Enterprises, innovation, and Milan were the three watchwords of discussions at this meeting focused on the pursuit by the Lombardy region of international competitiveness, particularly with respect to other European macro-regions of excellence, namely: Bavaria, Rhône-Alpes, Catalonia, and Baden-Württemberg. With competition between large metropolitan areas now a key element of the new globalization, it was observed that Gaetano Salvemini’s catchphrase “get Milan to fly for Italy to take off” has become a call to action and the inspiration for a package of 50 Assolombarda projects dedicated to fostering the growth of businesses on one hand, and to making the areas in which they operate attractive on the other. The ultimate aim is to create an ecosystem combining the economic and social values of an innovation chain that spans from the germ of an idea to its commercialization, and encompassing training, research, industry and services, and the market.
The first of these watchwords – “enterprises” – was seen as not just connoting businesses as vehicles of production, but also of culture, engagement, research into new products and modes of production, as well as new drivers of growth. It was noted that one dilemma which arises at a local production level is whether to focus on a handful of flagship industries, in line with the selective method adopted by cities such as Boston, or to unleash productive energies in every sector. It was suggested that the current economic situation show signs of a cautious return to growth that appears to be facilitated on the one hand by international factors, while being limited on the other by unresolved diseconomies extraneous to Italian firms, which are weighed down by excessive bureaucracy, limitations in infrastructure and in the quality of human capital, and the length of legal proceedings.
Turning to discuss the second watchword – “innovation” – the participants examined innovative strengths and those areas in which there is a lag in international competitiveness. In terms of open innovation, and in various areas of production, it was felt that Italian firms have limited resources in which to trade. The international statistics on patenting do not reward small businesses and “hidden”, non-identifiable, or institutionalized research. Yet Milan – it was emphasized – presents a forward-looking vision: a more digital city, which is a mecca for start-ups and a hub for the green economy and the sciences, as well as a melting pot for different disciplines. Plans are also afoot to redevelop the Expo site, including as a potential location from which to step up to these challenges, bound up with the prospects for a renewal of institutional governance.
Moving on to the final watchword of this meeting, it was felt that “Milan” must rise to the challenges posed by the new industry, which today plays out well beyond the confines of the production plants, and involves training, internationalization, local communities, culture, and innovation. It was submitted that in order for Milan to be an engine for Italian growth, it must draw strength from its history while not becoming fossilized as an image of the ideal city. Instead, it must forge an ideal of a city by offering a sense of direction, as encapsulated by the acronym “STEAM”, which at once evokes the force that powered the first industrial revolution while being rooted in modernity, denoting Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and design, and Management.