PRYSMIAN SIGNS IMPORTANT AGREEMENT WITH THE FBK ORGANISATION FOR RESEARCH IN THE FIELDS OF NANOTECHNOLOGIES, OPTICAL FIBRES AND NEW MATERIALS

Prysmian Group and FBK – Fondazione Bruno Kessler signed an innovative collaboration agreement for the development of R&D activities in three strategic areas: nanotechnologies, optical fibres and new materials for the production of power and TLC cables.

The agreement, between the worldwide leader in the energy and telecommunication cables industry, and the research organisation based in Trento (Italy), will involve more than 350 researchers at one of the most active research organisations in Italy and worldwide. This agreement distinguishes itself from previous ones by its innovative relationship between a private company and a public research institute. It is a long-term partnership that will enable the development and growth over time of know-how and work methodologies, reducing both start up periods and project costs. The agreement is innovative due to the sharing of the entrepreneurial risk. FBK will finance the researchers, whilst Prysmian will donate a percentage of the sales of the products developed by the research activity to the institute. The payment of these fees will give an economic advantage to the Foundation, as well as covering research costs. Currently, this agreement has a term of one year, but an extension of the project has already been proposed. This is one of the first relationships of its kind between a public institute and a private organisation.

“According to an entrepreneurial logic, the agreement allows us to share start-up costs and risks, as well as the know-how available”, explains Fabio Romeo, Head of Prysmian Energy Cables business. “Prysmian has already been making significant investments in innovation, with over €45 million invested in 2008 and 400 people employed in its seven Research & Development Centres based in USA, South America and Europe. Thanks to this agreement, Prysmian will be able to assert itself as a leading company, increasing its competitive advantage in the strategic sector of energy and telecommunications cables. In this way we want to offer our clients – utilities, net managers and other TLC operators – the most innovative technologies, products and solutions to improve and make more efficient the power transmission and distribution networks, as well as from renewable energy, and to speed up the development of TLC broadband networks”, concluded Mr. Romeo.

Prysmian and FBK will develop the project outline together, as well as organising a mixed team of researchers. If necessary, FBK will invest both for the realisation of ad hoc laboratories and for the employment of researchers with specific competencies at an international level, thanks to the partnerships that the Institute has with important players such as MIT – Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Prysmian
A leading player in the industry of high-technology cables and systems for energy and telecommunication, the Prysmian Group is a truly global company with sales exceeding Euro 5 billion in 2008 and a strong position in higher value-added market segments. With its two businesses, Energy Cables & Systems (submarine and underground cables for power transmission and distribution, for industrial applications and for the distribution of electricity to residential and commercial buildings) and Telecom Cables & Systems (optical cables and fibres and copper cables for video, data and voice transmission), Prysmian boasts a global presence with subsidiaries in 38 countries, 53 plants in 21 countries, 7 Research & Development Centres in Europe, USA and South America, and over 12,000 employees. Specialising in the development of products and services designed to meet customers’ specific requirements, Prysmian’s key strengths include: a focus on Research & Development, the capacity to innovate products and production processes, and the use of advanced proprietary technologies. Prysmian is listed at the Milan Stock Exchange in the Blue Chip index.

Fondazione Bruno Kessler

The FBK, a non-profit organization established by a law of the Autonomous Province of Trento, operates in the field of IT, Materials and Microsystems, Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics, Telecommunication Experimentation for NETworked communities. The foundation has more than 350 researchers, 5 research centres, 7 Laboratories, besides an extensive network of worldwide strategic partnerships with companies and other research institutions.