R&D in Southern Italy receives financial boost
The Italian Government has announced that it will invest over €268 million in research and development (R&D) activities in the southern part of the country. The aim is to increase the competitiveness of the South. According to a statement from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the funding will be used to set up 11 joint public-private centres of excellence in the region. The centres will focus on areas of research which are likely to boost the region's socio-economic development, such as solar energy; agro-food science; pharmaceuticals; genetics; bioinformatics; and advanced materials. A further 12 high-technology clusters extending across eight southern regions will also be established using the funds. Like the centres of excellence, the clusters will bring together businesses, universities and research centres to work on technological innovations in several key sectors, namely bioscience, microelectronics, agro-industry, nanotechnologies, innovative systems of production, e-business, logistics, and cultural heritage. In addition to funding research infrastructure, the Government will also provide resources for professional training and for the setting-up of high-tech companies. It is hoped that the new investment will bring some economic gains to the southern regions, which continue to lag behind their northern counterparts. The economic divide that historically exists between the North and South in Italy is very evident in the field of R&D: in 2005 the North spent 0.4% of GDP on R&D, while the South only invested 0.2%.
Countries
Italy