Regional Innovation Systems:
the experience of
AREA Science Park
Trieste
___________________________________________________________________________
Fabrizia Salvi
This presentation intends to illustrate how Technology Parks
are strategic factors for regional development
as well as to present the vision and experience of
AREA Science Park
in developing and managing innovation
at the largest inter-regional extent.
Innovation
Innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas
It is about:
 bringing new knowledge
into business
 developing new, high value-added
products and services
Innovation is considered the key factor for fostering territory
economic growth and increasing the industry competitiveness on
the global market
Regional Clusters for Innovation
Innovation has a regional dimension and tends to develop and concentrate
locally through a shared and interactive process that can be effectively
implemented by means of regional structured systems: Regional Clusters
for Innovation
Regional Clusters for Innovation consist of co-located and linked





Regional Authorities
Universities and Research Organizations
Enterprises and Industries
Financial Institutes
Innovation Management Organizations
Science and Technology Parks as Regional Innovation Clusters

A Science and Technology Park (STP) is an organisation managed by
specialised professionals, whose main aim is to increase the wealth of its
community by promoting the culture and diffusion of innovation and the
competitiveness of its associated businesses and knowledge-based
institutions.

To enable these goals to be met, an STP stimulates and manages the flow
of knowledge and technology amongst universities, R&D institutions,
companies and market; facilitates the creation and growth of innovative
companies through incubation and spin-off processes; and provides other
value-added services together with high quality spaces and facilities.
IASP Source
Science and Technology Parks
RESEARCH
PUBLIC AUTHORITIES
Universities
Institutes of Technology
Public Research Organizations
Local/Regional Authorities
National Governments
European Institutions
STP
MANAGEMENT
FINANCE
Private & Public Funds
Seed Capital
Venture Capital
Investment Banks
International Donors
TT & Innovation Management
RTD Coordination & Management
Business Development
Marketing & Internazionalization
Connectivity & Information Services
Facilities & Infrastructures
Ancillary Services
Networking
ENTERPRISES
Industrial Companies
Service Companies
Science and Technology Parks
 are powerful tools for regional development









are supporters of enterprises and partners of universities
concentrate services for industrial innovation and competitiveness
exploit the research results and transfer technologies
increase the quality and standards of products and production methods
help small and medium scale companies to adapt to new and advanced
technologies
foster the start-up of new hi-tech businesses
have a social role
create job opportunities for qualified individuals
facilitate the creation of inter-regional innovation networks
AREA Science Park of Trieste
the leading Science and Technology Park in Italy
with multidisciplinary features and facilities
located in Trieste and in technoAREA Gorizia (the
branch-technology pole in Gorizia)
managed by the Consorzio per l’AREA di Ricerca
Scientifica e Tecnologica (Consortium AREA), a
public research organization of the Italian
Ministry of University and Research set up in
1978, with 168 highly specialized staff (63%
graduate or PhD)…
86 R&D organizations:
17 PROs, 69 industrial R&D centres and
knowledge-intensive companies
2,450 qualified persons: researchers,
technicians, managers, entrepreneurs and
service staff
180 MEuro aggregate turnover 2011
… and with a high self financing capacity
(total revenues: 28 MEuro - 70% from Regional,
National, EU projects and services to SMEs)
a structure of valued services to support
innovation, technology transfer, business
development and internationalization
two extended campuses (55 hectares) in
Padriciano and Basovizza on the hills
surrounding Trieste in the Region Friuli Venezia
Giulia, plus one campus in Gorizia
an in-house first mile incubator of knowledgeintensive enterprises (Innovation Factory) and
peripheral regional branches (Basilicata
Innovazione, Calabria Innova) with a 40 staff
state of the art facilities (90,000 sqm), worldclass infrastructures and instrumentation
6.000 sqm of available facilities in Trieste and in
the branch structures of Gorizia
The Mission of the Consortium AREA
To enhance the territory attractiveness and competitiveness
through:
•valorisation of research results, management of innovation
and technology transfer, incubation of innovative start-ups
•high level training and education on managerial and
enterpreneurial issues
•promotion of investments in technology-intensive business
•creation and support of technology clusters, international
partnerships and business networks
AREA Science Park
The Padriciano Campus (Trieste)
AREA Science Park
Padriciano Campus
Technology Cluster of
Molecular Biomedicine
Headquarter and Facilities
ELETTRA
Synchrotron Light Laboratory
Institute of Physics of Matter
National Laboratory
Co-generation Power Plant
The Basovizza Campus (Trieste)
AREA Science Park
TechnoAREA Gorizia
AREA Science Park
a Knowledge Cluster with multi-disciplinary features
biotechnologies and diagnostics
chemistry and biochemistry
biomedical technologies & health-care
physics
new materials
nanotechnologies
energy
environmental technologies
informatics
telecommunications
electronics
The FVG Region and its Research System
A world-class context
 an international science and technology hub
converging on Trieste
 at the heart of the enlarged Europe
 a large community of national and
international research institutions
 an impressive concentration of human
resources engaged in research
 FVG is an Autonomous Region that establishes and adopts regional
development measures specifically targeted to support the growth and
competitiveness of innovative technology-intensive businesses and the
regional innovation system managed by AREA Science Park
AREA Science Park
The innovation management system
AREA Science Park
The Innovation Management System
a domestic first-mile incubator of
knowledge-intensive enterprises
from academic research spin-offs
the regional network of competence
centers for managing and diffusing
technologies and innovation inside the
regional productive system
 introducing new technologies to improve
the business
 exploring the commercial feasibility of an
idea and bringing new products to market
 protecting the intellectual property and
searching published patents as a source of
ideas and information
 competing successfully and profitably in
today fast-changing marketplace
a permanent laboratory
for hi-level training and
education in technology
brokerage and transfer
and in managerial issues
 equipped spaces
 technical and market
consultancy and assistance
services
 seed capital support for
early stage development
 administrative and legal
aids
Innovation at 360°
a permanent regional system
to improve the transferability
of the research results from
academia to industry
 scouting of research
results
 technology assessment
 market studies
 patenting
 support for the creation
of NTBFs
AREA for the regional territory: the competence centres
BUSINESS
PROCESSES
PLASTICS &
NEW MATERIALS
SHIP AND BOAT
BUILDING
sottotitolo presentazione
WOOD AND
FURNITURE
AGRICULTURE
ENERGY
AREA for the regional territory: the results
EXPLOITATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS
sottotitolo presentazione
Research groups interviewed
326
Research results evaluated
279
Exploitation interventions
580
Patents filed
70
Research agreements with companies
39
Spin-offs formed
23
Data as of 31/12/2010
* Estimation provided by a sample of companies following innovation actions implemented by AREA
AREA for the regional territory: the internationalisation of
research
A Network of 52 Research Centres
Joint commitment
of national and regional
Supported by:
Public Authorities
 Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs
 Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research
 Regional Authorities of Friuli Venezia Giulia
Strategic objective: to foster the research potential of the region, by promoting
synergies between public research institutions, by stressing cooperation between
public and private research sectors and by improving attractiveness of qualified human
capital
Coordinating Institution: AREA Science Park
Network of integrated services aimed at enhancing the international attractiveness of
mobile students and researchers
Complying with the most recent European strategies on
international mobility
A success story: the C-ERIC Distributed Research
Infrastructure
C-ERIC (Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium) will be a distributed
research facility, proposed by nine Countries (Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia), open to other interested countries.
Its scientific and “political” scopes:
 support excellent research in the field of nano-level analysis and synthesis of
materials
 contribute to implementation of European Research Area
 facilitate the access of the CEI Member Countries scientific communities to state
of the art facilities (Synchrotron Light Laboratory Elettra and Free Electron Laser
Fermi)
The initial statutory Seat will be in Trieste
AREA for the regional territory: Innovation Factory «the
mile before the first one»
Innovation Factory favours the creation of technologically innovative enterprises through:
Phase 1. Evaluation and selection of entrepreneurial idea
Phase 2. Pre-incubation
Phase 3. Establishment of the company
Innovation Factory offers:
•
•
•
•
equipped laboratories and offices
managerial, technical, administrative, financial and commercial support
training
connection to the world of business and to Venture Capital
AREA for the regional territory: Innovation Factory – the
process and the results
Up to now :
•
Innovation Factory evaluated almost 170 project ideas
•
25 Development Groups have been incubated:
•
•
Energy, security, Diet, Health, Entertainment, ICT, Water Management, etc …
Four of these established the company:
AMPED s.r.l. (ICT), modeFinance s.r.l. (finance/ICT) and G&Life s.p.a. (genetics), SBS s.r.l.
(ICT/nutrition)
2 3
168
25
100%
60%
“START UP
16
TO BE”
4
20%
15%
The mile up to the
first one =
pre-seed phase
“START-UP TO BE”
candidates
“START UP
innovation
potential
entrepreneur
potential
TO BE”
AMPED s.r.l
modeFinance s.r.l.
g&life s.p.a.
SBS s.r.l.
“START-UP”
Job #1
= first order
first mile = seed phase
AREA for the national territory: innovative collaboration
models to transfer know how to other regions
Basilicata Innovazione represents a new strategic frontier for AREA in which we are
exporting our tried and tested methodologies to a new context in Southern Italy to
enable another region to acquire the key competences we have developed and to
apply our effective methodologies. This project is being funded in part by the
European Commission.
This project has strengthened further our role as a reference point for other regions
who wish to extend their capability for technology transfer and innovation as
drivers of economic growth.
Calabria Innova, where AREA plays the role of
strategic partner, represents an innovative
networked cooperation model to support
technological innovation in Calabria. The mission is
to start a process of regional economic
development focused on innovation and technology
transfer
AREA for the Southeast Europe region: the strategy
– Innovation
the competitiveness of a territory is determined by the innovative activities
carried out by the entire economic, productive and government system, so that
it is necessary to set up territorial innovation systems and to build capacities to
manage them
– Collaboration
a good inter-functional network between industry – particularly SMEs – and RTD
organizations – particularly universities – expedite the innovation development
– Internationalization
SMEs have not enough resources and know-how to dedicate to
internationalization and new markets search so that specialized support in
international marketing and networking is a fundamental factor for innovative
business growth
AREA for the Southeast Europe region: ongoing
collaborations and projects
•
•
•
•
•
AREA is a member of the CEI Science and Technology Network since 2005
Bosnia Herzegovina: Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Science
and Technology of Republika Srpska (2009); collaborations in Republika Srpska with
the Agency for the development of SMEs, the University of Banja Luka and the
Chamber of Commerce; collaboration in the Federation of Bosnia Herzegovina with
the Agency for Development of SMEs in Sarajevo
Croatia: Memorandum of Understanding with Industrial Park Nova Gradiska (2008),
capacity building project “Technology park/BISC Nova Gradiska” (December 2010June 2012) to support strategic planning and development of a technopark and of a
local innovation system; Memoranda of Understanding with the University of Rjeka
and with Technology Park STeP Rjeka (2011); collaboration with the Technology
Transfer Office of the University of Split
Montenegro: service contract for “Business Plan Development for Establishment of
the Scientific and Technology Park in Montenegro” with the Ministry of Science;
collaboration with the Directorate for Development of Small and Medium-sized
Enterprises
Serbia: collaboration with several Serbian research and SMEs support organisations,
participation in many workshops and initiatives with Serbian institutions
AREA for the Southeast Europe region: ongoing
collaborations and projects
Opportunities from IPA Adriatic Cross Border Cooperation:
AREA is coordinating the project:
•
•
ADRIACOLD - Diffusion of Cooling and Refreshing Technologies using the Solar
Energy Resource in the Adriatic Regions: promoting and spreading the use of
alternative energy in the field of cooling on the territories of the Adriatic basin, in
order to make them achieve an increasing independence from fossil fuels
The partners: Cortea (I), Province of Rimini (I), ENEA - Italian agency for new
technologies, energy and the environment (I), Municipality of San Dorligo Della Valle
/ Dolina (I), GOLEA – Goriska Local Energy Agency (SLO), Jožef Stefan Institute (SLO),
Municipality of Piran (SLO), University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
and Naval Architecture (HR), Regional energy agency Kvarner (HR), City of Dubrovnik
(HR), The Economics Institute JSC Banja Luka (BiH), Durres Municipality (ALB)
AREA for the Southeast Europe region: opportunities for
cooperation with SEEIC
• Activities to increase the competitiveness of the region
through joint targeted action:
• Implement actions in support of Smart Growth
• Identify and select priority sectors
• ….
What can we do together?
Thank you! Questions?
Fabrizia Salvi
Project Manager
International Competitiveness Unit
Consorzio per l'AREA di Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica
Padriciano, 99 – 34149 Trieste – Italia/Italy
Tel: +39.040.375.5181
Fax: +39.040.226.698
Cell: +39.334.666.8197
fabrizia.salvi@area.trieste.it
www.area.trieste.it