La Lombardia the region remains in Italy leader on the subject of innovation but it still remains lontana from performances recorded by major European regions.
This is what emerges from the report “Research and Innovation 2022” edited by Assolombarda Study Center.
Some data collected on Lombardia are significant:
- 20% of the Italian total is concentrated in research and development expenditure.
- its universities produce 23% of the most cited scientific publications globally
- it is home to 27% of innovative startups
- 31% of the patents filed in Europe come from the Lombardy region
- 33% of high tech manufacturing workers work in the region
Human capital, digital skills and investment in R&D
To analyze an innovative ecosystem, three factors must be considered: the human capital, digital skills, and investment in research and development.
As regards the human capital, the report underlines how, in recent years, both grown in Lombardy the share of graduates in the 30-34 age group: from 29,5% in 2015 to 32,8% in 2020. However, compared to the top European performers, the detachment is about a 20% with Cataluña at 53% and Auvergne Rhône-Alpes at 51,9%. Positive, however, is theincrease in young people in training courses and that of iwritings in Lombard universities.
In 'investment in research and development in recent years, Lombardy has invested around 5,3 billion euros. Thanks to the pandemic, however, investments have decreased with a higher heat than that recorded in Germany (-3,1%), in France (-0,4%) and, above all, in Spain on the increase (+1,3% ). An average of 507 euros per inhabitant, less than a fifth of the 2.734 euros of the "top performer" Baden-Württemberg.
in digital skills Lombardy stands with a 40% lower index compared to the European average.
More competitive Lombard universities
The report highlights how the Lombard universities are more and more competitive internationally. It grows there reputation of the best universities measured from QS World University ranking and the figure of the and students that come fromabroad (+69% between 2015 and 2022, 20 subscribers in total). However, the share of international students is still far from the German regions, for example, which is estimated at around 20%.
La Research improves despite the scarcity of invested resources.
The region is keeping pace with Europe with an increase in Publications equal to +25,8% between 2019 and 2021. In this ranking tomorrow the research in clinical & life sciences (49% of publications in 2021), alongside significant shares in physics (8%), social sciences (8%) and chemistry (7%).
The report also analyzes the start-up, the largest and most widespread technology transfer vehicle.
In Lombardy, the new entrepreneurial initiatives with three years of activity represent the 4,7% of the total active businesses in 2019. Compared to Europe, they are less than 5,2% in France and 6,3% in Cataluña.
Assolombarda, Poggio: working together to overcome obstacles
“Despite the the Lombard data is still higher than the Italian one, compared to other European areas, the region continues to present a lower 'critical mass' in terms of qualified human capital, technology transfer, patents and scientific density. A circumstance that penalizes a leading economic fabric but, nonetheless, fatigued by the impact of the pandemic and the aftermath of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. It is necessary, in this sense, work together with institutions, universities, research centers and intermediate bodies to overcome, right from the start, the obstacles which prevent Lombardy from unlocking its great potential in terms of innovation, research and development, to match the performance of European benchmarks for the benefit of the region and of Italy as a whole" declared the Vice President of Assolombarda with delegation to University, Research and Human Capital, Monica Poggio.
