Guidelines and analytical priorities for the new cycle of regional development.
«It is not enough to study those who leave. We need to understand what makes a place desirable for those who can choose where to build their future.» — Manifesto for the new research agenda of Fondazione Nord Est
In recent years, Fondazione Nord Est has made a decisive contribution to understanding one of the most significant phenomena for the future of the region: the exodus of young Italians, and in particular of young people from the Northeast. This body of work analysed, with solid data and interpretations, the loss of qualified human capital and the economic, social and cultural implications of this process. That season of research brought a systemic issue to the centre of public debate: without talent there is no competitiveness, and without competitiveness there is no lasting development.
This awareness is now the starting point for a new phase. If attention has so far focused on young people leaving, it is now necessary to ask what conditions make a region capable of attracting and retaining them. The real challenge is not merely to stop the flight of talent, but to build a Northeast able to attract skills, entrepreneurial energy and human capital from across the country and from abroad. In other words, it is not enough to study those who leave. We need to understand what makes a place desirable for those who can choose where to build their future.
From this perspective, a region is attractive to the extent that its businesses are. It is businesses that create professional opportunities, growth trajectories and places of learning — but also organisational culture, a sense of belonging and social recognition. Without companies able to offer challenging career paths, competitive salaries and advanced working environments, no long-term regional policy can succeed. Regional attractiveness is therefore, first and foremost, entrepreneurial attractiveness.
To meet this challenge, Fondazione Nord Est is launching a new research cycle structured along three complementary directions. Three perspectives which, together, aim to understand how the productive fabric of the Northeast is changing and what conditions are needed to prepare its economy for the frontier of the next twenty years.
From the quantity to the quality of international integration
The Northeast has historically been one of the most dynamic export areas in Europe. However, the mere ability to export is no longer sufficient to define the competitiveness of an industrial system. We must ask what companies export and how much of the added value remains in the region.
This research stream will analyse in depth the position of Northeast companies in global value chains, with particular attention to the nature of the functions they perform: design and R&D, control of intangible assets, and the ability to orchestrate markets and production networks. The goal is to bring a clear picture to light: being part of a global supply chain is no guarantee of prosperity in itself. What makes the difference is control of knowledge-intensive functions, which generate margins, attract talent and fuel investment.
Studying the geography of value, rather than that of exports alone, means understanding whether the Northeast can continue to compete as an advanced supplier, or whether it is called to strengthen its ability to occupy more advanced technological and organisational segments. Only in this way can growth be sustained not by squeezing margins, but by raising the quality of work and income.
Understanding today the companies that will shape the region of tomorrow
Any region aspiring to play a leading role in the global economy must pay close attention to its startup and innovation ecosystem. Startups are leading indicators: they reveal where human capital is moving, which technologies are consolidating, and which business models are emerging.
This research axis will therefore analyse the startup population of the Northeast: sectors, technologies, capital raised, relationships with universities and the financial system, and capacity to scale. The point is not to set startups against established companies, but to understand how much the new entrepreneurial frontier is contributing to renewing the economic fabric, and what conditions are needed to accelerate its development.
In particular, it will assess the availability of venture capital, the presence of institutional investors, the support infrastructure, and the quality of connections with research centres and with the region's historic industrial supply chains. Startups do not replace the existing production system: they are its evolutionary continuation. Ignoring them would be a strategic mistake.
Work as a project, not just a performance
The new generation of workers is not simply looking for a job: it is looking for a project. They want to believe in the place where they work, share its values, perceive its social contribution, and live an experience of growth. This cultural shift concerns all advanced economies and directly affects the Northeast.
For this reason, a research stream will be dedicated to measuring and analysing the investments of Northeast companies in ESG and wellbeing, with particular attention to organisational models that foster inclusion, participation, quality of work, continuous training and corporate wellbeing.
Studying these aspects does not mean adopting a moralistic or fashionable perspective. It means recognising that future competitiveness also depends on the ability to attract motivated, qualified people — and that this happens when the company becomes a place where a meaningful path can be pursued. Companies that can interpret this transition will enjoy a significant competitive advantage. Those that neglect it risk being penalised in terms of reputation, productivity and recruitment.
The new research season of Fondazione Nord Est is thus born of a clear awareness: the competitiveness of the region depends on its ability to create, retain and attract talent. And talent moves to where it finds solid companies, meaningful projects, prospects for growth, and open, dynamic ecosystems.
This work programme is not an academic exercise, but a strategic platform to accompany businesses, institutions and communities towards a new phase of development. A Northeast that does not merely defend its model, but evolves it; that is not content to take part in global supply chains, but wants to lead them; that does not ask its young people to stay out of duty, but convinces them to return — or to arrive — because here they can see a future.