The EIB finances Comau research with 50 million euros

The strategic framework: InvestEU and TechEU

The operation falls within the framework of InvestEU, the European Union investment programme, and responds to the objectives of TechEU, an initiative of EIB Group aiming to mobilize €250 billion within the next three years. The goal is promote the technological autonomy of the continent, supporting companies engaged in digital and green transformations.

“Supporting European industrial innovation and the transition towards a more digital, sustainable and competitive production model is a priority at the heart of the InvestEU programme, of which the EIB Group is the main implementing partner“, declared Gelsomina Vigliotti, Vice President of the EIB. “Investing in advanced robotics, automation and e-mobility means strengthening Europe’s technological leadership, supporting skilled employment and accompanying European companies in the major industrial transformations underway“.

Areas of intervention: from batteries to hydrogen

Comau’s development plan includes the extension of automation technologies to heterogeneous sectors that go beyond the traditional automotive sector. The resources will be used for:

Renewable energy: development of hydrogen fuel cell solutions.

E-mobility: process automation for the production and recycling of electric vehicle batteries and stationary storage.

Heavy sectors: advanced applications for aerospace, shipbuilding and logistics.

Digitization: evolution of machine tools and digital systems for manufacturing.

Impact on territorial competitiveness

The strengthening of know-how in Italian factories is considered an essential lever to respond to the fluctuations of a market characterized by uncertainty and rapid technological changes. According to Pietro Gorlier, CEO of Comau: “The support of the European Investment Bank provides us with greater strength to pursue our sustainable development strategy, aimed at designing and producing those advanced automation solutions that allow us to respond to the challenges of a market marked by profound uncertainty and rapid technological transformation“. Gorlier also highlighted how these technologies are “an essential lever for the growth of the European production system, allowing companies to compete globally in sectors of particular relevance for the present and future of the industry“.