Mirandola Biomedical District

Last updated
Mirandola Biomedical District
Distretto biomedicale di Mirandola
Country Italy
Region Emilia-Romagna
Province Modena
Core city Mirandola
Municipalities
List
  • Camposanto
  • Cavezzo
  • Concordia sulla Secchia
  • Finale Emilia
  • Medolla
  • Mirandola
  • Poggio Rusco
  • San Felice sul Panaro
  • San Possidonio
  • San Prospero
Time zone UTC+1 (Central European)
  Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)

The Mirandola Biomedical District (Italian : Distretto biomedicale di Mirandola) [1] is an industrial district in the biomedical engineering, specialised in the production of medical devices such as equipment and disposable products for therapeutic applications, located in the Mirandola area and in some neighbouring municipalities such as Medolla, Concordia sulla Secchia, Cavezzo, San Felice sul Panaro, San Possidonio, San Prospero, and Poggio Rusco. [2]

Contents

The Mirandola Biomedical District is considered the most important in the sector in Europe and third in the world, after Minneapolis and Los Angeles in the United States of America [3] for this reason the area is called as the 'Italian Silicon Valley of biomedicals'. [4]

In the 1970s, the Mirandola area saw a great influx of industry in the biomedical field, witnessing the birth of numerous companies specialising in the production of disposable biomedical devices: the area of great industrial density that was coming to life became the soul of the current biomedical district, which is still expanding. During the eighties and nineties, the number of companies in the area grew considerably, bringing production specialisation to very high levels.

In 2012, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the birth of the first biomedical company, a museum specialising in the history and early products of Mirandola Biomedical District has been set up in the city's historic centre.

The numerous companies in the district now cater for a very wide range of healthcare areas, including haemodialysis, cardiac surgery, anesthesia e intensive care medicine, apheresis e plasmapheresis, blood transfusion, nutrition, gynaecology. The production specialisation of the companies in the Mirandola Biomedical District concerns disposable plastic products for medical use and equipment for dialysis, cardiac surgery, transfusion and other healthcare applications. The production of disposables accounts for more than 80% of the total, while biomedical equipment accounts for 13%. The district produces both finished products and the components needed to make disposables.

History

Origin and development

Tecnopolo TPM - Technology Park for Medicine (Mirandola) Tecnopolo TPM - Technology Park for Medicine - Mirandola.jpg
Tecnopolo TPM - Technology Park for Medicine (Mirandola)

The district was born in the 1960s, thanks to the initiative of Mario Veronesi, a pharmacist who realised the potential of the market for disposable products for medical use. In his small assembly workshop (Miraset, with only three employees), he studied and developed a new prototype of an artificial kidney, one of the most sophisticated of the few that were being produced.[ citation needed ]

From this initial nucleus, technicians and investors (including Veronesi himself) broke away several times to set up their own business projects and found other companies.[ citation needed ]

Since 2000, the favourable economic performance of these companies has attracted the interest of foreign investors and large multinationals attracted by the technological capabilities of the area, resulting in numerous changes of ownership and industrial concentration and contributing to local development.[ citation needed ]

The result is an entrepreneurial fabric characterised by a strong projection towards foreign markets and, at the same time, by a tendency to concentrate strategic and innovative activities, accompanied by the widespread diffusion of service and manufacturing activities, which are decentralised outside and entrusted to small local companies.

2012 earthquake

Industrial building in Mirandola damaged by the 2012 Emilia earthquake Capannone - Mirandola - Province of Modena - 2012 Northern Italy earthquake.jpg
Industrial building in Mirandola damaged by the 2012 Emilia earthquake

In May 2012, a series of earthquakes devastated, along with other towns in Emilia, the northern area of the province of Modena, especially Mirandola and the neighbouring municipalities. The biomedical district suffered very serious damage from 20 May onwards, aggravated by the devastating tremor of magnitude 5.8 on 29 May, whose epicentre was just 2 km from the industrial area of San Giacomo Roncole and caused the death of four people crushed by the rubble of the Aries and BBG companies. [5] [6]

In spite of the very serious disruption, the companies in the district tried to start up again immediately so as not to interrupt production. The fact that many large companies belonged to international industrial groups and that many warehouses were covered by insurance against natural events (including earthquakes) meant that the financial resources needed to rebuild and restart were found more quickly than the aid promised by the state. According to a 2015 survey, only 16.4% of companies had received state compensation three years after the earthquake. [7]

As early as 2014, lay-offs were no longer being used, while between 2015 and 2016 90% of the district's biomedical companies were back at full capacity, [8] with even an increase in production compared to the pre-earthquake situation. [9]

Thanks to reconstruction funds, on 10 January 2015 the Technology Park for Medicine (TPM) was inaugurated inside the new Mirandola school complex. This is a scientific-technological park [10] for research into toxicology, proteomics, applied microscopy, cell and material biology, sensors and systems. [11]

District features

More than 300 companies (of which about 100 are medium-sized or large) with a total of almost 4 000 workers are located in the district. [12]

Data from the Observatory on the biomedical sector in the Mirandola district for the year 2000 showed a turnover of around 1,000 billion lire and an export quota of around 61%. [13] In 2003, production of disposables reached a value of EUR 475 million, while that of electromedical equipment was EUR 119 million. [14] In 2014, export turnover alone amounted to around 250 million euros. [12]

Mirandola Biomedical District is included among the Italian technological districts, [15] [16] [17] thanks to the area's productive specialisation, anyone wishing to undertake an activity in the sector is encouraged to locate within the district. This reduces transport costs and encourages better communication between suppliers and companies in the district. [18] In the case of the biomedical sector, the special feature is the high incidence of exports, a problem that is better addressed when companies are linked. [19] However, as Mirandola is an area of agricultural origin, the organisation of the transport network was not designed for industrial movements: this still causes problems in terms of roads and traffic. [20]

Biomedical museum

The permanent exhibition of Mirandola's biomedical sector (Mobimed), inaugurated at the Castle of the Pico in 2010 and later moved to Via Odoardo Focherini, was set up with the aim of enhancing, preserving and making accessible to everyone the complex of historical and scientific assets of Mirandola's biomedical sector (disposable machines). The intention is to highlight the history and creative/productive capacities of the district since its formation in the mid-1960s. [21]

The exhibits boast their origin from the biomedical companies themselves or from private collectors. On display are true rarities, such as the Kiil-type artificial kidney sold by Dasco in the late 1960s. At the entrance, a series of illustrative panels explain the chronology of the birth of all the companies from 1962 to 2012, also providing in-depth information and explanations about the current reality of the biomedical sector (with products and services); there is also a summary of the biography of the founder of biomedical, Mario Veronesi. The last wing of the museum is dedicated to the products/services of local companies, which alternate in the exhibition, displaying their latest medical and scientific innovations.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emilia-Romagna</span> Region of Italy

Emilia-Romagna is an administrative region of northern Italy, comprising the historical regions of Emilia and Romagna. Its capital is Bologna. It has an area of 22,446 km2 (8,666 sq mi), and a population of 4.4 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirandola</span> Comune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Mirandola is a city and comune of Emilia-Romagna, Italy, in the Province of Modena, 31 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of the provincial capital by railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cavezzo</span> Comune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Cavezzo is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of Bologna and about 20 kilometres (12 mi) northeast of Modena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concordia sulla Secchia</span> Comune in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Concordia sulla Secchia is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Modena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 50 kilometres (31 mi) northwest of Bologna and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Modena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarantoli</span> Frazione of Mirandola in Italy

Quaràntoli is a frazione of Mirandola, in the province of Modena. It is about 5 km from Mirandola and 35 km from the provincial capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vasco Errani</span> Italian politician (born 1955)

Vasco Errani is an Italian politician. He was a founding member of the Democratic Party (PD), which he has left on 22 February 2017, to join Article 1 – Democratic and Progressive Movement, a party founded by the former PD left-wing minority. He has been President of Emilia-Romagna from 1999 to 2014, being the longest-serving one of all time. Errani is one of the longest-serving governors in the history of the Italian Republic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Northern Italy earthquakes</span> Severe earthquakes centered in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

In May 2012, two major earthquakes struck Northern Italy, causing 27 deaths and widespread damage. The events are known in Italy as the 2012 Emilia earthquakes, because they mainly affected the Emilia region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stefano Bonaccini</span> Italian politician (born 1967)

Stefano Bonaccini is an Italian politician and member of the Democratic Party (PD), of which he is serving as president since 12 March 2023. Moreover, Bonaccini has been serving as the president of Emilia-Romagna since 24 November 2014. Bonaccini started his political career in the Italian Communist Party (PCI) and followed that party's transition toward social democracy, becoming one of the main representatives of the PD's reformist or moderate wing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campanino</span> Apple cultivar

Campanino, also known as mela modenese, transl. Modenese apple, or mela della nonna, transl. grandmother's apple, is a variety of the domestic apple. Thanks to its long shelf life, the Campanino has been popular not only in Italy but also in export to countries such as Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle of the Pico</span> Historic building in Mirandola, Italy

The Castle of the Pico is a castle in the city center of Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirandola Town Hall</span> Building in Mirandola

The Mirandola Town Hall is a historic public building located in the city center of Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civic Museum of Mirandola</span> Local museum in Castle of the Pico, Mirandola

The Civic Museum of Mirandola is a museum housed in the castle of the Pico in Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy, dedicated to the archaeology of the territory, religious commissions, ancient furnishings and paintings, coins and medals of the ancient mint of Mirandola. The museum is also enriched by maps from the 16th to the 20th century, various items from the ancient Mount of Piety of the Franciscan friars and a collection of military relics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stadio Libero Lolli</span> Sport facility in Mirandola, Italy

Libero Lolli stadium is a sport facility in Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirandola railway station</span> Railway station in Italy

Mirandola railway station is a railway stop along the Verona-Bologna railway serving the city of Mirandola, in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The station serves also the municipalities of Medolla, Cavezzo, San Possidonio, and Finale Emilia. Located in the village of Cividale, about 3 km from the town centre of Mirandola, th station is connected by a SETA shuttle bus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Maria Bianca Hospital</span> Hospital in Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Santa Maria Bianca Hospital is a community hospital located in Mirandola, in the province of Modena, in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

The Mirandola witch trials took place in Mirandola in the Duchy of Mirandola between 1522 and 1525. It resulted in the death of ten people, who were burned alive at the stake for witchcraft on the square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Francesco, Mirandola</span>

The church of San Francesco is a church located in Mirandola, in the province of Modena, Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of the Snows, Quarantoli</span> Church in Quarantoli - Mirandola (MO)

The pieve of Our Lady of the Snows is a Romanesque church located in Quarantoli, village near Mirandola, in the province of Modena and Roman Catholic Diocese of Carpi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mirandola mint</span>

The Mirandola mint, also known as the mint of the Pico della Mirandola, was the mint of the Duchy of Mirandola.

References

  1. Distretto industriale entry (in Italian) in the Enciclopedia italiana
  2. "Distretto Biomedicale Mirandolese" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  3. "Biomedicale, che ripresa!". Borsa Italiana. 2016-10-04. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  4. Antonio Mascolo (2012-05-29). "Mirandola, la Silicon Valley d'Italia". La Repubblica. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  5. "TERREMOTO Capannoni e case crollate nella Bassa: almeno 16 morti, 1 disperso, più di 350 feriti, 5mila nuovi sfollati. La Procura apre un'inchiesta". Gazzetta di Modena. 2012-05-29. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. Emiliano Liuzzi (2012-05-29). "Terremoto in Emilia: 17 morti, 300 feriti, 15mila sfollati. Paesi in ginocchio". Il Fatto Quotidiano. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  7. Annalisa Dall'Oca (2015-05-20). "Terremoto Emilia, eccellenza biomedicale in crescita: "Ma mai visto soldo da Stato"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  8. Ludovica Lugli (2016-08-26). "La situazione in Emilia, quattro anni dopo". Il Post. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  9. "Sanità: aziende Mirandola rinate, produzione superiore a pre terremoto". ADN Kronos. 2014-05-01. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  10. "Tecnopolo TPM". Comune di Mirandola.
  11. "Inaugurazione Tecnopolo di Mirandola". distrettobiomedicale.it. 2014-12-23.
  12. 1 2 "Distretto biomedicale di Mirandola". Osservatio nazionale dei distretti italiani. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 2020-12-23.
  13. 360-gradi.it Archived 14 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Anagrafica del distretto biomedicale di Mirandola". Osservatio nazionale dei distretti italiani.
  15. "I distretti tecnologici in Italia: note introduttive e metodologiche". Osservatorio nazionale sui distretti tecnolocici.
  16. Giuseppe Tripoli (2003). "L'esperienza italiana dei distretti tecnologici". Impresa & Stato. Camera di Commercio di Milano (63–64). Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  17. Dario D'Elia (2011-01-25). "I distretti tecnologici italiani sono solo 18". Tom's Hardware. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  18. Le PMI localizzate nei distretti produttivi industriali:vantaggi competitivi Archived 20 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  19. "Camera di commercio di Modena" (PDF).
  20. [ dead link ]
  21. "Mobimed – La memoria storica del biomedicale mirandolese". Al Barnardon. 7 October 2015.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)

Bibliography

See also