Assolombarda Confindustria Milano – Monza and Brianza and CRIET, the ‘Inter-university Research Center in Territory Economics’, based at the university of Milan-Bicocca, feel that it is of mutual interest to initiate a stable form of co-operation aimed at the advancement of the area. In this context, the objective therefore becomes not only to provide managerial guidance to Assolombarda’s associates, but to provide them with highly specialized professionals whose experiences and competencies can be a concrete support for the competitiveness of each company in their respective markets. This will be achieved through the implementation of ad hoc research aimed at investigating the main trends in the relevant economic contexts, the planning of training courses to ensure an adequate growth in the knowledge base of the target companies and, where necessary, tailor-made consultancies structured on the basis of the specific needs of the company.

Once again in 2016 CRIET renewed its collaboration with ENEA on the ‘Lumière’ project.

In particular, the agreement stipulates that for its present annual fee CRIET should use its contacts and professionalism for a dual purpose; the first initiative involves the writing of a research report to support local authorities in the decision-making processes of upgrading energy efficiency, while the second activity concerns the preparation of the technical specifications for the future development of software for the evaluation of alternative financial solutions in the  decision-making processes of energy upgrading.

The collaboration agreement signed between CRIET and the LONGOBARDIA association aims to promote joint initiatives in order to successfully promote the European cultural itinerary programme, “Longobard Ways across Europe’, from the Luxembourg ‘Institut Européen des Itinéraires Culturels’.

The LONGOBARDIA association manages the European cultural itinerary programme through an international network of national and international institutions and bodies, among which, from March 23 is also CRIET, together with the university of Milan-Bicocca.

The agreement between CRIET and the LONGOBARDIA association will result in a business plan that will be a great boost for tourism in the areas involved with the European cultural itinerary and will be a trigger for streamlining initiatives for cultural tourism at regional, national and international levels.

CRIET and the town council of Desio signed an agreement providing for the implementation of activities in support of the ‘Illumina’ project, an initiative that promotes innovative solutions for energy efficiency in public lighting in the province of Monza and Brianza.

In particular, the agreement between the parties envisages CRIET being  involved in the delivery of a series of services necessary for the smooth running of the ‘Illumina’ project.

The technical board, convened by the Ministry of Economic Development, involves the participation not only of CRIET, but also of ‘ANIM’, ‘ISTAT’ and ‘ISPRA’.

The aim of the collaboration is to provide data and information relative to the extractive sector; from production data to information about available resources; from the economic conditions of the extractive companies, to investment in research and innovation etc., in order to support local authority decision-makers in their choices of management, planning and administration and for their national and regional policy-making decisions with regards to raw materials, in line with joint guidelines.

In particular, there are five topics covered by the technical board:

1. Collaboration for the definition and acquisition of statistical data;
2.  Collaboration for the definition of a strategy for mining policy of raw materials at national and regional level;
3. Collaboration for the definition and improvement of environmental recovery in mining activities;
4. Collaboration for the identification, inventory and classification of mining waste disposal facilities, in accordance with the legislative decree no. 117/2008;
5. Collaboration for an inventory of mining sites that are no longer in use, but which, potentially, can be further exploited.

In May 2015, CRIET signed a collaboration agreement with the ‘TBS’ group and ‘IPSOS Italia’ to develop the project, ‘The role and performance of the communication mix in business management’.
The project aims to analyze the impact of social media and e-commerce on businesses. In particular; which goals and strategies do companies follow in order to integrate their communication and sales channels with modern technologies, how customer management has evolved, and finally, what are the ways of integrating e-commerce and business management?

The analysis was carried out by way of an online survey which was sent to the actors involved in the marketing and communication sectors in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands, and it will eventually produce a series of scientific and non-scientific papers and workshops, conferences and other occasions in which to meet with businesses.

For 2015, CRIET and ENEA stipulated an agreement providing for the involvement of the centre for research in the development of activities in support of the realization of the ‘Public Energy Living Lab’ (PELL) project.

With this objective in mind, CRIET is expected to make available its knowledge and skills for a twofold purpose; on the one hand, the research centre will be engaged in the design of software programmes to provide an economic evaluation of the energy audit projects for public lighting facilities, and on the other hand it will collaborate with initiatives to involve public administrations in projects relating to the increase in efficiency and upgrading of public lighting facilities.

Thanks to the collaboration agreement signed with ENEA in 2015 CRIET will be engaged in the design and preparation of a prototype of software whose primary objective will be to check the data acquired during the audit of public lighting systems.

The tool developed by CRIET, and integrated in the ‘Public Energy Living Lab’ (PELL) platform which was developed by ENEA, aims to gather information from surveys of public lighting systems in order to process and deliver an assessment that will lead to an evaluation of the audits themselves.

The agreement consolidates the relationship between CRIET and ENEA and intends to support the ‘Lumière’ project in achieving its goals as set by ENEA and the other stakeholders involved in the initiative.

‘The Chamber of Commerce for Industry, Crafts and Agriculture – Monza Brianza’ and CRIET, the ‘Inter-university Research Center in Territory Economics’, based at the university of Milan-Bicocca  launched the project, ‘The activities of the Chamber of Commerce of Monza and Brianza. An analysis of the impact on the Territory of Monza and Brianza province’, an exploratory analysis to measure, through impact multipliers, the efficiency and effectiveness of the services provided to companies in the Territory of Monza and Brianza province area and to the area itself, by the Chamber of Commerce of Monza and Brianza. In particular this research aims to evaluate in qualitative terms and, where possible quantitative terms, the impact of the activities carried out by the Chamber of Commerce not only on small and medium-sized local businesses, but also on the territory that it covers. In other words, the project aims to better understand the importance of the role played by the Chamber of Commerce for the competitiveness of businesses and the development of the province of Monza and Brianza, also in relation to other actors in the area.

For the year 2014 CRIET and ENEA signed a collaboration agreement which provides for the establishment of some key performance indicators (KPIs) that will provide a real-time evaluation of the functioning public lighting facilities.

Within the framework of cooperation between CRIET and ENEA, the parties have also decided to create an instrument that, by establishing performance indicators, will allow a check-up of the public lighting facility, as well as providing indications as to its operational efficiency.

CRIET – the University of Milan-Bicocca and the ‘Ministry of Economic Development – DGRME (now DGS-UNMIG)’ considered it of mutual interest to initiate a solid form of cooperation in order to develop and increase knowledge of the extractive industry through:

• the exchange of information and the update of databases relating to mining activities;
• the professional upgrading of staff;
• the technical-professional and regulatory support in the field of security and protection of offshore installations;
• the support of the ‘Ministry of Economic Development’ for conducting studies and research into the safety of activities and mining installations, including the good governance of deposits.

In implementing this present agreement CRIET has carried out the following operational activities:

1. A preliminary study to map the path of the adoption of the ‘Plan of Areas’, in order to ensure the continuation of activities that are considered safe and environmentally compatible, with thorough analyses of legal requirements, potential problems, opportunities, regulatory compliance, safety, timing and the identification of those involved both in the ‘VAS’ procedure and the adoption of the ‘Plan of Areas’;
2. A proposal of a ‘Plan of the Areas’ in collaboration with the relevant technical offices of the Ministry of Economic Development;
3. A study aimed at defining a proposal for an optimal organizational solution for the management of communication activities connected to the drawing up and adoption of the ‘Plan of Areas’, with the objective of disseminating detailed information on the safety of offshore installations in the areas concerned;
4. A study aimed at defining a communication strategy proposal and a detailed ‘communication plan’ regarding offshore safety, including also the possible implementation of electronic platforms and the use of social media. The strategy and the ‘communication plan’ should be approved solely by the Ministry of Economic Development;
5. The provision of support for the drafting of the ‘Environmental preliminary report’ and the ‘Environmental report’, on topics related to offshore safety and communication;
6. Analyses of best practices and of previous cases, in order to resolve economic, financial and legal problems arising from incidents in offshore plants, including in cross-border areas;
7. A study and evaluation of the instruments businesses adopt in the aspect of corporate social responsibility, in order for these to be applied to offshore activities;
8. The exchange and update of respective databases.

‘BNL-BNP Paribas’ and CRIET have signed this present co-operation agreement in order to plan, organise and manage a series of meetings on business management issues such as governance and finance and business development, with the aim of supporting the fabric of local businesses in addressing the challenges posed by the current, global competitive environment.

The goal of the round of meetings is to create an opportunity to meet with local businesses in order to be able to help their understanding of the issues which are of fundamental importance to a company’s competitiveness.

Confindustria – Monza and Brianza, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca have begun a close co-operation in order to develop the potential of the scientific and technological research and training systems, with the aim of enhancing the integration of these systems in the economic and industrial networks of the area.

The collaboration will cover:

• Headhunting activities and local, national and international invitations to tender.
• The participation in calls for tender; in particular enhancing the selection procedures and the reciprocal, formal working arrangements and technical support for the parties by facilitating the processing of requests and the necessary documentation for the initial request and the subsequent accounting of expenditure.

CRIET and ENEA, along with the province of Monza and Brianza and Infoenergia, launched the ‘Illumina’ project, an initiative to create regional aggregations through which shared calls for tenders for the upgrading and the management of public lighting, can achieve significant synergies to the benefit of the municipal authorities involved.

The ‘Illumina’ project was conceived for the municipal authorities in the province of Monza and Brianza and supports the creation of  aggregations of institutions in the area to realize the upgrading and the management of public lighting, thereby achieving significant synergies to the benefit of the participating local authorities.

‘Confcooperative’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca have established a permanent relationship of co-operation through:
• the stipulation of collaboration agreements for the implementation of the legislation; law 231/2001
• the development of a business plan
• the streamlining and organization of the internal structures of cooperative companies
• training and conferences on topics of interest to the cooperative business world
• improving the provision and use of services related to students’ right to study, with particular reference to the Monza area.

The agreement entered into by CRIET and ‘Research on Energy System’ (RSE) involves the parties working together, integrating and coordinating with one another in order to better develop and organize the full potential of the system of scientific research and training.

In particular, CRIET and RSE intend to jointly develop initiatives within; the electrical energy market, the generation of electricity from distributed systems and from renewable sources, as well as the smart city and the interaction of the electro-energy facilities with the environment and the areas concerned.

A collaboration agreement has been set up between CRIET and the municipalities of Arese, Canegrate, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Cinisello Balsamo, Desio, Lentate on Seveso, Lissone, Pandino, Rho and San Giuliano Milanese.

The municipal partners and the university, as represented by CRIET, feel it is of mutual interest to initiate a stable form of cooperation in order to experiment with and develop the potential of the scientific research and training systems, related to the theme of The Children’s Smart City.

The goal of cooperation is also to create a network of territorial actors willing to make The Children’s Smart City a strategic project on their agenda; building alliances with other operators, encouraging the experimentation of technological solutions useful in constructing ‘The Children’s Smart City’, creating in the public the awareness that this can be a means of enhancing the quality of life of the whole population.

This will be achieved through mutual collaboration on projects of common cultural, scientific and technological interest.

In order to develop and better organize the full potential of the system of scientific research and training, the university of Milan-Bicocca, CRIET and ENEL signed a collaboration agreement in which the parties intend to work together in order to integrate and coordinate, in order to be able to carry out research on important, topical issues such as smart grids and smart cities.

In particular, the agreement stipulates that CRIET and ENEL should share their knowledge and skills in order to develop energy-sector business models, develop computational and semantic methods in order to analyse consumption data and design appropriate means by which the costs and benefits from creating smart grids and smart cities could be evaluated.

On March 25, 2013, a memorandum of understanding for the enhancement of the Monza and
Brianza area was signed, through the organization of a series of synergic activities with the ‘EXPO 2015’ world fair. The 14 partners of the initiative are the Municipality of Monza and Brianza (the project coordinators), the province of Monza and Brianza, the Monza and Brianza Chamber of Commerce, ‘Confindustria Monza e Brianza’, ‘Assolombarda’, ‘Confcommercio Monza e Brianza’, ‘Confartigianato Monza e Brianza’, ‘CGIL’, ‘CISL’, ‘UIL’, ‘Unione Artigiani della Provincia di Monza e Brianza’, the università of Milan-Bicocca, ‘Coldiretti Monza e Brianza’, ‘Assimpredil Ance’, ‘Consorzio Villa Reale e Parco di Monza’ and Fondazione Gaiani.

The aim of the agreement is to enhance the whole area of Monza and Brianza. The territory is also a reference point, including at an international level, both for its artistic and cultural heritage and for the concentration of entrepreneurial activities and excellence in a number of different sectors; production, manufactured goods, textiles, chemicals, food products, trade, wood and furniture, tourism and production and distribution support services.

CRIET and ENEA have signed a collaboration agreement for the development of a simulation tool whose primary objective is to provide technical and economic support to the local government authorities concerned and to draw up a regulatory plan for both municipal lighting systems, ‘Public Lighting Regulator’ / ‘Piano Regolatore dell’Illuminazione’ (PRIC) and their energy audits.

In particular, the agreement provides for the design and implementation of a tool for Italian municipal authorities which can be used to obtain an initial assessment of the energy consumed by public lighting facilities and the associated costs and the performance levels of the facilities.

‘The Order of Chartered Accountants’ and the ‘Accountants of Monza and Brianza’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca believe it is of mutual interest to initiate a stable form of co-operation in order to support the local economic system and to enhance the professionalism of the members of the institutes. In particular, the Parties have identified the following lines of action as priorities:

The training of members of the institutes of trainee accountants and chartered accountants.
• Supporting the training and the specialization of economic and legal professionals.
• Communicating and disseminating the initiatives aimed at professionals and the local business network.
• Analysing and promoting the economic realities of the Monza and Brianza area.

To achieve this the agreement aims to carry out specific activities of research, consulting, training and participation in national and international calls for tender, supporting both the professionals and the businesses’ customers.

‘Eupolis Lombardia’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca have initiated a strong co-operation, inspired by the principles of promoting and enhancing free initiative and true synergy, in the fullest and most complete respect of the regulations and laws, in order to carry out research and training activities for their common benefit.

In particular, the activities covered by the co-operation agreement include:

• Scientific collaboration
• Support for teaching
• Research, consultancy and training
• Participation in national / international calls for tender for financial assistance

CRIET and ENEA have signed a collaboration agreement for the development and implementation of the methods and the technical and economic instruments needed to promote and facilitate the upgrading of public lighting facilities.

As a result of the positive results obtained thanks to the agreement signed in 2011, the province of Monza e Brianza and its municipal authorities were selected as suitable locations within which to base and test the procedures and instruments developed during 2012.

The ultimate goal of the agreement is to provide Italian municipal authorities with instruments which are specifically designed to promote the understanding of the potential for energy savings in public lighting facilities and to encourage the planning of the interventions needed to upgrade them.

‘Consorzio Milano Ricerche’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca have a mutual interest in initiating a stable form of co-operation in order to better develop and organize the potential of the systems of scientific research and training, with particular reference to the areas of research, innovation and the transfer of technology.
In particular, the collaboration includes:

• The organizational analysis of complex systems.
• The creation of systems to support collaboration and community development.
• The modelling and management of logistic and operational chains.
• The valuation of the return in investment on research and innovation.

On the basis of this present collaboration agreement, CRIET has participated as a partner in the ‘GRECO – Global & Reliable, End to End e-commerce & Online’ project, a services platform for promoting Italian wine, conducting analyses within a competitive context, with particular reference to aspects of operative marketing.

CRIET – the University of Milan-Bicocca and the ‘Ministry of Economic Development – DGRME (now DGS-UNMIG)’ considered it of mutual interest to initiate a solid form of cooperation in order to develop and increase knowledge of the energy resources sector through:

• an exchange of information on their respective programmes of activities;
• joint carrying out of analyses and studies of the sector;
• the construction of economic and social indicators of mineral and energy resources.

CRIET and ENEA have signed a collaboration agreement aimed at creating a feasibility study of the integration between public lighting and smart services.

In particular, the agreement covers the design and development of a pilot project to examine the technical and economic feasibility of the initiative where the upgrading of public lighting facilities will also include the installation of smart technologies and the eventual realization of the smart street.

The data collection and analyses necessary for the development of the project, will involve a survey carried out on 53 municipal authorities from the province of Monza and Brianza, an area which has always been aware of and responsive to initiatives that aim to develop solutions capable of integrating public services and technical and economic efficiency.

‘DISET’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca have initiated a firm collaboration aimed at achieving a better understanding of the local economic realities through:

• The exchange of information on programmes carried out at the two institutions – research and the development of intervention policies on local realities at DISET, and research and subsequent training on the subject of local economy issues at the university of Milan-Bicocca.
• The joint realization of analyzes and studies on subjects of mutual interest.
• The joint construction, to be periodically updated, of economic and social indicators for the region.
• The inclusion of the university in the institutional cooperation network created by DISET.

The collaboration agreement between ‘SOSE’ (Solutions for the economic system / Soluzioni per il sistema economico Spa) and CRIET aims to update the following monitoring reports; D32U,  – heavy engineering, M18A – wholesale flowers, plants and bulbs and M22B – wholesale household products.

In particular, the updating should be carried out through an analysis of the structural elements most likely to affect the competitiveness and organizational changes of businesses, in order to better assess the short/medium-term development of the individual sectors.

The aim of the activity is to create a community among industry practitioners, institutions, trade associations and all the other actors involved in mining activities, in order to contribute to the cultural development of the industry and to promote its effective communication.

The organisations which have joined the ‘Raw Materials Laboratory’ include; ‘ANIM – the National Association of Minerals Engineers’, ‘Assomineraria’, ‘AITEC – the Italian Technical Economic Cement Association’, ‘GEAM – the Georesource and Environment Association’, the ‘Ministry of Economic Development – DGS Directorate-General for Security’, ‘UNMIG’ and ‘ENEA’. With the renewal of the ‘laboratory’, both ‘Confindustria Marmomacchine’ and ‘ANEPLA’  also joined.

The collaboration covered by the agreement between ‘ETAss’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca aims to prepare an explanatory document of three training projects entitled; ‘Financial services for business’, ‘Marketing, communication and sales’ and ‘Innovation and competitiveness in public administration’, and which are consistent with the provisions and procedures set out by the region for the funding of training.

The collaboration agreement between ‘IREF’, ‘IRER’, ‘ANCI Lombardia’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca aims to establish a regional, subsidiary network in order to pool resources to enhance the growth of skills among Lombardy’s local authorities. It intends to use the opportunities offered by new technologies to develop training systems and communities of practice.

In particular, CRIET’s activities consist of the definition and running of management projects and the development of strategic marketing and communication services.

‘AILOG’, CRIET and the university of Milan-Bicocca have initiated a stable form of cooperation and in an integrated and coordinated way, intend to better develop and organize the potential of the system of scientific research and training, with particular reference to the economy and business management sectors.

The scope of the cooperation agreement is:Scientific collaboration.

• Support for the development of human resources.
• The commissioning of research, counselling and training.
• Participation in national/international calls for tender for financial support.

In order to carry out research on the impact of people’s mobility on local government finances, the Lombardy region and CRIET have stipulated a framework agreement to manage access to the data base of the ‘Regional Origin-Destination’ survey of 2002. (Origine-destinazione regionale. 2002).

The activities of the research programme concern the mining industries. In more detail:

• the regulatory activities on the part of the regions, specifically with regards to the mining and energy activities transferred and/or intending to transfer to the regions and for which the authority of state guidelines still exists and which include, mines of solid and geothermal minerals, liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons and the strategic underground storage of methane gas and of CO2.
• regional guidelines systems aimed at achieving the most effective and efficient use of mineral resources and of secondary raw materials.
• systems for ‘listening’ to the needs/demands of economic operators in coherence with the development of a general regulatory framework (at regional, national, and local community level).