Umberto Colombo (1927 – 13 May 2006) was an Italian chemical engineer, academic and the minister of universities, science and technology of Italy.

[2] Colombo trained as a chemical engineer [3] and worked as a professor at the University of Milan in the 1970s.

[6] From 1993 to 1994 Colombo served as the minister of universities, science and technology in the Ciampi cabinet.

[3] He was one of the shareholders of Energy Conversion Devices and became a member of its board of directors in July 1995 before retiring in November 2004.

[9] Other posts that Colombo held included the chairman of ENEA (Italian national agency for new technology, energy and the environment; 1983-1993), president of the European Science Foundation (1991-1993), chairman of the Italian hydrocarbons trust, director general of Montedision's R&D and strategic planning, director of Montecatini's G. Donegani research centre, governor of the international development research centre (IDRC; 1985-1990) in Canada, chairman of the United Nations's advisory committee on science and technology for development (1984-1986), chairman of LEAD-Europe,[10] and president of the European institute research management association.