Alongside the regional districts, Tuscany hosts a network of science and technology parks that serve as strategic meeting points for research, industry, and the local territory. These are dedicated spaces for experimentation, technology transfer, and business incubation, providing the infrastructure, laboratories, and services essential to support the growth of innovative entities.

The Navacchio Technology Park stands as the region’s premier hub, acting as a comprehensive platform for innovation development. It bridges the gap between enterprises, startups, and centers of excellence to generate new business opportunities and regional economic growth.

In addition to Navacchio, several other technology parks play a vital role in strengthening the Tuscan innovation network:

• Pont-Tech (Pontedera): Dedicated to technology transfer and industrial innovation;
• Lucca Technology Park: Focused on startup support and digital technologies;
• Capannori Science Park: Specialized in environmental sectors and sustainability;
• Magona Technology Park: Renowned for expertise in innovative materials and applied research.

Together, these hubs form an integrated territorial system capable of fostering collaboration between public research, private enterprises, and institutions. By doing so, they encourage the launch of new entrepreneurial ventures and disseminate a culture of innovation throughout the region.

What are DIHs?

Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) are specialized support centers dedicated to guiding enterprises, public administrations, and organizations through the digital transformation process. Their primary function is to facilitate access to the expertise, technologies, and services required to adopt advanced solutions — such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, cloud computing, cybersecurity, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) — and to optimize processes, products, and business models.

What DIHs do

• Guide enterprises in making informed technological choices and navigating digital transformation roadmaps;
• Offer consultancy services, technology testing ("test before invest"), and digital maturity assessments;
• Foster technology transfer between universities, research centers, and industry;
• Facilitate access to national and European funding specifically dedicated to digitalization;
• Build networks and partnerships to support collaborative innovation.

The overarching goal of a DIH is to make digital transformation more accessible, effective, and sustainable, particularly for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

What are Competence Centers?

Highly specialized Competence Centers are national hubs established to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies by enterprises—particularly SMEs—through highly qualified services, applied research, and industrial experimentation. They were established by the Ministry of Economic Development (now MIMIT) as part of the National Industry/Enterprise 4.0 Plan.

What Competence Centers do

A Competence Center is a public-private entity that brings together universities, research centers, large corporations, SMEs, and regional stakeholders to provide:

• High-level scientific and technological expertise;
• Support for enterprises in the implementation of digital technologies and Industry 4.0 solutions;
• Advanced laboratories for testing, prototyping, and experimentation;
• Specialized training and professional development;
• Project management support for innovation, industrial research, and experimental development;
• Technology transfer services and advanced consultancy.

Their objective is to make digital transformation accessible, tangible, and sustainable, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of the production system.

The Houses of Emerging Technologies (CTE – Case delle Tecnologie Emergenti) are research and experimentation hubs designed to support the creation of startups and drive technology transfer toward Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) through the application of Blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The initiative was launched as part of the 5G Emerging Technologies Support Program.

The first "House" was established in Matera (European Capital of Culture 2019) with funding secured in late 2019. Subsequently, other cities were selected based on their involvement in 5G network trials and the availability of existing Competence Centers (universities and public/private research bodies) and operational or "shovel-ready" technological environments. Following two public calls for proposals (2020 and 2022), a total of 13 "Houses" have been established across Italy.

PRISMA – The regional House of Emerging Technologies

PRISMA (PRato Industrial SMart Accelerator) has established a new regional infrastructure in Prato, spanning three locations and dedicated to technology transfer activities for industry. The mission of PRISMA is to investigate and harness the innovative potential of emerging technologies—IoT, AI, Blockchain, and 5G—and apply them to the textile-fashion sector and the broader "Made in Italy" brand.

The CTE PRISMA project, funded in 2020 by the Ministry of Economic Development (now MIMIT) and co-funded by the Municipality of Prato, promotes the creation and acceleration of new enterprises in this field while facilitating the transfer of these advanced solutions to sector companies.

Primary Objective

PRISMA’s overarching goal is to make the Italian textile-fashion industry—the global flagship of "Made in Italy"—more competitive and efficient. By increasing added value through optimized resource utilization, the project aims to generate economic growth, foster new businesses, and create high-skilled jobs through technology transfer.

Specific Project Objectives

• Establishment of a new technology transfer center: the “PRISMA House of Technologies – PRato Industrial SMart Accelerator”;
• Execution of joint Research and Development (R&D) projects between universities, research centers, and enterprises to develop 5G-based solutions for the "Made in Italy" sector;
• Incubation and acceleration of startups specializing in IoT, AI, and Blockchain to support the textile-fashion industry;
• Technology transfer to manufacturing firms to bolster innovation, competitiveness, and employment.

Research Infrastructures (RIs) are the facilities, resources, and services used by the scientific community to conduct top-tier research in their respective fields.

Composition and Structure

A Research Infrastructure is a complex ecosystem that may include:

• Physical facilities: Major scientific instrumentation suites and research materials;
• Digital and knowledge resources: Collections, archives, and structured scientific data libraries;
• ICT and Networks: Infrastructures based on information technology (GRID networks, software, hardware, and communication tools);
• Any other essential means required to achieve scientific excellence.

These structures can be located at a single site (centralized) or organized as a network (distributed).

The Distinctive Value: Accessibility

The defining characteristic that distinguishes an RI from a simple technological platform or a laboratory network is the guarantee of open, regulated access. Through validated protocols, RIs offer their services to the entire scientific and industrial community—both public and private—fostering interdisciplinary collaboration.

RIs of European Relevance: The ERIC Model

To overcome regulatory fragmentation, reduce costs for individual Member States, and bolster the global competitiveness of European research infrastructures, the European Union established a specific legal framework via EC Regulation No. 723/2009: the ERIC (European Research Infrastructure Consortium).

Beyond providing the flexibility to adapt to the specific requirements of each RI, this legal form offers several advantages:

• Full legal capacity recognized across all EU countries;
• A faster establishment process compared to traditional international organizations;
• Eligibility for VAT and excise duty exemptions.

The Path to Becoming an ERIC

The establishment of an ERIC follows a rigorous procedure managed by the European Commission:

1. Submission of Application: Applicants submit a formal request to the Commission, including the proposed Statutes and a technical-scientific description of the infrastructure.
2. Technical Evaluation: The Commission evaluates the application based on the opinions of independent experts and bodies such as ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures).
3. Decision and Publication: If all criteria are met, the Commission adopts a setting-up decision. The ERIC acquires legal personality on the date the decision takes effect, following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Eligibility Criteria

To obtain ERIC status, an RI must meet strict requirements:

• Minimum Membership: At least three founding Member States.
• Statutory Seat: The ERIC must have its registered office in a Member State or an Associated Country.
• European Interest: The infrastructure must be essential for European research programs and provide added value to the European Research Area (ERA).
• Open Access: It must guarantee effective access to the European scientific community in accordance with its Statutes.
• Non-profit Nature: Its principal task must be the operation of the infrastructure on a non-economic basis.
• Excellence and Mobility: It must contribute to the dissemination of research results and promote the mobility of researchers and knowledge across Europe.

Italy’s Role in the ERIC Landscape

Italy currently participates in 29 of the 33 ERICs established across Europe. Of these, four have chosen Italy as their Host Country (legal headquarters):

• CERIC: Specialized in materials, biomaterials, and nanotechnology, with a focus on energy materials and life sciences (Trieste);
• EMSO: Dedicated to the marine domain, monitoring and exploring oceanic phenomena and their impact on Earth (Rome);
• EPOS: Specialized in Earth Sciences, aimed at monitoring and understanding the dynamic Solid Earth system (Rome);
• E-RIHS: Dedicated to the study, conservation, and enhancement of cultural heritage (Florence). (Source: MUR-ERIC)

E-RIHS: Excellence in Heritage Science

On March 28, 2025, E-RIHS (European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science) was officially recognized as an ERIC. Under the leadership of the National Research Council (CNR) and with the support of the Fondazione CR Firenze, E-RIHS established its legal headquarters in Florence, Italy.

The consortium brings together 11 founding countries (Cyprus, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and the UK), with ICCROM participating as a permanent observer.

The E-RIHS Scientific Offering: The Four Platforms

E-RIHS access services are centrally managed, providing entry to facilities, techniques, and archives distributed across Europe, organized into four integrated physical and virtual platforms:

• ARCHLAB: Access to physical and digital archives (samples, reference materials, restoration reports);
• FIXLAB: Large-scale fixed facilities such as synchrotrons, particle accelerators, and neutron laboratories for the analysis of artworks;
• MOLAB: World-class mobile instrumentation that reaches museums and archaeological sites for non-invasive in-situ analysis of immovable works;
• DIGILAB: An online platform for the integration and utilization of data generated by the other platforms, enhanced by advanced digital tools.

The resources of these four access platforms, alongside the expertise and know-how of the E-RIHS teams, are made available via the Service Catalogue to drive research and innovation in heritage science.