The Italian Quality Award Association (APQI) was founded in 1996 and promoted by Confindustria, the University Consortium in Engineering for Quality and Innovation (Quinn) and the Italian Quality Culture Association (AICQ). Other members later joined the Association.

APQI is a non-profit cultural association whose mission is to promote, in cooperation with public and private entities, the quality and competitiveness of the Italian national system. The Association develops and disseminates methods, models and tools for the assessment and improvement of public and private organizations, with particular focus on the management of Awards based on the EFQM Excellence Model.

In its early years, APQI worked to promote the competitiveness of Italian SMEs and, with this goal, in 1997 launched the Italian Quality Award, based on the EFQM Model.

Its commitment to sustainable development and to supporting excellence in the Italian national system led APQI to extend its activities also to the Public Sector. A significant milestone occurred in 2003 with APQI’s involvement in the Veneto School Quality Award, the National School Quality Award and the National Public Administration Quality Award.

In 2007, APQI promoted the development of the Innovation Framework and in 2008 Confindustria launched, in partnership with APQI, the Enterprises for Innovation Award, which is managed by APQI in terms of assessment and has now reached its 11th edition.

In 2011 APQI developed the Safety Framework – a Total Safety Management model based on the EFQM Model. Subsequently, Confindustria, Inail, Accredia and APQI developed the Safety Model.

The Enterprises for Safety Award was launched in 2012 by Confindustria in cooperation with Inail, with the technical support of APQI and Accredia, and the assessment process is managed by APQI.

In 22 years of activity, APQI has promoted and/or managed 37 national and regional Awards and has implemented numerous initiatives and projects supporting Confindustria, its associated organizations, Italian museums and the Public Administration.