www.crf.it

Centro Ricerche Fiat S.C.p.A. (CRF) was founded in 1976 as the Fiat Group’s major source of expertise in innovation, research and development. It was established as a Società Consortile per Azioni, a consortium, whose shareholders are Group companies. CRF’s objective is to use innovation as a strategic lever and to enhance the results of its work through the promotion, development and transfer of innovative content able to make products distinctive and competitive. It is therefore able to play an active role in the technological growth of the Fiat Group, its partners and the community in areas such as powertrain, in collaboration with FPT Powertain Technologies, vehicles and components, safe and environmentally-friendly mobility, telematics, new materials and relative technologies, mechanics and optics, energy.

Moreover, CRF is particularly active in the field of research into sustainable mobility, adopting a systematic approach to investigate innovative solutions which address all aspects of sustainability in transport which include reducing emissions and noise pollution through innovations on the powertrain, but also increasing fuel efficiency by reducing vehicle weight, improving the aerodynamics, optimizing the different sub-systems, developing eco-compatible production processes, identifying ecological and recyclable materials, and using communications and info-mobility to help reduce traffic congestion. The aim is obtain vehicles safer, greener and more comfortable, where greener means ecological during the whole cycle of life: production, use, end of life.

In addition to its headquarters in Orbassano on the outskirts of Turin, CRF has other centres located in Bari, Foggia, Pomigliano, Trento, Torino, Venaria Reale (TO) and Bologna, as well as a controlling interest in CRP, the plastics and optics research centre in Udine, which focuses on advanced research in optics and plastics for automotive lighting systems. Furthermore, a new unit called Centro Studi sui Sistemi di Trasporto (Centre for Transport Systems Studies) has been created in Centro Ricerche Fiat following the merger of CSST SpA with CRF. With a workforce of 900 highly-trained professionals, Centro Ricerche Fiat has achieved significant, as witnessed by the 29 new patent applications it filed in 2009, bringing the total number of patents held to over 2,300, with a further 500 applications pending. CRF was awarded over 70 projects in the European Seventh Framework Programme 2007-2013, confirming its significant contribution to European research. Over the years, CRF has forged relationships with over 1,000 partners worldwide.