Grants and Projects
Call for investments and R&D projects by companies within the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) – 2025 Edition – POR FESR 2021/2027 ACTION 1.6.1 “Support for research, innovation and experimental development projects for STEP technologies” – “ADapt-AT: a flexible and automated platform for the production of Advanced Therapies based on adherent cells”
With this project, PBL aims to develop and validate at an industrial level ADapt-AT, a modular closed-configuration isolator that is customizable, automated, and compliant with GMP standards. The system is designed to overcome the limitations of manual production of adherent cells by ensuring scalable and reproducible processes. Starting from TRL 6, the proposed activities aim to evolve the functional prototype through optimization of the modular architecture and the proprietary software currently in use. Achievement of TRL 8 will be confirmed through qualification and validation of the closed system in a Class C/D cleanroom, ensuring full compliance with international guidelines for industrial adoption. The system validation will act as a catalyst for the sector, transforming the production of adherent cell-based therapies from a high-cost niche model into an industrial approach accessible on a large scale, thereby reducing current socio-economic barriers to patient access.
Read more
PN “Research, Innovation and Competitiveness for the Green and Digital Transition 2021–2027” – Ministerial Decree No. 307 of 18 March 2025
Action 1.1.2 – Support for a limited number of strategic research value chains – “RNA-NEXT. Integrated development of RNA-based drugs and gene therapies: from molecular design to GMP production and clinical validation”
This action aims to strengthen and develop a national integrated value chain in the field of gene therapies and RNA-based drugs, covering the entire value chain from basic research to clinical validation and GMP production. Activities include the design and synthesis of innovative molecules, development of preclinical models (cellular and animal), functional screening, advanced bioinformatics, and delivery technologies. In this context, PBL contributes as an industrial partner to the applied phases of the value chain, supporting the development and optimization of technological solutions and products, participating in validation activities, and facilitating alignment with market transfer requirements.
Read more
Action 1.1.3b – Support for the validation and networking of aggregation models fostering research system cross-fertilization – “Integrated Ecosystem for Research, Production and Business Incubation in RNA-based Therapies”
This action is aimed at consolidating and systematizing collaborations between research and industry stakeholders in the field of advanced therapies, with a particular focus on the development and validation of RNA-based drugs and related technologies (gene therapy, delivery systems, RNA-based platforms). Activities include the creation of shared platforms, validation of technological solutions in preclinical and industrial settings, strengthening of international collaborations, and support for technology transfer and the creation of new entrepreneurial initiatives. In this framework, PBL actively contributes to the validation and industrialization of RNA-based technologies and products, facilitating the transition from research to application and supporting alignment with the needs of the biopharmaceutical market. PBL therefore plays a key role in strengthening the network and enhancing innovation in the field of advanced therapies.
Action 1.4.3 – Strengthening skills to enable the effective functioning of the innovation ecosystem – “Advanced PharmaTech Academy”
This action focuses on the development of advanced skills required for the effective functioning of the innovation ecosystem, through structured training programs such as the National PhD program and the PharmaTech Academy. Initiatives include interdisciplinary training pathways, hands-on laboratory activities, the use of immersive technologies, and internships in industrial settings. In this context, PBL contributes by providing technical expertise and application environments for on-the-job training, participating in training programs, and hosting or supporting students and early-career researchers in project activities. The action thus strengthens highly qualified human capital and promotes employability, with particular attention to the alignment between training and industrial needs.
INTERNATIONAL NOTICE ISSUED BY the KDT JU Partnership call 2022 “Key Digital Technologies Joint Undertaking” – Call HORIZON-KDT-JU-2022-2-RIA-TOPIC-1 – Fundamental, Industrial Research and Experimental Development Projects – NerveRepack Project – Director’s Decree No. 2810 of 04/03/2025 (registered with the Court of Auditors on 24/03/2025 under No. 414) – Official Gazette No. 8 of 07/04/2025
The European project NerveRepack aims to develop an innovative neural system based on bidirectional implantable interfaces, capable of connecting the human nervous system to mechatronic devices such as exoskeletons and exoprostheses. The objective is to enable people with amputations or paralysis to regain both movement and sensory feedback through direct brain–device interaction.
Within the consortium, the partner PBL contributes as a developer of hardware components and prototypes, integrating design and manufacturing. Thanks to technologies such as CNC machining and 3D printing, PBL produces custom mechanical parts required by the other partners to assemble and test exoskeleton and exoprosthesis systems.
Read more
Action 1.1.3b – Support for the validation and networking of aggregation models fostering research system cross-fertilization – “Integrated Ecosystem for Research, Production and Business Incubation in RNA-based Therapies”
This action is aimed at consolidating and systematizing collaborations between research and industry stakeholders in the field of advanced therapies, with a particular focus on the development and validation of RNA-based drugs and related technologies (gene therapy, delivery systems, RNA-based platforms). Activities include the creation of shared platforms, validation of technological solutions in preclinical and industrial settings, strengthening of international collaborations, and support for technology transfer and the creation of new entrepreneurial initiatives. In this framework, PBL actively contributes to the validation and industrialization of RNA-based technologies and products, facilitating the transition from research to application and supporting alignment with the needs of the biopharmaceutical market. PBL therefore plays a key role in strengthening the network and enhancing innovation in the field of advanced therapies.
Action 1.4.3 – Strengthening skills to enable the effective functioning of the innovation ecosystem – “Advanced PharmaTech Academy”
This action focuses on the development of advanced skills required for the effective functioning of the innovation ecosystem, through structured training programs such as the National PhD program and the PharmaTech Academy. Initiatives include interdisciplinary training pathways, hands-on laboratory activities, the use of immersive technologies, and internships in industrial settings. In this context, PBL contributes by providing technical expertise and application environments for on-the-job training, participating in training programs, and hosting or supporting students and early-career researchers in project activities. The action thus strengthens highly qualified human capital and promotes employability, with particular attention to the alignment between training and industrial needs.
Call for the support of export promotion projects and participation in exhibition events in 2023
As an innovative SME active in the field of process automation for the pharma and food sectors, PBL wants to exploit a new marketable area where many multinational companies in the pharma sector are expanding, namely Southeast Asia countries, such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam, that alone represent an area of about 445 mln people. Additionally, these countries represent a production area of even larger markets such as Asia and North America. For these reasons, PBL participated in the Interpack 2023 exhibition, a true world showcase of the industry, with more than 20,000 visitors, the first edition after the pandemic, where a prototype of our technology was also brought for demonstration purposes.
Read more
Call for the Support of the Digital Transition of Emilia-Romagna Enterprises – «Support for enterprises digitalization, with system actions for the digital world»
PBL is a leading company in inspection and automation systems and in the last years it has developed an highly-specialized core facility in Artifical Intelligence (A.I.) and neural networking. The aim of this funded project is to develop and improve this division through the use of innovative technologies during technical design and A.I. tests. Specifically, a groundbreaking automatized test bench will be created, equipped with optical system for A.I. analysis of bags with infusional pharmaceutical solutions. This machinery will allow an easy process of training and testing of A.I., using customers products batches (KNAPP test), demonstrating the reliability and efficacy of our system.
Read more
Pharmaceutical products inspection for impurities and defects is mandatory in pharma industry and is usually performed manually. Up to now, PBL is the only field-specialized industry producing this A.I.-aided technolgy of inspection and defects identification. The development and improvement of PBL A.I. inspection system will terribly decrease process time, from 4 months (required for customized system design and manual collection of data for A.I. training), to less than 1 month. A part from that, it will be also possible to lower the waste of material.
With this investment, an universal solution equipped with A.I. will be available for every type of requirement and test, avoiding expensive and time-consuming procedures for every customer and project. In this way, it will be possible to increase the efficiency and budgeting, working at higher level and significantly reducing costs, in case a project does not give promising results for an industrial follow-up.
Call for the Support of the Production Investments finalized to Entreprise Innovation- «Support to the innovation projects of enterpreises, supply chain and professional activity, promoting growth and empowerment»
PBL is a leading company in automation and inspection systems and in the last years it has been developing a highly specilized core facility for Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and neural networks.
PBL wants to continue on this research line and develop next generation products based on the use of A.I. and neural network for pharmaceutical products analysis. This will be done though the purchase and implementation of a groundbreaking automated machine, designed for the study of optical configurations for analysis and for images automated collection for the neural network with an high resolution camera and specific illumination for defects identification. The use of this system will significantly decrease the time required for feasibility studies for each type of sample, switching from 6 months to 1 week.
Read more
PBL system will use A.I. to analyze machine collected data and then will use automated learining algorithms to analyze inspection images.
The machine will collect precise data about sample transparency, dimension and shape, as well as data about the presence of defects or abnormalities. A.I. will use these data to create automated learning models able to easily detect defects and abnormalities in every analyzed sample.
This detection and images elaboration system will allow PBL to save time and to preserve product quality for custom industries, increasing safety and limiting production waste. Morever, this system will offer an higher variability to PBL offered solutions and innovations, in line with customers specific requirements. This versatility will allow to develop a wider range of products, reaching new markets and increasing application sectors (for example: chemistry, cosmetics, food)
Call for Research and Experimental Development 2023 – «Support of projects of research, experimental development and enterprises innovation»
Pharma manufacturers need to analyze their products to control their chemical conformity, in line with national authorities standars or with their approved production workflow. Due to the high manufacturing yield of different products and due to the long analytical procedures required for pharmaceutical products chemical conformity evaluation (Quality Control – QC), these tests are performed only on a limited amount of products as random sample analysis in each production batch. PBL innovation gives an improvement on this issue, with a non-invasive system for qualitative and quantitative QC on pharmaceutical products, able to do inspection on every single piece, directly on the production line. Indeed, PBL is implementing and validating the first SPECTRE prototype, an automated machine integrating A.I. and different spectroscopy techniques.
Read more
The project final goal will be the creation of an industrial line equipped with SPECTRE, processing 10.000 glass vial/hour. This strategy will increase the final product safety and will reduce the production costs and the waste material.
To reach this goal, PBL will optimize, improve and extent the technology already validated at laboratory stage, to gain a complete industrial development, as first pilot line. Specifically, PBL project will be divided in three phases: 1) Laboratory tests using compliant and non-compliant samples, comparing results obtained with traditional analytical techniques (HPLC and DLS) and with FDA, AIFA, Farmacopea requirements; 2) Finalization of industrial line project, through an accurate analysis of the results from the prototype preliminary tests, risk analysis and the general regulamentation plans (ex: Macchinery Directive 2006/42/CE, AIFA requirements, ISO9001); 3) Optimization of A.I. algorithm through experimental trials on compliant and non-compliant products, to obtain a system able to discriminate and verify the quality and conformity of the samples, ensuring a high accuracy and reliability of the result.
PBL wants to realize the SPECTRE system as flexible and customizable as possible, in order to be able to identify every type of chemical abnormality and non-conformity, which could compromise and hinder the production system.
Regional Law 14/2014: Regional agreement Establishment and Development – Art.6 LR 14/2014 – Call 2022
In these latests years, pharma/biomed industry has been revolutioning thanks to the development of innovative therapies based not only on syntetic drugs but also on biotech products. These products are developed with the goal to be highly personalized on each patient and on the specific pathology and are promising solution for many different pathologies (cancer, for instance), which so far have been with very poor prognosis and with limited therapeutic possibilities. The opportunity to develop advanced tharapies is linked to AIFA-certified-Cell Factories, which are, however, a very small amount on the italian terrotory and whose facility costs a lot of money and investments of specialized structures. For this reason, given also the high-level expertise and know-how, with this project PBL wants to design and develop a miniaturized Cell Factory, i.e. a modular innovative system able to automatize the production of personalized advanced therapies, like CAR-T («Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell» therapies), making them less operator-dependent and more «next-to-the-patient». Currently, no comparable system with these features of efficiency, reproducibility, safety, precision and high-performance is present on the market.
Read more
PBL project, will be diveded in two specific phases: 1) Industrial research, to study main features required for all the system modules. System and project characteristics will be analyzed and defined in accordance with the relative regulamentation (ISO, IEC, GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice). Next, single modules and entire system design and validation will be performed, taking into account also space hidrance issues. 2) Experimental development, through the final prototype validation, performing specific tests with samples and products, simulating the real operating conditions.
This project will bring PBL to reach a further technolgical and know-how achievement, allowing an establishment as lead company on the market for the design and production of isolator systems for pharma industry. This will open the way to an european/american market and will increase the national and international visibility of the company. The manufacturing of this ATMPs machinery will lead to a further strenghtening of PBL in the industrial automation sector applied to med/pharma field, focusing on the production of gene and cell therapies. Finally, the project will bring benefits also to collaborating companies, both as increase in employment and as technological progress.
National Center for «Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology»
The National Center for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology wants to do research and innovation in strategic areas for the production of advanced therapies (for the treatment of pathologies such as genetic diseases, cancer, metabolic/cardiovascular disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and inflammatory/infective diseases) and for the design of innovative procedures for healthcare, integrating therapies development, precision medicine and the development of novel production and formulation systems.
Read more
The goal is the creation and renovation of research laboratories and specialized facilities and research program development to promote the birth and growth of entrepreneurial activities, such as start-ups and spin-offs, facilitating an industrial develop and scale-up.
PBL joins this National Center with its project for the design and production of an automatized machine for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), to promote decentralization of manufacturing and formulation of these therapeutic products, promoting the distribution of innovative therapies across the territory, avoiding facility, costs and personnel limits.
PBL work will be fundamental to promote the spread of novel therapeutic options based on innovative technolgies and to facilitate their research process scale-up and production also outside university research, specialized laboratories and cell factories, bringing innovative therapies nearer to the patient.
