Synergy between universities and business is necessary for the economic growth of Italy
ROME – An effective company is able to make intelligent choices that can create added value over time. For this reason ITC Farma has decided to focus on young people, a practice that is becoming increasingly widespread in the pharmaceutical industry in Italy. According to data supplied by the INPS (the Italian Institute of Social Security) from 2014 to 2017 the numbers of people under the age of 35 employed by pharmaceutical companies increased by 11%, compared to a more static situation in the other manufacturing industries. “Young people represent a genuine strategic resource for the future” states Guglielmo Frontini, the plant director of ITC Farma. “In our organization we have invested a lot in young people, by means of research and development agreements made with the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies of the Sapienza University of Rome. Being able to accompany these young people in their development is fundamental, especially in today's society, in which the progress of science and technology is rapidly evolving. These synergistic relationships, which can transform knowledge into business thanks to a process of technology transfer, are accompanied by levels of enthusiasm that inevitably favour new ideas and introduce new stimuli for research and development.” Frontini concludes by pointing out that: “It goes without saying that it is absolutely necessary for research to have a continuous renewal of its lifeblood, so as to keep the spark alive and to kindle new enthusiasms. That's why we in ITC Farma wish to cultivate tomorrow's talent today, while communicating passion, enthusiasm and mutual trust.” Stefano Di Manno, the head of quality-control of ITC Farma, shares these opinions. “The route that we have embarked upon, together with the academic council of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies of the Sapienza University, as well as the Italian Medicines Agency AIFA and the national federation of private pharmacies Federfarma, involves reducing the present gap between industry and universities, by creating synergies and strategic agreements. This will allow the Department to always stay in close contact with the outside world, maintaining and improving the levels of excellence that it has achieved thanks to a policy of constant renewal.” It is no coincidence that the latest figures for the pharmaceutical sector in Italy indicate investments in R&D, hi-tech plants and machinery that amount to 2.8 billion Euros a year. The pharmaceutical sector has become the flagship of Italian industry, the leader in the European Union, with around 32 billion Euros of manufacturing value added, 80% of which are accounted for by exports. This is an outstanding result in a volatile and changeable sector that today employs 66,000 people, 90% of whom are high school or university graduates. Approximately 6,400 of these employees work in the field of research, 52% of whom are young women.
From the left: Annalisa Garofano (studying for a Master's degree at the Sapienza University), Laura Luciani (ITC Farma quality control), Ilaria Stamegna, (studying for a Master's degree at the Sapienza University), Ilaria Esposito (ITC Farma R&D laboratory), Francesca Antonucci (undergraduate at the Sapienza University), Enrico Renzullo (undergraduate at the Sapienza University), Simone Esposito (undergraduate at the Sapienza University).
