Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica

What Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica does

Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica (FRRB) is a non-profit foundation established by Regione Lombardia in 2011 to promote and finance biomedical research in the Lombardy region. The organization operates as a grant-funding body rather than a technology product company, with a core portfolio comprising European Calls for Proposals (Bandi Europei), Regional Calls for Proposals (Bandi Regionali), the Bio-Reentry Grant for Returning Researchers, and European Partnership programs. Its priority research areas are precision medicine, rare diseases, oncology, and antibiotic resistance. The foundation maintains a database of funded projects (Progetti Finanziati) and a dedicated portal (Area Enti e Ricercatori) for researchers and institutions to access services and submit proposals.

The foundation serves a primary customer segment of researchers and research institutions operating in the Lombardy biomedical ecosystem, including young researchers seeking funding, established research professionals pursuing clinical and translational projects, and internationally experienced researchers seeking to return to Italy through the Bio-Reentry program. Operational footprint consists of the legal seat and operational headquarters at Palazzo Lombardia in Milan (Piazza Città di Lombardia 1, Ingresso N3 Terzo Piano, Ala Gialla) and a European representation office in Brussels (Casa della Lombardia, Place du Champ de Mars). The organization is staffed by 13 employees and operates with a lean administrative structure.

FRRB's revenue model is public institutional funding allocated by Regione Lombardia, with no commercial revenue generation. Activities are provided free of charge to eligible researchers and institutions. The foundation holds ISO 9001:2015 certification for quality management and is GDPR compliant. Governance infrastructure includes a partnership with Transparency International Italia and Whistleblowing Solutions under the WhistleblowingPA project to support whistleblowing compliance and anti-corruption transparency obligations. Operational planning is published annually, with the 2026 Annual Activity Plan approved by the Board on 31/03/2026 and the 2025 Activity Report approved on 25/02/2026.

Name

Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica

Legal name

Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica

Website

https://frrb.it

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica (FRRB) is a non-profit foundation established by Regione Lombardia that funds biomedical research in Lombardy through grant programs, serving researchers and institutions with priorities in precision medicine, rare diseases, oncology, and antibiotic resistance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Funding

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Health Financing, Budgeting & Grants Management (HLAJAMAC), Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM)

Keywords

• Biomedical research funding
• Life sciences grants
• Regional research foundation
• Precision medicine research
• Public health grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Public Institutional Funding: As a regional foundation established by Regione Lombardia, FRRB operates primarily through public funding allocated by the regional government. The foundation finances biomedical research projects, innovative initiatives, and supports young researchers through grant programs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Fondazione Regionale per la Ricerca Biomedica (FRRB) is a non-profit foundation established by Regione Lombardia that promotes and funds biomedical research in Lombardy. It administers regional and European grant programs (Bandi Regionali and Bandi Europei), runs the Bio-Reentry Grant for returning researchers, and facilitates European research partnerships. Its funding priorities focus on precision medicine, rare diseases, oncology, and antibiotic resistance.

Product overview

FRRB is a regional research foundation established by Regione Lombardia that promotes and funds biomedical research in Life Sciences. The organization operates primarily as a grant-funding body rather than a technology product company. Its core portfolio consists of grant funding programs including European Calls for Proposals (Bandi Europei), Regional Calls for Proposals (Bandi Regionali), and specialized programs like the Bio-Reentry Grant for Returning Researchers. These programs focus on priority areas including precision medicine, rare diseases, oncology, and antibiotic resistance. The foundation also manages European Partnerships, maintains a database of Funded Projects, and provides a dedicated portal (Area Enti e Ricercatori) for researchers and institutions to access services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bandi Europei (European Calls for Proposals) Grant funding programs for European-level biomedical research projects, providing institutional funding access for life sciences research. Targets researchers and institutions seeking European-level funding.
• Bandi Regionali (Regional Calls for Proposals) Grant funding programs for regional-level biomedical research projects within Lombardy, supporting the regional healthcare system. Targets researchers and research institutions operating in Lombardy.
• Bio-Reentry: Grant for Returning Researchers Program designed to strengthen the quality and impact of biomedical research by promoting the return to Italy of researchers with proven international experience. Targets Italian biomedical researchers abroad seeking to repatriate.
• European Partnerships (Partnership Europee) Collaboration programs facilitating partnerships with European research entities and networks. Targets researchers and institutions seeking European-level collaboration opportunities in biomedical research.
• Progetti Finanziati (Funded Projects) Database and showcase of research projects that have received FRRB funding, demonstrating research outcomes in life sciences.
• Area Enti e Ricercatori Dedicated portal for research institutions and researchers to access FRRB services, submit proposals, and manage grant applications.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Transparency International ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRRB has joined the WhistleblowingPA project in collaboration with Transparency International Italia. This partnership provides a secure platform for reporting illegal activities and ensures compliance with whistleblower protection regulations while maintaining confidentiality of reports.
• Whistleblowing SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationFRRB utilizes the Whistleblowing Solutions platform to operate its WhistleblowingPA reporting system. This technology partnership enables secure, anonymous reporting through a digital questionnaire system managed by the Responsible for Anti-Corruption and Transparency.
• Regione LombardiaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFRRB was established by Regione Lombardia as the regional foundation for biomedical research. The regional government provides institutional support and funding oversight, with FRRB operating under the regional administration framework including transparent disclosure through Amministrazione Trasparente.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wellcome Trust: UK-based charitable foundation funding biomedical research and health initiatives globally. Comparable to FRRB as a major non-governmental grantmaking entity in life sciences, though operating at a vastly larger scale.
• European Research Council (ERC): EU body funding frontier research across Europe, including life sciences, via competitive grants (Starting, Consolidator, Advanced). Comparable to FRRB as a major biomedical research funder whose calls FRRB researchers access.
• Fondazione Cariplo: Major Italian philanthropic foundation based in Milan that funds research, environment, and social initiatives, including life sciences. Comparable as a large-scale Lombardy-rooted grantmaking entity with overlapping biomedical funding themes.

Regional players

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG): Germany's central public research funding organization supporting research projects including life sciences. Comparable to FRRB as a public-sector competitive grantmaking body for academic research in a major European economy.
• Inserm: French national institute dedicated to biomedical research, funding and conducting life sciences research. Comparable to FRRB in its public mandate for advancing biomedical research, though operating more as a research performer than a pure grantmaking body.
• Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII): Spanish public research funding body for health and biomedical sciences, financing projects and researcher careers. Comparable to FRRB as a government-linked regional/national biomedical grantmaking institution with similar funding mechanisms.

Direct peers

• Fondazione Umberto Veronesi: Milan-based Italian foundation funding biomedical and oncology research and supporting young researchers. Directly comparable to FRRB in geography (Lombardy), mission (biomedical grants), and target beneficiary (researchers and clinicians).
• Fondazione Telethon: Italian non-profit foundation that funds biomedical research, particularly on genetic diseases, through competitive grants to researchers and institutions. Directly comparable to FRRB as a national grantmaking body operating in the Italian biomedical research ecosystem.
• Fondazione AIRC (Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro): Italy's leading cancer research charity, distributing competitive grants to Italian cancer researchers. Comparable to FRRB in being an Italian non-profit that funds biomedical research via structured grant programs, with overlap in oncology.

Emerging players

• Cassa per i Servizi Energetici e Ambientali (CSEA) / Italian Ministry of Health Research Programs: Italian national health research funding programs administered at the central government level. Comparable to FRRB as a public-sector biomedical research funder in Italy, representing a potential national-level counterpart or partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/61553976472845
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fondazione-regionale-per-la-ricerca-biomedica
• Instagraminstagram.com/fondregricercabiomedica_frrb

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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