National Programs

The participants at this national roundtable opened their discussions by affirming that the constitutional referendum held in Italy on December 4, 2016 produced a result that leaves no room for doubt: the electorate has rejected the proposed reforms to the Constitution championed by the Renzi government. In 2006, the same fate befell the proposal put forward and supported by a center-right majority.

Smart factories, interconnected cities, and fifty billion objects hooked up to the internet by 2020: these were some of the facets of the digital revolution flagged by the roundtable participants as transforming the economic and social fabric of both advanced and developing countries. This ramping-up of technology was regarded as a game-changer, opening the doors to Industry 4.0, the promised benefits of which are manifold, including maximum volume flexibility, faster transition from prototyping to mass production, increased productivity, and reduced waste.

Though acknowledged as unpredictable in its consequences like every momentous turning point of the past, the fourth industrial revolution was hailed by participants at this national roundtable as entirely unique in terms of its pervasiveness, the profundity of the transformations induced, and the speed of the changes occasioned, marking something of a “progressive watershed” between one age and another.

The participants at this national roundtable vehemently challenged the veracity of a popular – now verging on hackneyed – belief that the Italian education system only churns out mediocrity. Nothing – it was felt – could be further from the truth. The tenor of education and training at an international level leans favorably towards the traditional system adopted in Italy which is based, in its essentials, on the Giovanni Gentile model.

Enjoying financial success and great international appeal but needing a rethink of its offerings and prospects was how participants at this roundtable described the Italian interior design industry, with the sector having reached a peculiar historical juncture. It was noted that the 2017 edition of the Salone del Mobile international furniture fair set new records in terms of attendance numbers and interest attracted among an extensive audience of foreign visitors.

Discussions at this national roundtable emphasized that sustainable mobility is a fundamental underpinning of any goods and people transport system that, while meeting movement and transportation needs, does not give rise to negative environmental and health impacts but rather contributes to ensuring improved quality of life.

Kicking off discussions at this roundtable was the observation that big data – seen by some as akin to “oil” in the sense that, like the latter, it needs to be “refined” in order to be useful – lies at the heart of data-driven innovation, the new industrial revolution. Like any revolution, it has important ramifications, in terms of new services and market dynamics, on economies and societies throughout the world.

Industry has only recently been rediscovered as having a fundamental role in Europe and the world. Industry 4.0 is a revolution that is going to change not only industry itself, but economic systems as well. The “Smart Factory” involves all phases of industrial manufacturing, from design to production and logistics, all the way to post-sales. The smart factories of the future will be part of a social network consisting of machinery, goods, workers and consumers that, as they interact, will establish a new technology-production paradigm.

Italian industry has always managed to combine intellectual creativity with manufacturing.  This is reflected in the history of its brand names, both great and small.  They embody certain values but also have their own specific meaning. Their protection is of crucial importance both to their respective companies and to consumers.

The discussions at this roundtable session were informed by a series of questions posed at the event regarding the purposes served today by Italy’s national public broadcaster (RAI), and whether it still makes sense to talk of public broadcasting in this day and age.

Participants at this national roundtable embarked on their discussion by first observing that, over the last thirty years, the Italian National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale – SSN) has assured generations of Italians a good standard of universally accessible services. Today, however, the system finds itself operating in different circumstances to the past due to technical, economic, and ethical factors.

In order to drive home the importance to the Italian economy of design as a core component of the international success of the “Made in Italy” brand, the participants at this roundtable likened the sector to oil, in the sense of being a form of “energy” fueled by the history, culture, and flair for style and beauty that have helped forge Italy’s image abroad over the centuries. This image can rest assured of its considerable appeal, stemming in part from the international appreciation of a lifestyle that continues to draw accolades globally.