Innovation, I-Com: “Emilia-Romagna is Italy’s top-performing region. Wide regional gaps persist, and only five regions have an AI strategy”
• The new “Transatlantic Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index 3.0”, developed by 11 think tanks from the Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance (GTIPA), assesses the competitiveness and innovation capacity of 213 regions across 13 countries using 14 indicators.
• Massachusetts, California and Delaware lead the international ranking. In Europe, Sweden’s Greater Metropolitan Region stands out in 6th place, followed by Baden-Württemberg in 8th.
• Emilia-Romagna (44th) tops the Italian ranking, ahead of Lombardy (61st), Lazio (65th), Piedmont (71st) and Friuli-Venezia Giulia (79th). At the bottom of the national ranking are Calabria (153rd), Sicily (141st), Sardinia (139th), Apulia (138th) and Basilicata (135th).
• Italy’s strengths include high-tech exports and a number of strong regional research ecosystems. However, significant weaknesses remain in R&D investment, venture capital, human capital and talent attraction. Only Apulia, Calabria, Sardinia, Tuscany and Veneto currently have an identifiable regional strategy or legislative initiative on artificial intelligence.
Regional innovation ecosystems are playing an increasingly decisive role in the competitiveness of advanced economies. While the United States continues to dominate the top positions internationally, Europe is home to several centres of excellence, although significant regional disparities remain. In Italy, in particular, major industrial and scientific assets coexist with regional divides and structural weaknesses that constrain the country’s full innovation potential.
These are among the findings of the third edition of the “Transatlantic Subnational Innovation Competitiveness Index 3.0”, developed by 11 think tanks belonging to the Global Trade and Innovation Policy Alliance (GTIPA), with contributions from I-Com – Institute for Competitiveness, chaired by economist Stefano da Empoli. The study, whose findings will be presented and discussed on Friday, 11 September, at the University of Warsaw Main Campus during the GTIPA Summit 2026, compares 213 regions across 13 countries – Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland, Serbia, Sweden and the United States – using indicators covering the knowledge economy, globalisation and innovation capacity. For the first time, the report also examines regional preparedness for artificial intelligence.
United States leads the ranking, but Europe places three regions in the top 10
The United States dominates the ranking, accounting for seven of the top ten positions. Massachusetts, with an overall score of 95.2, confirms its position as the most competitive region for innovation, followed by California and Delaware. Among European regions, Sweden’s Greater Metropolitan Region records the strongest performance, ranking 6th, followed by Baden-Württemberg in 8th place and West Sweden in 10th.
The ranking once again highlights the extent to which major urban centres, universities, research institutions, innovative companies and advanced industries contribute to regional competitiveness. At the same time, the report reveals substantial disparities within individual countries, reinforcing the need for innovation policies that take regional characteristics and strengths into account.
Emilia-Romagna ranks first in Italy, followed by Lombardy and Lazio
Among Italian regions, Emilia-Romagna records the strongest performance, ranking 44th out of 213, with an overall score of 47.5. It is followed by Lombardy in 61st place, Lazio in 65th, Piedmont in 71st and Friuli-Venezia Giulia in 79th. Veneto, Tuscany, Liguria and Trentino rank 83rd, 87th, 88th and 90th respectively.
Further down the ranking are Marche (101st), Abruzzo (104th), Umbria (108th) and Campania (122nd). At the bottom of the Italian ranking are Basilicata (135th), Apulia (138th), Sardinia (139th), Sicily (141st) and Calabria (153rd). The results therefore confirm the persistence of wide regional disparities in the ability of Italian regions to translate human capital, investment and their productive base into innovation.
High-tech exports are a key strength, but Italy needs to invest more in research
In terms of globalisation, several Italian regions demonstrate a strong ability to compete in international markets. High-tech product exports in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy and Piedmont account for at least 9% of regional GDP.
The picture is more challenging when it comes to research investment. Only Emilia-Romagna and Piedmont record R&D intensity slightly above 2% of GDP, while in the weakest-performing regions the figure stands at just over 0.5–0.6%. The report therefore highlights the need to increase both public and private investment, foster closer cooperation between businesses, universities and research organisations, and strengthen technology transfer.
Venture capital also remains one of the main weaknesses of Italy’s innovation ecosystem. Even in Lombardy, which has the country’s most developed regional market, investment received amounts to only around 0.14% of GDP. According to the study, public policies should focus primarily on reducing risk at the early stages of investment, attracting private capital and supporting the growth and scaling of innovative companies.
Emilia-Romagna leads in patents and R&D personnel
Emilia-Romagna also stands out positively on other innovation indicators, recording more than 229 international patent applications per million inhabitants, compared with fewer than 15 in several southern regions. It also has Italy’s highest share of employees working in research and development, at 3.25% of total employment.
However, the report cautions lower-performing regions against simply seeking to replicate the models adopted by leading territories. Instead, they should concentrate resources and policies on a limited number of sectors where existing academic, industrial and productive capabilities can underpin genuine competitive specialisation.
Artificial intelligence: only five regions already have a strategy
One of the main innovations in the 2026 edition is the introduction of an indicator on AI preparedness, assessing the presence of regional policies or strategies on artificial intelligence. The indicator does not contribute to the overall ranking but is analysed separately, reflecting AI’s growing importance for productivity, economic development and innovation.
In Italy, only Apulia, Calabria, Sardinia, Tuscany and Veneto currently have an identifiable regional AI strategy or legislative initiative. The report recommends that regions develop strategies aligned with the national and European frameworks, focusing in particular on accelerating the adoption of artificial intelligence by businesses, especially SMEs, while avoiding the creation of additional layers of regulatory complexity.
With regard to human capital, the study identifies several priorities: increasing participation in tertiary education, reducing university dropout rates, strengthening STEM disciplines and managerial skills, and improving the ability to retain graduates and attract students, researchers and highly skilled workers from abroad. Even in Italy’s best-performing regions, the share of foreign-born residents with tertiary education remains at around 2%.
A global discussion on artificial intelligence policy
Alongside the Index, the GTIPA Summit, taking place in Warsaw from 9 to 11 September, will also feature the presentation of the report “GTIPA Perspectives: Making AI Policy to Drive Innovation”, bringing together 32 contributions from 28 think tanks across 30 countries to compare policies and experiences aimed at promoting the development and adoption of artificial intelligence.
The analysis identifies several shared priorities: investment in infrastructure and computing capacity, research and development, skills, adaptive regulation, and the wider uptake of AI by businesses and public administrations.
The chapter on Italy, prepared by I-Com together with Competere, argues that the country has a particular opportunity to establish leadership in AI applied to the real economy, from manufacturing and agri-food to healthcare, public services and strategic value chains.
The best practices examined include CINECA’s Leonardo supercomputer; the national strategy for attracting investment in data centres developed by MIMIT; the agreement promoted by the MADE competence centre and AI4I to accelerate AI adoption by bringing research and industrial applications closer together, particularly for the benefit of SMEs; AgID’s guidelines on AI development and procurement for public administrations; and the Reg4IA project, promoted by the Department for Digital Transformation together with the Regions to foster joint experimentation with AI applications in healthcare, mobility, environmental monitoring, tourism, territorial management and administrative procedures.
Ho usato “AI preparedness”, “innovation capacity”, “R&D intensity” e “competitive specialisation” perché sono formulazioni più naturali nel linguaggio dei report internazionali rispetto a traduzioni troppo letterali.
Read the two publications:
