1999  PhD Economics, University of Birmingham -Title: “Flexibility and Innovation in District-type Clusters”

1993  MA Economics of the European Community, University of Exeter

1992  Laurea Economia, 110 cum laude (equivalent to B.Sc. Economics First Class Honours), University of Bologna (Italy) 

My main research interests are: small firms and clusters; competitiveness in clusters and regions; forms of clusters and governance; innovation; clusters and foreign direct investment; regional development; knowledge economy and clusters, and creative and cultural industries. In parallel, I have always been concerned with the role of the government and institutions, and have looked at policy implications arising from my work, including cluster policy, EU regional and industrial policy.

Across these themes I have made a distinctive contribution through my publications and my involvement in scholarly debate. Indeed, I have published consistently and extensively in top-ranked journals including Journal of Economic Geography, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Urban Studies, Regional Studies, European Planning Studies, International Journal of the Economics of Business, Journal of Public Policy, Journal of Common Market Studies, and Policy Studies. My reputation in the field of industrial and regional economics has enabled me to develop an international network of contacts and joint research which has led to published outputs such as edited volumes and journal special issues. Most recently, through my research on creative industries I have been a keynote speaker at high profile events organised by the Committee of the Regions and European Commission. I am currently involved in two FP7 Project called ‘Welfare, Wealth and Work for Europe ’ and ‘SmartCulture’, an INTERREG Project called ‘ NICER-DISTRICT+’ and an AHRC funded project called ‘Cultural intermediation: connecting communities in the creative urban economy’.

I currently teach on MBA and undergraduate programmes, including:

Globalisation, Transnationals and Economic Policy (module delivered as part of the BSC Business Management programme in Singapore);

Global Business Environment (module delivered as part of the MBA Executive programme in Singapore);

Global Business Environment (module offered on the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration , MSc 24 months and MBA 24 months);

Cases on the Global Business Environment (module offered on the Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, MSc 24 months and MBA 24 months);

Intermediate Business Economics (module offered at the undergraduate level).

I am interested in supervising PhD projects on industrial districts; networks and clusters; economic development and global value chains, innovation and industrial policy; EU regional policies.

My main research interests are: small firms and clusters; competitiveness in clusters and regions; forms of clusters and governance; innovation; global value chains and foreign direct investment; regional development; knowledge economy and creative and cultural industries. In parallel, I am concerned with the role of the government and institutions, including cluster policy and EU industrial and regional policy. 

Current projects

December 2012 -  FP7 Regions of Knowledge Project

SmartCulture

The SmartCulture project aims to provide a sustainable access to cultural heritage to a wider range of users by the use of digital technologies. Digital technologies will help to transform passive audiences into active practitioners of culture. The consortium will promote the creation of engaging digital experiences for access to cultural resources by the cross fertilization between ICT enterprises, Creative and Cultural Industries (especially SMEs) and research stakeholders across Europe. This cross fertilization will lead to new opportunities and good practices for innovative digital access to cultural resources and digital cultural mediation. These challenges fully comply with the objectives of the Work Program for ICT of the FP7 and the EU Work Plan for Culture 2011-2014 and with the conclusions of the green paper on Cultural and Creative Industries.

• SmartCulture final project event (PDF - 233KB)

April 2012 – June 2016 FP7 Large-Scale Integrating Project

Towards a New Growth Path: Welfare, Wealth and Work for Europe

The objective of the project is to provide the analytical basis for the need, the feasibility and the scope of a socio-ecological transition, to derive policy instruments for shifting Europe to a new "high road path", and the institutional changes needed at all policy levels. The project involves 18 partners across Europe; I am a co-investigator. Sum awarded €164,000.

April 2012 – June 2016 AHRC - Communities, Cultures and Creative Economies

Cultural intermediation: connecting communities in the creative urban economy

The project looks at the value of cultural intermediation and how this activity can be enhanced to create more effective connection between communities and the creative economy. The objectives of the research are to: create new ways of measuring value; analyse the historic development of cultural intermediation to inform current practice; examine how intermediation fits within the existing policy landscape and the governance of relations between the different actors; explore the effectiveness of intermediation activity from a community perspective. The project involves five partners across the UK: I am a co-investigator. Sum awarded: £25,000.

May 2011 – May 2013 DISTRICT+ (INTERREG - EU Commission DGRegio)

NICER -Networks for the Internationalisation of Cluster Excellence in Regions

The project concerns the internationalisation of production processes of EU clusters and the internationalisation of knowledge flows for innovation activities. The project idea is based on the detection of good practice in the design and implementation of policies that reconcile innovation upgrading with the attraction of foreign investment in firm clusters. Partners are PIN (Italy), Coventry University (UK), Brasov Metropolitan Agency for Sustainable Development (Romania), Magdeburg GmbH (Germany) and Lower Silesia Agency of Economical Cooperation (Poland). I am a co-investigator. Sum awarded, € 50,450. 

• Tutor to BSc International Business with Italian
• Member of the Marketing Advisory Group in The Birmingham Business School