23 April 2026
The mechanisms of life are complex. What happens at the molecular level shapes cells, tissues, organs and entire organisms. To understand human biology, and what drives disease, we need to connect these different scales rather than study them in isolation. That is our approach at Human Technopole.
Established in the heart of MIND, Milano Innovation District, Human Technopole is Italy’s next-generation life sciences research institute. Our mission is to investigate the mechanisms of human biology and disease through an integrated, interdisciplinary model that brings together experimental research, theory, computation and advanced technologies.
Our model is built around four connected dimensions: research, facilities, scientific training and technology transfer. Together, they create an environment where discovery can move across disciplines and towards impact on human health. That same vision runs through Human Technopole’s broader strategy: connecting people, ideas and technologies to shape new ways of doing life sciences research in Italy and Europe.
WHERE ARE WE AT?
Today, Human Technopole brings together 513 people, including 401 scientists, with an average age of 37. Our research community includes 39 nationalities from four continents, with 53% women and 84 returning Italians. This is a young, international institute designed to grow through collaboration and scientific ambition.
Our research activity spans multiple biological scales, from molecules to populations, and is organised across 6 Research Centres, 8 scientific areas and 5 Flagship Research Programmes focused on major challenges in human health and disease, including cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, neurodevelopmental conditions and ciliopathies. Human Technopole currently hosts 28 Research Groups, working in a system that combines biological insight with quantitative and computational approaches.
A central part of this ecosystem is our institute’s shared technological infrastructure. Human Technopole’s 5 National Facilities, organised into 23 technological units, provide researchers with access to advanced platforms in genomics, genome engineering and disease modelling, light imaging, structural biology, and data handling and analysis. These Facilities are designed not only to support internal research, but also to serve the wider scientific community through access, training and collaboration.
This national role is already visible in the numbers. So far, Human Technopole has funded 239 projects for external users, involving 56 institutions across 16 Italian regions. Alongside this, the institute has produced 678 publications with HT affiliation and secured €31.5 million through competitive calls, including grants from ERC, EMBO, AIRC, Horizon Europe and MSCA.
As the institute enters a new phase of growth, our direction is clear: strengthen research, expand infrastructure, foster collaboration and translate knowledge into benefits for health and society. From molecules to populations, Human Technopole is working to understand complexity and turn it into new opportunities for science and human health.
This is how we shape the future of human health, together.
