In a single year, 885 million euros invested in research, almost a quarter of revenues. This number defines the trajectory of Chiesi, the Parma-based biopharmaceutical group that, in its 2025 Sustainability Report, lines up growth, innovation, and sustainability, with Parma increasingly at the center of its industrial model.
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Expressed as a percentage, last year the group invested exactly 24.7% of its turnover in research and development, the highest level in the company’s history. This commitment places Chiesi first among Italian pharmaceutical companies and eleventh in Europe for absolute R&D investments. The drive is also reflected in the patent portfolio, which has risen to 6,324 patents, while the 36 applications submitted to the European Patent Office have placed the company fifth among Italian companies for the number of applications filed.
The center of gravity remains Parma, home to the Paolo Chiesi R&D campus, the main one of the group’s seven research centers worldwide. Here, 644 researchers work, 26% of the total, and over 70% of new hires made between 2021 and 2025 in the sector were women.
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Also in Parma, the Biotech Center of Excellence has completed its first year of full operation: the hub, dedicated to the development of innovative biological therapies, foresees total investments of approximately 400 million by 2030. «In a constantly and rapidly evolving macroeconomic scenario, we at Chiesi choose to generate not only economic performance, but also sustainable value for society and for healthcare systems,» states President Maria Paola Chiesi. A choice that, she adds, stems from the group’s identity and translates into the integration of «scientific innovation, long-term vision, and social responsibility».
Growth also comes from employment. Chiesi currently has approximately 7,900 employees worldwide, over 30% of whom are in Italy. In 2025, 392 new positions were created, with a 5% increase in the workforce. In the Parma offices, the number of employees rose to 2,431, 9% more than in 2024 and 44% more than in 2020. In 2025 alone, 199 people joined, and since 2022, the gender pay gap has been completely eliminated.
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