“The rapid changes we are witnessing in all fields and disciplines today require the interconnection of increasingly specialised professionals who have evolving skills. But they also demand workplaces that are aligned with current notions of cooperation, inclusion, Wellbeing and where research and training are supported by state-of-the-art technologies. Innovative spaces where people are always at the centre.” says Andrea Chiesi, Head of Special Projects at Gruppo Chiesi.

These are the assumptions on which the Italian multinational biopharmaceutical company - which is among the top 50 pharmaceutical companies in the world – bases its international Call for Ideas “Restore to Impact”. The initiative aims to identify innovative, evolutionary and transversal concepts that can serve as guidelines for the future regeneration of Chiesi's industrial site in Parma, but also aspires to indicate – through a series of panels following the Call for Ideas – new paths and possible future scenarios capable of launching a cultural journey in which Chiesi is the promoter of reflections and new approaches to Open Innovation and the built environment.

“Our desire is to put people and their ideas at the centre of the future regeneration project of the Chiesi site in Via Palermo, to invent and define new ways of approaching an urban setting that is a corporate headquarters but is also open to the community, in a project that goes beyond simple building renovation and opens up possibilities for new building and site development approaches. I am confident that this Call for Ideas will allow us to expand our horizons and further solidify our competences,” continues Andrea Chiesi.

Three years after the official inauguration of the new headquarters, which flanks the already existing Research Centre, the Chiesi Group wants to continue the process of urban regeneration of the historic industrial site in via Palermo, Parma, to create an innovative "business playground" and provide its commercial branch with a workspace aligned with current notions of inclusion and corporate guidelines. To transform the via Palermo site into a flywheel for urban regeneration and a landmark of innovation that can reveal the interconnection between the health of people and that of the planet, on the one hand, and the need to grow new skills in the art of care, on the other.

The Call for Ideas has two categories of participants: professionals and under-30s. Individuals or interdisciplinary teams capable of combining multiple areas of knowledge can participate: healthcare, sustainability, space design, workplaces, new technologies, Big Data, service design, landscape, human sciences... The deadline for submitting a proposal is 30 April 2023.

The concepts will be evaluated by a Selection Committee composed of leading figures from different research fields. The best three at each level will receive a prize of €12,000 for the Professional category and €5,000 for Under 30. The Selection Committee may also award up to 5 honourable mentions per category: Professionals will receive € 2,000.00 per single mention, Under 30s will receive € 1,000.00 per single mention. The winners will also be involved in the elaboration and development phases of the future regeneration project of the Via Palermo industrial site and their names will remain in the concept development team, as developers of the design guidelines.