Innovation Hub & Smart Solutions – Palladio Group
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INNOVAT
HUBInnovation Hub
ON
Not a lab behind closed doors, but an open hub. This is where we work on the future of pharmaceutical packaging, creating value together.

We believe in collaborative, responsible and concrete progress that can make a real impact on the entire healthcare sector. This is why we connect internal and external expertise, to create a space where ideas, experiences and visions can meet.

We collaborate with start-ups, universities, research centres, pharmaceutical companies, technology companies and consultants to conceive and produce solutions capable of responding to future transformations in healthcare. Together, we imagine the evolutions that will take place, explore new scenarios and open up possibilities. Because innovation, when it is shared, can really make a difference.

We safeguard
the future
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Innovation Hub: Alternatives to PlasticAlternatives to Plastic
Innovation Hub: Smart packagingSmart packaging
Innovation Hub: Expert ServicesExpert Services
Innovation Hub: Special LabelsSpecial Labels
Innovation Hub: Clinical TrialsClinical Trials
Alternatives to Plastic
Smart packaging
Expert Services
Special Labels
Clinical Trials

As an industry leader in the sustainable transition, we combine established paper converting expertise with the intention to offer viable alternatives to fossil-based solutions in the healthcare packaging sector. By applying a model based on eco-design and strategic partnerships, we develop renewable and certified paper and cardboard solutions, that are scientifically validated through life cycle assessments (LCAs) and elevate the value of a natural, recyclable, energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly material.

Packaging is a medicine’s first point of contact with patients, their families and carers, doctors and pharmacists. New electronic and sensor technologies allow us to conceive increasingly smart solutions that facilitate this delicate interaction. Our smart packaging thus becomes an active ally to the therapy, by supporting therapeutic adherence, providing data to assess efficacy and safety, protecting the medicine from counterfeiting, and integrating easily with digital care systems.

Through active listening and co-planning, we develop custom services that meet specific needs and test their potential with rapid experimentation processes.
From assessments of the environmental impact of the packaging (LCA) to logistical support, from technical training to the management of new medicine launches and quality control operations, we integrate our packaging offering into a broader, more flexible and customised ecosystem in order to support our customers every day.

At our plant in Gossolengo (Piacenza), we develop innovative labels that anticipate market requirements. Today, labels are becoming technology platforms, as we integrate smart solutions such as RFID and NFC devices for cold chain monitoring, medicinal product authentication and advanced traceability. We are committed to creating packaging that communicates, interacts, guarantees and protects the safety of the medicine and the supply chain.

We work to make clinical trials more effective and accessible by better managing critical variables and deadlines. With a portfolio already suited to this setting, we develop solutions for decentralised and hybrid studies and integrate advanced technologies to monitor medicine storage conditions and promote treatment compliance. Our goal: to optimise processes and facilitate rapid decisions at every stage of the study.

Collaborations that generate the future.

No innovation is born on its own.
Our Innovation Hub thrives on an active network of companies, research institutions and partners with whom we share vision, commitment and responsibility. It is only from an open exchange of ideas that solutions capable of transforming the sector and making innovation meaningful are born.

Palladio Group Innovation Hub Pharmaceutical Companies
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Start-ups
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Universities
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Consultants
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Technology Companies
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Research Centres
Projects
[01]
Innovation Hub
We safeguard the future
Not a lab behind closed doors, but an open hub. This is where we work on the future of pharmaceutical packaging, creating value together.

We believe in collaborative, responsible and concrete progress that can make a real impact on the entire healthcare sector. This is why we connect internal and external expertise, to create a space where ideas, experiences and visions can meet.

We collaborate with start-ups, universities, research centres, pharmaceutical companies, technology companies and consultants to conceive and produce solutions capable of responding to future transformations in healthcare. Together, we imagine the evolutions that will take place, explore new scenarios and open up possibilities. Because innovation, when it is shared, can really make a difference.

Collaborations that generate the future.

No innovation is born on its own.
Our Innovation Hub thrives on an active network of companies, research institutions and partners with whom we share vision, commitment and responsibility. It is only from an open exchange of ideas that solutions capable of transforming the sector and making innovation meaningful are born.

Palladio Group Innovation Hub Consultants
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Technology Companies
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Research Centres
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Pharmaceutical Companies
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Start-ups
Palladio Group Innovation Hub Universities
INNOVATION AREAS
[01]
Case Studies
[02]
Tecobox
Multipack Handle®
Smart Pill Pocket
Treatment
Pressed paper
Co-designed kits
PluggyMed
Alternatives to Plastic
Case study:

Tecobox

  • TECOBOX ensures the security and integrity of pharmaceutical packaging with a design that immediately reveals any tampering by means of a visible and irreversible break.

  • It ensures the originality of the medicine, protects patient health and brand reputation, and complies with industry standards.

  • The single-component cardboard structure, without glue or adhesives, reduces defects and simplifies packaging even when it is carried out by hand, while facilitating recycling and reducing environmental impact.

Special Label
Case study:

Multipack Handle®

  • Multipack Handle® is the handle label that simplifies picking and transport, while improving storage and reducing unnecessary packaging.

  • It supports multi-packs of over 5 kg and is ideal for reducing plastic in the hygiene and health sector. Its ergonomic design ensures a comfortable and secure grip, the ‘dry’ adhesive prevents residues, and the tamper-evident function makes it impossible to remove without leaving traces.

  • It has achieved major industry recognition, winning first place for technological innovation at the Best Packaging 2024 Award, organised by the Italian Packaging Institute. It was also honoured with a prestigious 2025 WorldStar Award from the World Packaging Organisation. This success is the result of a collaboration with partners Etipack and CB Packaging, combining expertise to deliver cutting-edge solutions to the sector.

Smart Packaging
Case study:

Smart Pill Pocket

  • The ‘SAMMY’ Smart Pill Pocket is the intelligent companion for daily therapies.

  • Discreet, portable and easy to use, it helps follow treatment plans with reminders, automatic tracking and direct connection to carers and clinicians.

  • It is the ideal solution for reducing chronic disease-related stress, improving compliance and restoring safety, even in experimental treatment settings.

Clinical Trials
Case study:

Treatment

  • TREATMENT (smarT foR sustainablE lAsT Mile delivEry cliNical Trials) integrates smart packaging, physical internet and low-impact transport to enable real-time monitoring, support decision-making in the investigational medicinal product supply chain and promote compliance with and access to therapies in decentralised and hybrid clinical trials.

  • It is funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the European Union’s NextGenerationEU.

Alternatives to Plastic
Case study:

Pressed paper

  • Our pressed paper tray inserts effectively replace traditional plastic trays for ampoules, syringes and fragile materials.

  • Designed to ensure strength, resistance, protection and stability during transport and storage, they offer a sustainable alternative that promotes recycling while facilitating safety.

Expert Services
Case study:

Co-designed kits

  • We design custom kits for high-value biological medicinal products together with our customers.

  • We apply a validated development model that guides each stage: from the initial study to prototyping through to the production of the end product.

Smart Packaging/Clinical Trials
Case study:

PluggyMed

  • We have always invested in research and development with the aim of creating innovative products and services that meet the growing needs of our customers and end consumers.

  • Developed in collaboration with software house Omnys, PluggyMed is Palladio Group's innovative smart packaging solution for clinical trials and patient support programmes. It transforms any traditional blister pack into an interactive and connected tool by means of printing using conductive inks, to allow interaction between the blister pack of the medicine and a smart device in order to monitor the patient's compliance with the therapy.

  • The information collected is then shared through a cloud platform that is accessible to the various carers.

Events
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Events

Just like packaging, ideas too need a safe container in which to travel. That is what meetings are: protected spaces where innovation is preserved, transformed and handed over to the future.

Pharma Labels Open Day
Pharma Labels Open Day
Pharma Labels Open Day
Pharma Labels Open Day

Turning regulatory challenges into catalysts for innovation: this was the driving force behind our “Pharma Labels” Open Day on 23 June, when we welcomed industry professionals to our Innovation Hub for an exclusive look at the future of pharmaceutical labelling.
At the heart of the day was the evolving landscape shaped by FMD and PPWR, alongside the search for advanced solutions including RFID technology, the Italian pharmaceutical Bollino, and high performance labelling machinery. The programme featured immersive experiences in our Interactive Demo Rooms and a tour behind the scenes of our production facility.
Delivered in partnership with industry leaders Avery Dennison, Marchesini Group, and SEA Vision, and featuring key contributions from Dompé Farmaceutici, the event brought the wider supply chain together to forge strategic synergies, drive innovation, and seamlessly integrate new technologies into future operations.

Pack to the Future
Pack to the Future
Pack to the Future
Pack to the Future

The future of sustainable packaging is already here, and “Pack to the Future” provided the perfect stage to discuss it. On 4 December, Palladio Group’s Innovation Hub hosted the second edition of the event, bringing together key industry players to explore innovations, trends, and visions in a rapidly transforming world.
The focus of the day? New regulations, co-innovation, and sustainability: essential elements for tackling the challenges of an ever-evolving sector.
Thanks to our speakers from Marchesini Group, Stevanato Group, Humanitas, Politecnico di Torino, University of Parma, APMARR, and our own Innovation Hub, as well as the contributions from startups ReVita, HandySigns, and V-Shapes, and the collaborative workshop by Almacube, the event was a unique opportunity to share expertise and chart a course towards more responsible packaging solutions that meet the needs of the future.

64th AFI (Pharmaceutical Industry Association) Symposium
64th AFI (Pharmaceutical Industry Association) Symposium
64th AFI (Pharmaceutical Industry Association) Symposium
64th AFI (Pharmaceutical Industry Association) Symposium

In an ever-changing environment, smart packaging is a key innovation in the pharmaceutical industry. At the 64th AFI Symposium, Gabriele Molari and Emily S. Turilli Ghisolfi, the Palladio Group’s Innovation Managers, presented ‘Smart packaging supporting patients’, which emphasised how this technology improves therapeutic safety, medicinal product traceability and communication throughout the healthcare supply chain.
Due to its multidisciplinary nature, smart packaging requires a collaborative ecosystem in order to realise its full potential. It is not merely technology: it is a tool for making therapy management more effective, accessible and patient-centred. When innovation and data come together to improve quality of life, the future of healthcare takes shape.

Innovation Management Forum
Innovation Management Forum
Innovation Management Forum
Innovation Management Forum

We are proud to have participated as a partner in the Innovation Management Forum, a natural step for a company like ours that is deeply committed to open innovation. Our Innovation Hub is the place where technology and creativity come together to transform ideas into concrete, forward-thinking projects.
The 2025 Forum brought together over 150 innovation leaders to explore strategies for making innovation more scalable and sustainable. The valuable insights that emerged during the event and the subsequent national and international-scale round table discussions, which involved as many as 300 companies, will be incorporated into the ‘Frictionless Innovation White Paper’. This document will become a new benchmark for corporate innovation governance.

Collaborative workshops and tests - e.g. TREATMENT (at Polo Tecnologico of Navacchio and University of Siena)
Collaborative workshops and tests - e.g. TREATMENT (at Polo Tecnologico of Navacchio and University of Siena)
Collaborative workshops and tests - e.g. TREATMENT (at Polo Tecnologico of Navacchio and University of Siena)
Collaborative workshops and tests - e.g. TREATMENT (at Polo Tecnologico of Navacchio and University of Siena)

Innovation comes from experience, experimentation and an interconnection of different skills and technologies. This is the driving force of Open Innovation. It is also the aim of Treatment, the European project supporting a network united by a common goal: to make access to therapy more efficient and inclusive, even in the most remote areas. The project consists of delivering medicines to remote locations via drones, while monitoring their conditions (temperature, location, humidity).
The project aims to contribute to improving the quality of healthcare; to promote innovation in the field of urban logistics; and to support the development of more sustainable transport solutions.

Awards acknowledging Multipack Handle®
Awards acknowledging Multipack Handle®
Awards acknowledging Multipack Handle®
Awards acknowledging Multipack Handle®

Another step towards more efficient packaging!

The Multipack Handle® labelling system won a prestigious award at the WorldStar Awards 2025, where it won the Health & Personal Care category. This acknowledgement rewarded the dedication, experience and spirit of collaboration and open innovation shared by Palladio Group, Etipack and CB Packaging.
After last year’s success at the 2024 edition of Best Packaging for technological innovation, this victory strengthens Palladio’s position as an industry benchmark.
Innovation never stops!

INNOVATION
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