Anna Giorgi of UNIMONT – Centre of Excellence of the University of Milan, Action Group 1 Leader – Research and Innovation of the EU Strategy for the Alpine Region, was invited to participate in the work for the establishment of the “Confindustria per la Montagna” network on 23rd March, 2018, in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Starting from the consideration that the development of mountain areas is an important theme that must be placed at the center of the national political agenda as a decisive element for territorial cohesion, as well as for the competitiveness and growth of the national system, “Confindustria per la Montagna” has been set up: a network within Confindustria that aims to promote projects, measures and public policies that favor the economic and social growth of mountain areas.
The value of the mountain territory, with its specificities and its many resources, needs to be recognized and placed at the center of focused and innovative initiatives, to bring modernity and development to the valleys, avoiding assistentialism and generating opportunities and wealth.
Competitiveness and development require innovation generated by strong and continuous collaboration between the world of universities and research, as well as the business world and that of institutions and policy makers. In this context, the Confindustria initiative is of great importance, since it aims to be the network of the Italian business community that can communicate with university and research networks for the development of mountain areas of Italy that the Mountain University has been working on for some time and that, as part of the Italian Mountain Lab project, with the mandate of the MIUR, is currently implementing.
UNIMONT is a unique and innovative university campus, Center of Excellence of the University of Milan, which has been involved in research, innovation and training comprehensive and consistent with the specificities and resources of mountain areas. An active and dynamic “laboratory”, that experiments innovation for mountain areas, uses technology to disseminate good practices and update professionals, which provides education, in the mountains, to about 300 students from all over Italy and, making best use of communication tools, has put together a “Virtual community” with over 20,000 contacts.