ZIS Tessile: Como and Varese bid for Lombardy's new industrial policy zones
Led by Sviluppo Como-ComoNExT, the bid centres on automation, technical textiles and advanced recycling. It is among the first six Innovation and Development Zones submitted to Regione Lombardia.
Translated from the Italian original. Leggi in italiano
Six applications have reached Regione Lombardia for the Zone di innovazione e sviluppo (ZIS), the new industrial policy tool promoted by economic development councillor Guido Guidesi. Among them is ZIS Tessile, led by Sviluppo Como-ComoNExT, which brings together the specialisations of Como and Varese in a single territorial bid.
The bid aims to guide the textile supply chain towards innovation, sustainability and new markets. The masterplan networks technology centres, universities, training bodies, business associations and institutions, with services for SMEs and experimentation paths in automation, technical textiles and advanced recycling.
The proposal is completed by skills development and support for startups and new industrial applications, to drive the digital and circular transition of the textile and clothing sector.
The choice to bring Como and Varese together in a single bid reflects the geography of the supply chain: the Como silk district and Varese's textile specialisations form a production axis that the ZIS aims to network, from process automation to technical textiles and new materials.
A model to strengthen supply chains
The ZIS model fits into the industrial plan through which Lombardy, the first Italian region to do so, has equipped itself with an economic planning tool dedicated to supply chains. The Zones are designed to strengthen the innovation ecosystems already present in the territories, connecting businesses, research centres and training.
The stated goal is to foster innovation ecosystems able to compete nationally and internationally, with benefits for business growth, startup creation, knowledge exchange between industry and research, new skills and qualified jobs.
The other bids include an artificial intelligence ZIS in Milan led by MADE with Assolombarda, a life sciences bid at the MIND hub, the Healthcare, rehabilitation and longevity ZIS in Lecco led by La Nostra Famiglia, and the SAIL ZIS for agro-industrial systems led by MIP Politecnico di Milano.
All bids are now being assessed by Regione Lombardia: those admitted will move to a second phase of technical negotiation towards a final strategic plan. The call for expressions of interest remains open to further territorial proposals.
For the Larian territory, the bid is also a chance to valorise the heritage of silk skills and places, from Como's Museo didattico della Seta to the historic spinning mills, within a strategy that looks to automation, technical textiles and advanced recycling as levers of future competitiveness.
