introduction

The purpose of the Artimino Meetings is to constitute a periodical occasion of debate and discussion between researchers and practitioners, public and private ones, on the problems of local development, with the aim to contribute to the development of qualified skills in the field of both research and practice on local and regional development.

Since the first edition, in 1990, a fundamental conceptual frame has been the industrial district, with its “laboratories” of Tuscany and Prato in particular. With the help of such frame, various models and experiences of local development have been discussed and referred to different regional contexts, either Italian or of other countries.

The second series (2007-2010) of the Meetings, started with the 2007 edition, has investigated the local and social variety of high technology, of inventors and territories of innovation in Italy, in a scenario with demanding economic and social, cultural and institutional contexts challenges, characterized by globalization and waves of scientific and technological advancement. In support of such perspective three original researches have been presented, during the 2008-2009 and 2010 editions, published in three “Reports on Local Development”. A particular attention has been paid to support policies sustaining innovation and to a special focus with a comparative view on Tuscany, with the aim to offer an overview and some evaluation elements.

The third series, (scheduled for the period 2011-2013), want to combine the issues emerged from previous researches and debates, directing those to the examination and discussion of the connection between innovation and industrial changes in European territories, starting from Italy of present days and with a special focus on Tuscany and policy strategies and structures. The contemporary trends in the international division of labour have been marked by a innovative and accelerated dynamics, pervasion in the industrial development of scientific and cultural researches, joint development of manufacturing and tertiary functions, growing breakdown of components inside manufacture productive cycles, with interactive processes at global scale and the inclusion of local contexts in matrix made by technical-productive and social-global connections, competition inside (and ) integrated area (local systems), inserted in multi-level process, and creation of integrated area at super-national dimension, with the crucial existence of local gathering highly dynamic and socially sustainable.

The 2011 edition is aimed to present a a framework of reflections, based on desk-analysis and debates in between experts and researchers, allowing to determine the research trajectories for original researches on manufacturing-services-ambiental-civil nucleus for the new industry and new society, that will be presented during the future editions.

Scientific Committee
Marco Bellandi coordinatore, Gabi Dei Ottati, Paolo Giovannini, Carlo Trigilia
with:

- Technical and scientific support of Annalisa Caloffi and Massimo Bressan and in collaboration with IRPET

- The advice of the Artimino’s companionship.

- Tecnical support of IRIS

- Financial support of Tuscany Region.