4progr_strategico_ing

THE FOURTH STRATEGIC PROGRAMME
2008-2010
OF THE PROVINCE OF MILAN
“SUPPORTING
INNOVATIVE PEOPLE
CREATING
INNOVATIVE PLACES”
copertina 27-01-2009 9:01 Pagina 1

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The process of administrative reform, which has led to a new, dif-
ferent distribution of competences between central administration
and local bodies, has enabled the latter to define and put in place a
new focus for supporting innovation and promoting economic
development in reference to the territorial contexts.
The Province of Milan has always been characterised by the atten-
tion it pays to questions of local economic development and the
drawing up of precise guidelines for intervention aimed at suppor-
ting enterprises and their innovation processes .
Identification of strategic lines for intervention follows the political
and programme instructions issued by local Government and is a
result of consolidated consultation activity by the main institutional
and economic players in the Milan area: enterprise associations,
Chamber of Commerce, universities, development agencies and
research centres.
The point of synthesis for this activity is the elaboration of a three-
year "Strategic programme to support innovation and growth of
production activities", for which this document is the fourth edition.
The positive results achieved by the previous editions of the
Strategic Programme have encouraged us to continue tackling the
challenge of consolidating the transformation path of our producti-
ve fabric, focusing on development of the " knowledge economy ".
The challenges of global competition increasingly call for interven-
tion focused on enhancing the many talents present in this area and
throughout Italy.
Filippo Penati
President of the Province of Milan
PRESENTATION
Progetto4 ingl 27-01-2009 14:54 Pagina 1

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CONTENTS
SUMMARY pag. 4
NEW POLICIES FOR INNOVATION pag. 6
1. Urban development and knowledge economy pag. 6
2. Innovation and creativity pag. 8
3. Innovation, ICT and social networking pag. 10
4. A cross-sector approach pag. 12
OBJECTIVES, LINES OF ACTION, INITIATIVES pag. 14
1. Interpretation for the Milan area pag. 15
2. The new objectives of the Strategic Programme page pag. 16
3. Actions and initiatives pag. 18
3.1 Supporting the statement of “community of innovators” pag. 18
3.2 Strengthening the social value of innovation pag. 19
3.3 Making the most of opportunities offered by the network and by Milan digital city pag. 20
3.4 Strengthening connective tissue between creativity and innovation,
promoting “places” of innovation pag. 21

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The Fourth Strategic Programme for Innovation 2008-2010 of the Province of Milan, following up previous
experiences, is a programming and knowledge tool for both players of the innovation system and citizens, with
the aim of supporting transformation and competitiveness in the Milan metropolitan area.
In detail, the Fourth Strategic Programme 2008-2010:
☞ as part of the new local and international scenarios, focuses on the cognitive dimension of the economy
and puts the Milan urban region in the centre as a starting point for development of the whole of the
North-west.
☞ aims at strengthening the quality dimension of territorial contexts as a condition for development and
competitiveness, concentrating in particular on the “extended city” as a place where new production rela-
tionships exist, develop and fuel a system able to meet the challenges posed by innovation, globalisation
of the economy and the digital era.
From this point of view it strengthens the directives of the previous Strategic Programme 2005-2007, which pro-
posed a view of innovation that highlighted the role of territorial systems as suppliers and producers of advan-
ced services and as fields characterised by effectiveness of action by public administration and by global envi-
ronmental and social quality.
SUMMARY

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☞ the Fourth Strategic Programme 2008-2010 above all defines four main goals, from a concept point of
view and a more concrete aspect:
• support for the statement of the “community of innovators”
• strengthening of the social value of innovation through support for innovative processes/projects,
not only in the field of technology
• full use of the opportunities offered by the network and Milan digital city
• strengthening of the connective tissue between creativity and innovation through support to confirm
new material networks and through promotion of new “places of innovation”.

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Cities, and in particular large metropolitan areas, are
once again at the centre of international debate linked
to questions of innovation and economic development.
Cities are in fact considered a “heterogeneous conglo-
merate of fixed social capital useful for growth" and
with their growth process they expand the limits of the
economic system at their base, thanks to the positive
externalities that they offer to those who produce and
trade wealth.
The driving force of the most evolved urban model is
the service industry and it orients its production system
towards a model founded on the knowledge economy.
In the knowledge economy, the real capital of enterpri-
ses is made up of people and their qualities and for this
wealth to develop businesses and new ideas must be
able to emerge and grow.
Workers of knowledge, who work in big metropolitan
areas, are responsible for providing a link between the
old and the new, using formal and informal relation-
ship networks. We must therefore see the city as a dri-
ver for regional development, whereby actions are
implemented to promote competitiveness, social cohe-
sion, quality of life and valorisation of the social and
cultural heritage.
We must not however forget that cities also have to
deal with a number of important problems that may
condition their future development and the develop-
ment of their territorial contexts: a serious tendency
towards sub-urbanisation, the concentration of pockets
of poverty and unemployment and greater traffic con-
gestion. Complex problems that call for integrated
solutions incorporating policies for development and
innovation with policies regarding transport, accom-
modation, training and social integration.
NEW POLICIES FOR INNOVATION
11.. UUrrbbaann ddeevveellooppmmeenntt aanndd kknnoowwlleeddggee eeccoonnoommyy
The EU and the Knowledge economy
The goal set with the “Lisbon Agenda” in 2000 was to make
Europe "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based
economy in the world, capable of sustainable economic growth
with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion” by 2010.
The “Strategic Guidelines for European Cohesion Policy , 2007-
2013”, a regulatory framework for European Funds, imposes a
new structural orientation of the economy towards activities
based on knowledge and scientific and technological research,
promoting innovation towards new or improved products, pro-
cesses and services capable of dealing with international compe-
tition.
These highlight the role of cities: “cities and urban areas in gene-
ral are the home of most jobs, businesses and higher education
institutions and are the key to achieve social cohesion. European
cities and metropolitan areas tend to attract highly skilled wor-
kers, often creating a virtuous circle that, stimulating innovation
and business, increases the capacity to attract new talents.
Actions for promoting cities as drivers for development should,
according to the European Union, include measures for promo-
ting entrepreneurship, innovation and development of services,
including those for businesses. For this reason it is important to
attract and keep highly qualified personnel through measures
for promoting and sustaining the development of talents, promo-
ting accessibility and the offer of cultural services.

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Milan city-region
With a view to focusing on the "extended
city" as a driver for regional development,
we must identify the role Milan currently
plays and the role it could play in the futu-
re, also identifying the medium-term scena-
rio, with particular reference to innovation-
related questions.
Milan has grown and continued to maintain
its characteristic as "Middle earth", as its
very name seems to indicate. Milan has in
fact become the Italian city that better than
any other has managed to insert itself into
international economic-productive flows
and to maintain one of the highest levels of
system innovation on the Italian panorama.
Milan is not just the city of Italian finance,
the world capital of fashion and design, but
also a production system specialised in che-
mistry and pharmaceuticals (with an emer-
ging cluster in biotechnologies), in mecha-
nics, electro-mechanics and telecommuni-
cations. From a territorial point of view,
administrative and geographical borders
have long since been exceeded, absorbed
by an urban continuum and a system of net-
work economies.
Milan, from being a metropolitan city, has
become a mega city region that reaches
beyond the borders of Lombardy, reaching
Piedmont, Emilia and right up to the Canton
Ticino, focusing on building a system of
networks and alliances also with other
mega city regions in Europe.
In its relationship with Europe, however,
Milan shows several important limits that
can be traced back to the shortcomings of
its infrastructures, its poor capacity of
attracting talents and new multinational
businesses and its incapacity to implement
any form of governance on a metropolitan
and Milan Urban Region level.
One particular weak point is the low envi-
ronmental quality of its territory, accompa-
nied by a definite reduction of cultural and
entertainment offer. These two factors pena-
lise the well-being of its residents, their
quality of life and the attractiveness of the
territory itself.
Beyond these limits Milan maintains its
strong point: it is at the centre of important
networks that have transformed it from an
“engine” for the country into a “gateway”, a
junction and access point between the
healthiest production system in Italy and
the globalised world.

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Creative Industries in Europe are
characterised by three kinds of
business: a large number of free-
lance professionals and micro-
enterprises, numerous small and
medium-sized enterprises and
finally, a few large major compa-
nies and media corporations,
giving an average of 5 employe-
es per company. While traditio-
nal industrial sectors are tending
to lose their capacity to create
jobs, Creative Industries on the
other hand, continue to have
high growth potential and are
therefore taking on an increasin-
gly more important role as part
of the Lisbon Agenda and indu-
strial development strategies for
the whole of Europe.
In the knowledge economy, competition is more and
more based on immaterial factors, rewarding research
and perfection of creative skills, personal talent and the
capacity to exploit the latter in a work team.
The economy, in its current phase of transition towards
the cognitive dimension, sees companies increasingly
feeding on with the creative abilities of people, their
capacity to identify and resolve problems of a complex
nature.
Creative people offer a fundamental contribution to the
innovation system as they are recognised contributors
to wealth and employment, in this way managing to
activate a flow of immaterial resources necessary for
supporting economic development.
Creativity and innovation are therefore interconnec-
ted and linked to the current system of economic deve-
lopment.
The business asks for “innovation” from outside in its
most complex form, made up of human and financial
capital, information regarding the market and competi-
tion, etc.
The external environment responds by supplying inno-
vative knowledge, talented new personnel, innovation-
focused finance, information about consumer psycho-
logy and market opportunities. People’s choices and
lifestyles are increasingly influenced by what R.
Florida, in his research “Italy in the creative era” defi-
nes as ethos.
In this context the choice of “where to live” becomes
just as important as “who to work for”.
The city becomes a privileged habitat, able to pro-
mote the development of creativity. This city environ-
ment is precisely what can facilitate the inclusion of
individuals in the creative economy and in the kno-
wledge economy and so doing it also combats forms of
marginalisation.
The development of policies able to support expansion
of the “creative class” is strictly linked to the objective
of helping the city to be competitive in the era of
knowledge economy .
This is why we need to provide players in the creative
production system with connective tissue made up of
urban places, as physical as they are symbolic/the-
matic, allowing them to build high level collaborative
relationships and a free and on-going interchange of
acquired knowledge.
The fundamental role of public governance of the
territory which emerges is therefore to identify and
promote efficient dynamic social and communication
networks, institutional innovations and organisational
models for the development of new cultural values.
22.. IInnnnoovvaattiioonn aanndd ccrreeaattiivviittyy

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Milan in the Knowledge
Economy
Milan must reflect on how to
make the most of opportunities of
the knowledge economy and how
to take advantage from the deve-
lopment of its creative class.
Conditions for developing this
observation are today all in place
and they start, primarily, with the
cclloossee--kknniitt nneettwwoorrkk ooff eexxiissttiinngg
ccrreeaattiivvee eenntteerrpprriisseess, but also
with special situations like the pre-
sence of some of the bbeesstt iinntteerr--
nnaattiioonnaall sscchhoooollss ooff ccoommmmuunniiccaa--
ttiioonn,, ddeessiiggnn aanndd ffaasshhiioonn, which,
linked to a real industrial presen-
ce on the territory, represent the
ideal mix for development of that
fundamental factor for the deve-
lopment of the city that is the
capacity to aattttrraacctt ttaalleennttss.
The transformation of vast areas
of the city from industrial districts
into zones characterised by the
presence of advanced services,
the growth of a strong driver for
individual entrepreneurship, a
widespread positive orientation
regarding risk-taking linked to the
tolerance in case of failure, make
the Milan area the perfect loca-
tion for the development of the
Milan creative area.
Milan stands out over other Italian
cities for the presence of “creati-
ve capital” nevertheless despite it
possesses the necessary econo-
mic and financial resources,
entrepreneurial know-how and a
substantial cultural area, it finds it
hard to start up and consolidate
policies that make the circulation
of knowledge and its creative peo-
ple’s competences fluid, perma-
nent and widespread.
From this point of view, one of the
greatest limits is represented by
ddiissppeerrssiioonn and ddiissiinntteeggrraattiioonn of
the creative individuals working in
the city due to a lack of areas for
aggregation that act as catalysers
for the universe of international
creativity.

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Digital divide and access to the net:
guidelines from international bodies
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), organised
by the UN (United Nation Organisation) with the “Tunis
Agenda” (2005). It commits countries to using ICT potential for
the creation of a public information system and public places for
access, which must be universal in order to overcome the digital
divide so that everyone may exploit the potential of ICT for deve-
lopment.
In 2005, with the Universal Declaration at the General
Conference, UNESCO proposed that member countries:
• encourage “digital literacy” and ensure greater command of
new information and communication technologies;
• promote language diversity in cyberspace and encourage uni-
versal access through the global network to all information of
public dominion ;
• combat the digital divide and encourage mobility of creators,
artists, researchers, scientists and intellectuals and the develop-
ment of programmes and cooperation in international research.
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), an annual appointment
promoted by UN with participation by Governments, Businesses
and the Civil Society, during the last meeting in Rio de Janeiro
(2007) focused its attention, among other things, on questions of
access to the net, contents and services as a prerogative, partici-
pation in the Information society; of diversity/multi-culturalness as
a wealth and a right; of Openness as freedom on the net to gather,
process, express and communicate ideas, information, intellec-
tual objects and all kinds of awareness.
With the January 2008 Resolution of the European Parliament on
the IGF in Rio De Janeiro 2007, institutions involved within the
European Union are invited to consider the Tunis agenda in their
legislation, concentrating on tools for making the net accessible to
a greater number of people and on technological neutrality and
ICT development.
Over recent years the digital era has led us into a diffe-
rent world where social relationships have changed
radically. The digital network can be imagined as a big
mechanism that allows people to interact, work, have
fun and find information.
Today we are all linked through a non-stop growing
network that is configured as a social network.
The network creates value and opportunity for busi-
nesses and economy but also enables people to struc-
ture new interrelations that produce "social capital",
widespread knowledge and creativity not only at the
service of the economy but also for improving quality
of life.
ICT is already today the first real “Global
Industry”: all sectors are influenced by it in different
ways and it is therefore the world’s biggest industry.
The future prospects a system that includes research
and development, creativity, technologies and finan-
cing, talent and innovation.
The new reality we live in today has been defined as
the “era of access”: an era where “access” to knowled-
ge and social participation are increasingly conditio-
ned by the possession of technological competences
that, integrated with basic ones, allow us to “dialogue”
with technologies, guaranteeing new forms of demo-
cracy and social equity.
Unfortunately the distribution and the speed of intro-
duction of information and communication technolo-
gies seem to differ depending on countries, regions and
sectors and the related advantages appear not to be
distributed evenly.
Development of the information society has highli-
ghted the existence of obstacles that hinder access to
technologies by certain social categories, leading to
new forms of illiteracy and social exclusion.
The task of public policies supporting innovation is to
accelerate activation of initiatives that allow a reduc-
tion of these obstacles, encourage the social use of the
net and make the best use possible of all opportunities
offered by the net to expand the range of innovative
online services for businesses and citizens, with parti-
cular reference to services in the field of health and
assistance.
33.. IInnnnoovvaattiioonn,, IICCTT aanndd ssoocciiaall nneettwwoorrkkiinngg

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Milan digital city
Lombardy concentrates more than a quarter of its turnover in information techno-
logy.
IT costs per employee stand at around 30% more than the national average and this
is where 27% of Italy’s software and service companies are based, with a level of
IT sector specialisation that is above average for Italian regions.
Many of these strong points rotate around the metropolitan zone of Milan:
- enormous progress has been made by metropolitan fibre-optic networks and
Milan is the number one beneficiary;
- most of the headquarters of Italian IT companies are concentrated in Milan or its
suburbs, creating a unique mix of business volume, international presence and
technological innovation.
- there is a large creative class that uses the network to produce and create new
social networks.
- figures for digital divide and use of the net put Milan on a par with other large
metropolitan areas worldwide.
For all these reasons the Milan area can consider itself to be a digital district in the
true sense of the term in the knowledge economy , able to act in Italy and Europe.
It is necessary however for local administration, the experiences of academies and
research, the world of businesses and work to know how to put in place system
governance and a coherent map of what is on offer for the knowledge society, to
avoid that the continual series of service proposals and contents outside a harmo-
nious coordinated platform may dissipate an important part of their innovative ener-
gy.
This key can also be used to read the concrete possibility of defining a new Milan
model of social cohesion that is constructed by taking advantage of the opportuni-
ties of the net, starting with the definition of innovative services that meet the need
of disadvantage groups (the ill, the elderly, immigrants, etc…) and protection of the
environment and that promote the participation of citizens in public decisions (e-
democracy).

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It is a widely shared the opinion that measuring inno-
vation in terms of research and development or num-
ber of patents has been replaced by a vision that takes
into consideration new indicators such as the availabi-
lity of financial, commercial, consultancy and public
utility services.
The capacity to innovate is a process distributed
throughout all sectors of the society and economy, it
involves many players and has become a multi-direc-
tional and interactive process able to embrace the
definition of new products but also of new services,
technical standards, business models and all those pro-
cesses where “hidden” innovation is developed and
enhanced.
Public policies for the promotion and support for
innovation must continue to set themselves the goal of
removing obstacles to the spreading of innovation:
- supporting the capacity to transform research into
innovation of product, process and in the field of ser-
vices with market prospects;
- encouraging technological transfers and exchange
of knowledge;
- promoting development, spreading and adoption of
ICT on a business level;
- guaranteeing access to credit for companies that
intend to invest in goods and services with high added
value.
Public policies however must broaden their viewpoint
and intervention strategy.
In particular, with the growing importance of networks
and interdisciplinary relationships as a reference point,
local and regional strategies must define and promote
new initiatives for implementing the three big new
items that today characterise innovation:
• radical innovation, namely the process of punctual
and inconsistent technological change deriving from a
well-thought planned path of research and develop-
ment by companies, institutions and research centres.
44.. AA ccrroossss--sseeccttoorr aapppprrooaacchh
The OECD “Milan territorial review”
Following the elaboration of the Third Programme 2005-2007
and starting with the necessity to have access to more organic
analyses regarding the positioning of the Milan metropolis in the
context of international competitiveness, the Milan Provincial
Authorities commissioned OECD (Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development) with a 360° review of the metro-
polis’ development prospects.
This prestigious international body was therefore able to prepare
a complete report resulting in the drawing up of the “Milan ter-
ritorial review”, containing a series of considerations and preci-
se instructions.
With reference to the theme of innovation it is confirmed that
“Milan suffers from a lack of integrated coherent policies for
innovation of its metropolitan area” and gives three main axes
within which actions for tackling the challenges of competitive-
ness are identified:
- powering up of services to enterprises;
- the capacity to make the most of the existing local heritage of
international scope;
- activities that aim at producing “breakthrough” innovations.
Regarding the latter question, it is confirmed that incremental
innovations produced by businesses need to be accompanied by
radical innovations that are usually generated in public and pri-
vate research centres or in universities.
.
Being there a “weakness of the market” (innovations are not pro-
duced and spread autonomously by the economic system),
public intervention is necessary if the regional economy is to
effectively benefit.

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This kind of innovation depends on the scientific and
technological contribution made by research and on
strong technological transfer from other sectors, there-
fore on close cooperation between research and indu-
stry, between scientific and production sectors and on
strong infra-sector relationships;
• social innovation and of business communities,
namely all the strategies and initiatives developed by
institutions, companies and no-profit organisations,
which have the improvement of the quality of life of
collectivities, quality of the work environment of wor-
kers (and all those who interact with the company and
sustainable development of the entire community), as
their main goal.
• responsible innovation and cultural innovation,
linked also to the concept of diversity, in other words
the process of change that instead of just following an
ideal of unlimited progress, which risks being econo-
mically and socially unsustainable and therefore basi-
cally politically without sense, has the courage and the
maturity to reflect in an informed manner on its own
profound sense and its final purposes.
Past experience:
The Third Strategic Programme 2005-2007
The 3rd Strategic Programme 2005-2007
was based on the conviction that it is no longer
enough to highlight the importance of innovation
and investments in R&D,
but it is necessary to promote a vision and a global
culture of innovation both as an attitude
towards change and an articulated process
able to confer competitiveness to
businesses and the territory.
For this reason the
Third Strategic Programme considered
innovation depending on four main aspects:
- Innovation as a complex global market of technologies, competences and
solutions, whose adoption may have a positive effect on the entire business value chain;
- Innovation as entrepreneurship, which implies a culture open to risk
and experimentation as the foundations for business;
- Innovation as the whole of specific approaches that take on different connotations and characteristics
in relation to the multiple business contexts, production sectors, characteristics of companies;
- Innovation as a responsibility of the territorial government, in other words a process that has as its
end receivers companies, but whose fundamental variables lie mainly on a territorial level,
which must intervene on variables that go beyond market mechanisms.

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THE OBJECTIVES,
LINES OF ACTION, INITIATIVES

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TWO GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILAN
Expo 2015: an opportunity for a new “Pact for eco-innovation for
the whole of the Milan Urban Region”
“Feeding the planet, energy for life” is the theme chosen by Milan
for Expo 2015. Expo 2015 considers food, energies and protection
of the environment as interlinked problems that call for interven-
tion policies structured on a global and local level.
Expo 2015 represents a unique opportunity for relaunching the
city of Milan. It is in fact a huge chance to create a “complex of
useful services" able, once the event is over, to contribute to
improving the quality of the city’s eco-system, completing those
unfinished modernisation processes of transport, hospitality and
services for people.
Expo 2015 is an event that in addition to mobilising extraordina-
ry resources and millions of people, will strengthen the relation-
ship of Milan with networks and hubs of globalisation.
The area: the site that will house the exhibition will cover a surfa-
ce area of over 1,200,000 square metres.
The budget: it is expected to cost a total of €4.2 billion, of which
€3.2 billion will be dedicated to the infrastructures necessary for
the event and 900 million to its organisation and management.
Participation: estimated at almost 30 million people, with 25%
from abroad and an average of around 160,000 visitors every day
over the six-month event.
Mobility: the volume of visitors to the event will represent an ave-
rage of 320,000 transfers, equal to just over 7% of the daily total
of transfers in the municipality of Milan.
Exhibitors: Expo will see the presence of 180 accredited exhibi-
tors:
120 foreigners, 10 international organisations, 22 from Italy and
30 corporate exhibitors.
The events: during the six months of exhibitions there will be
approximately 7000 events of a scientific and cultural nature.
The Agency of Innovation
The Agency for the Spreading of Innovation Technologies, head-
quartered in Milan, was set up with Law no. 266 in 2005, defining
its purpose as “growing the competitive capacity of small and
medium-sized enterprises and industrial districts, through the
spreading of new technologies and relative industrial applica-
tions”.
The directive criteria of the statute of the Agency include funda-
mental assessment of innovation projects linked to "Industry
2015", but also promotion and coordination of the forecast of
technological, scientific and economic trends, as well as definition
of training paths and accompaniment of innovation processes.
The prerogatives attributed to the Agency will allow it to become
a tool that meets the purposes of competitiveness in the knowled-
ge economy that Europe defined with the "Lisbon Agenda".
Milan and the entire industrial district of the North of Italy will
benefit in an extraordinary way from an Agency that thanks also to
the possibilities of stipulating agreements and conventions with
regional authorities and local organisations, will also act as an
accompanying tool for Italian industry towards innovation proces-
ses.
A new approach to innovation calls for a more cogent
territorial interpretation of public support policies.
The territorial context is in fact the most visible and
concrete point for interaction between the promoters of
innovation.
Innovation policies in the Milan area call for the follo-
wing:
☞ sharing of clear objectives whereby the exten-
ded city, in a logic of eco-system, is able to con-
nect and make the various factors of production,
culture, training, research and human resources
factors interact with the aim of constructing, pro-
gramming and managing relationships within the
territory in the best way.
☞ making shared leaderships and talents emerge,
in particular creative ones that Milan already pos-
sesses, whose increasingly needs to maintain and
develop its primacy are a priority. The city needs a
creative class capable of generating a constant even
flow of information between the different cultural
contexts and of streamlining production with evo-
lution of lifestyles and consumption, creating ele-
ments of discontinuity in the project processes of
businesses and generating genuine cooperation bet-
ween the world of training, research, production
and innovative services;
☞ greater opening up to new ideas and challenges,
with the consequent capacity for experimenting
new interaction. The community of innovators
must contribute to a better definition of the role of
Milan in the Lombardy territorial system, overco-
ming the centre logic to make the most of its com-
petitive advantages as a hub in the network.
Milan is still Italy’s most important portal for the
exchange with the global economy, a role favou-
red by its history and geographical position.
However, for the city to aspire in the future to a
position of definite leadership on an international
level, investments must be made to strengthen the
links between the economic systems.
11.. IInntteerrpprreettaattiioonn ffoorr tthhee MMiillaann aarreeaa

16
Concrete actions supporting the economic develop-
ment of the Milan area taken up over recent years by
the Province of Milan have developed on the basis of
orientations and instructions contained in the previous
three-year “strategic programmes”.
These actions can generally be grouped into two kinds
of intervention:
• Direct support for the productive system through
contributions and funding for SMEs through public
calls for application, aimed above all at supporting
the birth of new enterprises and the innovation pro-
cesses of existing ones;
• Specific projects implemented directly by the
Province of Milan or promoted in collaboration with
institutional and private partners, and in particular
with development agencies, business service centres,
research centres and Milan universities.
The Fourth Strategic Programme 2008-2010 follows
up and consolidates the objectives and instructions
given in the previous programming documents, but
above all, it introduces new objectives and indica-
tions for the development of concrete actions deriving
from the considerations developed earlier in this docu-
ment.
☞ Objectives of consolidation:
• strengthening of the network of relation-
ships between businesses, universities, institu-
tions and research centres, which forms the
territory-laboratory of the knowledge econo-
my for the Milan urban region;
• support for growth of a number of emerging
economic sectors like creative industry, biote-
chnologies and the multimedia sector.
• safeguarding and enhancement of traditio-
nal manufacturing, which represents an eco-
nomic, social and employment asset threate-
ned by global competition;
• activation of new services and new tools to
support and accompany organisational tran-
sformation processes of SMEs, processes for
their placement in international markets,
access to knowledge resources and to the pri-
vate credit system;
• enhancing the scientific research in Milan
and the technological transfer to businesses in
the area.
☞ The following are new objectives for the
three-year period 2008-2010:
• support for the statement of the “communi-
ty of innovators”;
• strengthening of the social value of innova-
tion through support for innovative proces-
ses/projects, not only in the field of technolo-
gy;
• full use of the opportunities offered by the
network and Milan digital city;
• strengthening of the connective context bet-
ween creativity and innovation through the
support to confirm new material networks
and the promotion of new “places of innova-
tion”.
22.. TThhee nneeww oobbjjeeccttiivveess ooff tthhee SSttrraatteeggiicc PPrrooggrraammmmee

1717

18
3.1 Supporting the success of the
“community of innovators”
• Strengthening the “chain” of measures and initia-
tives to support the creation of new innovative
businesses, with special reference to those set up in
the field of research. In particular, public action
will have to strengthen and complete the “cycle” of
measures supporting the start-up of entrepreneurial
businesses by youngsters and researchers with
measures that include idea-scouting, “business
plan competitions”, awards for the best entrepre-
neurial ideas, funding for business start-up with
pre-seed grants, the activation of seed capital
funds. Finally, initiatives for promoting greater pre-
sence of foreign capitalist ventures in the Milan
area need to be activated.
• Supporting the innovative processes of busines-
ses with special reference to protection of intellec-
tual property of Milan SMEs.
This may be achieved by continuing the by now
consolidated financial support for international
patenting processes by SMEs and also by activating
new initiatives for promoting abroad innovative
products/processes by Milan businesses. Attention
must also be paid to supporting protection proces-
ses for intellectual property developed by universi-
ties and marketing and licensing procedures for
patents by Milan universities.
• Supporting growth of clusters and emerging pro-
duction sectors through the implementation of bio-
technological clusters and the Milan Information
Communication Technology cluster.
Special attention will also have to be dedicated to
the development of businesses for the production
of environmental technologies and technologies
for cultural heritage.
• Enhancing the professional competences of
Milan’s talents and young researchers also through
definition of new professional figures specialised
in the enhancement of research activity; powering
up the system of industrial placements and inter-
national exchange.
• Enhancing good practices in innovation and sup-
porting promotion paths and initiatives for the cul-
ture of knowledge and innovation; this may come
about thanks to the powering up of initiatives,
events, exhibitions and awards for spreading awa-
reness of examples of excellence in the entrepre-
neurial and research sector.
18
With relation to the four objectives identified, the pages that follow give the standard instructions for the fields
of action where the Province of Milan will intervene by developing projects and its own initiatives, in collabo-
ration with other institutional partners and economic subjects.
33.. AAccttiioonnss aanndd iinniittiiaattiivveess

3.2 Strengthening the social
value of innovation
• Promoting initiatives to allow the elderly and
those who yet have not had the opportunity to
approach the world of computers to be autono-
mous in their use of services available online. This
could be made possible by the setting up of perma-
nent dedicated training centres/aggregation centres
(also in compliance with the lifelong learning pro-
gramme of the European Commission).
Furthermore, support must also be provided for
projects promoted by public and private operators,
with the objective of expanding the range of servi-
ces available online and the production of new
technologies linked to the safety of the elderly (pre-
vention from fraud and criminality), health emer-
gencies and communication with their families
• Promoting excellences in those activities of e-
government that have the greatest social impact
such as health. Support must be given in particular
to those projects that, involving health institutions,
will allow this territory to be a leader in remote
relationships with citizens and patients. Again in
this case, support must be given to projects promo-
ted by public and private operators that aim at set-
ting up and expanding the range of services availa-
ble online and the production of new technologies.
• Supporting initiatives aimed at improving the
level of accessibility to the net for the differently
abled; supporting research and technological inno-
vation initiatives that focus on the expansion of the
range of solutions and services for improving their
quality of life.
• Promoting a reduction in the digital divide with
special reference to the segment of the population
made up of economically and socially challenged
adolescents and those with learning difficulties;
this could be implemented by supporting the spre-
ad of low-cost computers and the activation of
experimental projects for the use of the net.
• Keeping on about the support already set up for
immigrant enterprises as a factor for economic
development for the Milan area and as a tool for
social integration. It is necessary to further stren-
gthen information and training tools, and continue
with the preparation of funding tools like those that
have led to the setting up of the PRIMI guarantee
fund.
• Supporting the spreading of new paradigms for
entrepreneurial innovation and organisation based
on the concept of socially responsible enterprise.
This may be achieved by supporting enterprises
that focus on innovation of products and produc-
tion processes based, for example, on values of
environmental sustainability and safety in the wor-
kplace and that promote organisational innovation
processes focused on improving participation in
work life.
19

20
3.3 Making the most of the
opportunities offered by the network
and by Milan digital city
• Completing the coverage in optical fibre and via
wi-max of the Milan area; this must be carried out
by private operators while public intervention aim
at operating to guarantee a lower cost of connec-
tion for operators who provide online services for
public use. In this direction the Province of Milan
will complete its fibre network within the foreseen
planning period to guarantee low-cost connection
for municipalities, universities, schools and other
public bodies in the Milan area.
• Guaranteeing unlimited free access to the net for
certain categories of people will be another objec-
tive of the Province of Milan. For this reason forms
of free access to the net will be experimented by
students, also as a form of complete accompli-
shment of the being entitled to university study.
• Supporting public and private operators in
design, realisation and supply of online services for
SMEs. Support must be provided in particular to
small and medium-sized enterprises for the adop-
tion of forms of e-commerce as a tool for expanding
their marketing strategies and some ways of reorga-
nising relationships with clients and suppliers.
Support must also be given to small and medium-
sized companies that operate in the tourism sector
for a quick adaptation with European standards for
online reservations and payments.
• Design and realisation, with cooperation betwe-
en public institutions and private operators in the
transport sector, of a centre for info-mobility per-
mitting information regarding traffic conditions to
be gathered and processed for users of Milan’s road
and motorway network.
• Making the most of the possibilities offered by
web 2.0 to promote forms of social networking and
performance of online communities. In this direc-
tion, a special effort will be implemented by the
Province of Milan to promote forms of e-democra-
cy aimed at increasing opportunities for dialogue
and participation by citizens in public administra-
tion decisions.

21
3.4 Strengthening the connective
background between creativity
and innovation, promoting “locations”
for innovation
• Following up and consolidating support for the
birth of new creative businesses through granting
of funds for start-up and also by providing services
for their consolidation and spaces with special ren-
tal conditions for the first years of business.
Initiatives may be identified to support innovation
in certain specific sectors of creative businesses like
audiovisual, entertainment, publishing and design
ones.
• Strengthening and multiplying occasions and
opportunities of contact between young creative
designers. These occasions must aim at strengthe-
ning opportunities for information/training and
chances for the exchange of experiences on a natio-
nal and international level.
It is also necessary to develop opportunities for free-
lance creative designers and producers to meet with
businesses and subjects that are potential clients
and financers.
• Promoting locations for creativity, as physical
places for aggregation and places for the produc-
tion of value in the knowledge society. In this direc-
tion the Cantiere del Nuovo is the most relevant
intervention set up by the Province of Milan. It is an
integrated complex of places, services and activities
that intends to promote training, dynamic orienta-
tion for work and new professions, scientific and
technical research of Milan excellences. This will
also be the location for a real creative hub that will
provide creative talents with services and spaces for
pre-incubation and incubation. The Cantiere del
Nuovo will allow spaces to be made available for
everyone: rooms for consultation (library/media-
room), conference rooms, places for informal mee-
tings and events, spaces for the promotion of light

22
displays and scientific/cultural projects following
the model of the main European cities, in particular
enhancing Milan specificities as a world centre of
fashion & design and as the main centre of Italian
scientific culture.
• Supporting advertising and promotion in Italy
and abroad of the Milan sector of creative busines-
ses through the activation of portals, repertoires and
online communities.
• Powering up the study and research activities on
the quantity and quality characteristics of Milan’s
creative sector.

23
Vice President and Councillor for finance and financial policies, Companies and subsi-
diary consortia, Relationships with European Institutions, International Relations,
President of the Forum for Innovation
Alberto Mattioli
Councillor for Economic activities, Professional training, Socio-health programming,
Relationships with volunteer organisations, Associations and Third Sector, Policies for
families and the elderly, Social Services
Ezio Casati
Councillor for Housing, Metropolitan city, Simplification, Innovation, Relationships
with the conference of Mayors, Conference of Group leaders and the Foundation of the
North-West Provinces, special representative for the Alto Milanese
Matteo Mauri
Central Director of Economic Development, Training and Labour
Marcello Correra
Director of the Economic and innovation activities department
Piergiorgio Monaci
Manager of policy and strategic project service for innovation of the Milan metropoli-
tan area
Daniela Ferrè
Manager of policies for competitiveness and local development service
Debora Ligori
Staff
Andrea Bosani, Myriam Camarero, Roberto Candeago, Roberto Castelli, Pasquale Cioffi,
Fiorello Cortiana, Marcello Eusani, Luca Di Giulio, Silvia La Ferla, Ilario Mammone,
Mariella Nolli, Caterina Raia, Lucia Sinesi, Cristina Terrusi
Secretary’s Office
Pierangela Ghisetti, Diego Ravelli
Economic and innovation activities department
Viale Jenner, 24 - 20159 Milano
phone. 02.7740.3288/6480
fax 02.7740.3290/6597
www.provincia.milano.it/economia
e-mail: economia@provincia.milano.it
This strategic programme was drawn up by:

24
Printers: Tipografia Litografia A.Scotti srl – Via Circonvallazione, 47 – 20040 Cornate D’Adda (MI)
Photos: © istock.com; Milan Metropolis Development Agency; Milan Provincial Authorities.
Text and photos may not be reproduced without authorisation.
Text approved by the Provincial Executive Committee’s Deliberation no. 639
Protocol no.: 196682 of 15/09/2008.

Economic and innovation activities department
Viale Jenner, 24 - 20159 Milano
phone 02.7740.3288/6480
fax 02.7740.3290/6597
www.provincia.milano.it/economia
e-mail: economia@provincia.milano.it
copertina 27-01-2009 9:01 Pagina 2

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