The document discusses the role of universities in the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region for local and regional development. It argues that universities should (1) recognize their role in scientific research, education, and lifelong learning to address common issues across the macro-region, (2) establish cooperation agreements for joint agencies and projects in areas of shared interest, and (3) strengthen training through double degree programs at both the graduate and PhD levels to train regional development experts. The goal is for universities to help drive integration, address knowledge gaps, and support local communities through education, research, and partnerships across the Adriatic-Ionian region.

1. The training of the
local and regional development
The role of Universities
in the Adriatic-Ionian macro-region
Everardo Minardi
(University of Teramo)
eminardi@unite.it

2. Strategic focus on the
Adriatic-Ionian macro-region
• Cooperation in the field of economy, from
agriculture to industry,
• Integration in the field of knowledge, from
research to education to higher education,
• Social cohesion with particular attention to
the dynamics of migration, mobility planning,
the management of labor markets, to enhance
the poles of social economy and civil societies

3. The knot of Local and Regional
development
• Long term ethno-cultural isolation
• Knowledge gap regarding social, cultural,
economic dimensions of the different
countries of the macro region
• The two keys to diagnosis, design and
implementation of development actions:
– local
– regional

4. What is development?
• Not only the growth of gross national product,
income, financial capitalization
• Development as:
– Multiplication of the economic capital
– Innovation, development, reproduction of social
capital
– Leadership of communities and territories
– Building partnerships and joint shared between
government institutions, enterprises, representative
of the civilian economy

5. From Local development
to Regional development
• After national planning: the role of territories
and communities as development actors
• The innovation introduced by the EU: the
design of local development with partners
from other countries
• Local development as a resource and factors
of regional development

6. The local development
Integration with regional development
• The projects for local development in the Italian
regions: Marche, Abruzzo, Molise
• The areas of activity: agriculture (typical
products: wine, olive oil, cheese, etc..),zoo-
technical activities, fishing, wildlife parks and
marine parks, tourism (sea and inland tourism,
bicycle tourism), manufacturing (clothing, shoes,
furniture )
• The presence of regional projects in the
countries and territories of other EU countries

7. New instruments at European level
• Integrated nature of the agreements and
pacts for local development: the recognition
of EU macro region
• integrated nature of the relationship
between enterprises:
– the model of the EGTC,
– The model of the Cooperative of European Law
– The EU project on social innovation

8. The role of the agents of local and
regional development
• New round of actions to develop local and
regional problem: diagnosis, planning of actions,
implementation of operations, management of
operations, evaluation of results
• New professional skills
• Shared and recognized training courses:
– a deficit to fill
– And possible to outline a training shared and
participated

9. What role for the University in the
context of macro-region?
• Recognize and strengthen the vocation of the
Italian Adriatic Universities (from Trieste to
Lecce)
• In a context of restructuring of universities is
an urgent need to redesign the role of the
university, not only Italian ones, in:
– scientific Research
– In the higher education curriculum
– In the post-degree training and lifelong learning

10. Redesigning scientific research
• The value of common Adriatic identity
• The problem of new energy and the development of local
resources
• The networking of enterprises in the context of macro-
regional
• Cooperation agreements aimed at the joint creation of
agencies, consisting of players from different countries of the
Adriatic macro-region for the implementation of interventions
in areas of common interest:
– internal communications to the macro region,
– cultural heritage,
– maritime tourism and inland areas,
– traditional crafts of different regions,
– fishing and other areas of common interest.

11. Strengthening the provision of training
• Degree Courses (master) with double university
degree in areas of special interest, such as tourism,
agriculture, advanced technologies, health and social
welfare, civil economy
• International Courses Phd (doctorate) in double
degree aimed at training of agents of local and regional
development, with the assistance of international
organizations
• Higher education courses on topics and issues of
common interest and contribute to dialogue and
planning of interventions in the context of problem
solving.