by InTrieste
Regional officials in Friuli Venezia Giulia voiced strong support for deepening collaboration between the public sector and private industry during an event at Confindustria Alto Adriatico in Pordenone, focused on Leonardo’s helicopter division and the opportunities it presents for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The meeting, titled “Growing Together: Leonardo’s Helicopter Supply Chain and Opportunities for SMEs in Friuli Venezia Giulia,” brought together industry leaders and regional representatives to discuss how to reinforce Italy’s national aerospace supply chain and enhance local production capacity.
Regional Councillor for Labor and Education Alessia Rosolen and Regional Councillor for Productive Activities and Tourism Sergio Emidio Bini highlighted the region’s commitment to fostering skilled labor, innovation, and strong ties between industry and education.
“Friuli Venezia Giulia is ready to seize this opportunity to encourage the return of strategic manufacturing to Italy,” said Rosolen. “We can offer a solid ecosystem made up of concrete support tools, strategic vision, and strong public-private connections. Our focus is on skills, human capital, and the reliability and quality of our SME network.”
Leonardo, Italy’s leading company in defense, aerospace, and security, presented its national initiative aimed at strengthening the helicopter industry’s supply chain. The company already operates in Friuli Venezia Giulia through its facility in Ronchi dei Legionari, where unmanned aerial vehicles are primarily developed.
Rosolen emphasized that the region is channeling resources and tools toward training and skill development in sectors deemed strategic for long-term growth and competitiveness. “Training, research, and production must constantly interact,” she added, noting that the Region—through the European Social Fund and partnerships with large enterprises—is investing in key fields such as artificial intelligence, underwater technologies, biotechnology, and life sciences.
Aerospace, she noted, remains a focal point of the region’s development strategy, supported by the Cluster Mare TC, which integrates three strategic sectors—maritime technologies, aerospace, and renewable energy—under a unified governance model. “This approach enhances technological complementarities and fosters practical synergies between major companies, such as Leonardo, and the networks of smaller firms that form their supply chains,” Rosolen said.
Councillor Bini underscored how Leonardo’s initiative aligns with the FVG Manufacturing Agenda 2030, a regional industrial strategy that promotes innovation, competitiveness, and the scaling-up of local enterprises.
“The ‘Growing Together’ project fully aligns with our regional policies to strengthen industrial competitiveness,” Bini said. “The plan—already backed by around €180 million in structural investments—rests on a close alliance between the Region, business associations, and the industrial community. Only through this shared vision can we ensure sustainable growth for our manufacturing sector.”
Bini also noted that Friuli Venezia Giulia ranks fourth in Italy for research and development spending, investing approximately 1.7 percent of its GDP in innovation. Over the past five years, the Region has allocated about €150 million to support R&D initiatives and has launched new incentive programs for SMEs seeking quality and sustainability certifications—tools that help them enter high-value, short supply chains on a national scale.
Both officials emphasized that the Region’s ultimate goal is to build a resilient, future-oriented industrial ecosystem capable of adapting to global challenges while maintaining the high standards of quality and reliability that characterize the local economy.
