FPM

Fondazione Politecnico di Milano (FPM) was founded in 2003 through a joint effort between the Politecnico di Milano, major city and regional institutions and important corporations to support the university’s research projects and contribute to innovating and developing the economic, productive and administrative environment. FPM is the operational structure of the “Politecnico di Milano” and several relevant private and public founder companies. It is the bridge between the academia and the market, managing large projects and programmes on applied research and innovation. It facilitates the establishment of social local and transnational partnerships, supports the development of new organisations and laboratories, and fosters new competences. FPM is committed to building a more effective relationship between the university and public administration. With about 40 collaborators, to achieve these goals, FPM develops: Innovation projects, not only for large companies, but for numerous small to medium sized enterprises that characterise the Italian economy; European projects that, by leveraging the Politecnico’s renowned capabilities, extend the network of both university and industrial collaborations outside our borders. These efforts are complemented by a number of training programmes aimed at upgrading professional skills, to keep workers up-todate with the rapidly evolving labour market.

Aware of the importance of contributing to economic and social growth, FPM develops social responsibility projects in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano, involving teachers and students in the drive for civil and communal change. In a global context, FPM has been active in co-operation projects with both, countries in need and nations experiencing exponential growth. To commemorate its first 10 years of operation, in 2013 FPM transformed the Acceleratore di Impresa, the Politecnico’s business incubator unit, into a modern structure designed to support the best national and international innovative start-ups, entrepreneurial empowerment and co-working projects: Polihub. Together with the local largest company association FPM manages the Observatory of Engineers, to monitor how competences acquired at university are practiced at work. With Province of Milan, FPM manages pilots on key-competences assessment in VET 1st and 2nd cycles.

Since 2007 FPM has supported Lombardy Region to define and implement the model and procedures for recognition and certification of formal, non-formal and informal competences. Since 2010 it has operated as technical and methodological support to the Region. Since 2013 FPM has been an accredited body by the Region Lombardy for both training and Labour Services, operating since then as a certification body for the recognition of competences acquired in non-formal and informal contexts. Within the local programme “Talenti al Lavoro” by Milan Province, since 2012 FPM has coordinated and supported the implementation of settings for the recognition of transversal skills and competences for operators in specific contexts such as Vocational Training and Vocational Guidance. FPM has adopted a quality system in conformity with ISO 9001:2008 for the following purposes: Design, supply and monitoring of training courses; Design and development of consulting services on innovation projects for enterprises. FPM has a long experience in management, collaboration, support, evaluation and monitoring processes in European projects with large work groups, as well as a deep experience in the fields of online learning, collaboration activities and innovation of practices.