, institutions and communities. This is not a theoretical model, but a practical approach to building a network that Brianza has developed over time – not through exceptional circumstances, but through repeated and consistent choices, driven by entrepreneurs, institutions, the education sector, universities and the third sector, who have learnt, generation after generation, to see themselves as part of a single system. This approach has been set out in writing for the first time in a book, which was presented in Carate Brianza.
“Brianza is a productive system that has developed over time and is endowed with extraordinary entrepreneurial capacity,” commented Alvise Biffi, President of Assolombarda. “Today, however, this capacity must become even more ambitious. Competition is no longer just between individual companies, but between ecosystems capable of linking manufacturing, skills, research, innovation, finance and institutions. Brianza has all the right qualities to compete in this arena, but it must continue to open up, strengthening its links with Milan and the wider metropolitan ecosystem, whilst paying ever greater attention to international markets. Internationalisation today does not simply mean exporting more: it means diversifying markets, building new industrial partnerships, seeking out technology, skills, capital and raw materials, and integrating into new global value chains. Assolombarda’s recent mission to Mercosur is a step in precisely this direction: for our industry, that region represents a genuine frontier for growth and an opportunity to forge new industrial relationships. To seize these opportunities, we must be able to present an integrated offering that combines the quality of our technology with solid financial backing. The banking sector and the instruments provided by SACE and SIMEST will play a crucial role in this process, facilitating access to finance and supporting local businesses and partners. It is within this framework that the Brianza Model must evolve: building on the strength of a production system deeply rooted in the local area to forge new connections, both within and beyond its borders, and to strengthen its ability to compete on international markets.”
“Brianza is home to 81,000 businesses and 297,000 employees within an area of just over 400 square kilometres, generating a GDP of around 36 billion euros and exports worth 15 billion euros. ‘The Brianza Model is the way in which Brianza has always chosen to grow: not alone, but by forging a network between businesses, institutions, schools, the voluntary sector and the community,’ said Matteo Parravicini, President of the Monza and Brianza branch of Assolombarda. It is through the connections between knowledge and manufacturing, between schools and businesses, and between research and production that a region’s competitiveness is built, and this is why our branch is proposing to promote a permanent inter-institutional forum, which will coordinate the region’s priorities without replacing the organisations that already drive it. Not a command centre, but an inter-institutional and inter-association forum that anticipates needs and sets priorities. A coordination framework capable of bringing shared priorities to the attention of the institutions and of strengthening those systemic conditions – from networks to training and international outreach – which have proven most effective for the growth of our businesses.”
Local development projects
The region’s priorities are also reflected in the twenty Action Lines of Assolombarda’s Monza and Brianza branch, which are aligned with the Strategic Plan of Assolombarda’s Presidency and organised around three key areas - Investment, Talent and Skills, Growth and Productivity – with targets and deadlines running until 2029.
