Italian Association for Industrial Research

The Italian Association for Industrial Research (AIRI — Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca Industriale) is a non-profit association founded in 1974 that serves as a reference point for Italy's industrial research system. Recognised with legal personality, it brings together and engages roughly ninety to one hundred members drawn from more than ten strategic industrial and technological sectors: large industrial groups, small and medium-sized enterprises, public research bodies, universities, research organisations, consultancy firms and financial institutions. Its mission is to promote cooperation in industrial research in Italy and to give its members a collective voice in the design of innovation policy. AIRI operates as an interface between its members and Italian institutions, supporting them in their interaction with ministries such as MiMIT, MUR, MAE and MASE during the drafting of laws that support industrial and scientific innovation. It monitors and contributes to the drafting of technical standards, working with bodies including the national statistics institute, the Italian chamber system, standards and certification bodies, and sitting on standardisation committees. It also produces technological foresight through its publication "Tecnologie Prioritarie per l'Industria – Le Innovazioni del Prossimo Futuro", built on a consolidated network of research and innovation managers, and promotes the application of disruptive and cross-cutting technologies across many industrial sectors. At European level, AIRI carries its members' perspective into the definition of R&I policy strategies and approaches on Open Innovation, Responsibility and Sustainability, and participates directly in projects under the EU Framework Programmes for Research. It formulates initiatives to orient university education and develop human resources in industrial research, including studies on new skills in the context of the green and digital transition, and promotes STEM skills in the university world and in industry. Its activities span technological forecasting, technology transfer, analysis of EU and national R&D funding programmes, and, since 2019, the development of human resources in industrial research. AIRI is headquartered in Rome at viale Gorizia 25/c. Its governing bodies are the president, supported by a 21-member board of directors, vice presidents and a director. The current president is Andrea Bairati, a biochemist and economist. The association is a member of APRE (Agency for the Promotion of European Research) and UNI (Italian national unification body), and is connected with other sector associations nationally. It is also an institutional interlocutor for the Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE).

The Italian Association for Industrial Research (AIRI) was founded on 18 December 1974 on the initiative of Professor Oscar Masi, director of the CSM – Centro Sperimentale Metallurgico. It was constituted under the aegis of the Ministry for the Coordination of Scientific and Technological Research to represent the Italian arm of FEICRO — the Federation of European Industrial Cooperative Research Organizations, which brought together national bodies or associations with the mission of promoting cooperative research. The four founding members were CSM, Confindustria, Enel and IMI, which together convened the first assembly of members. Arnaldo M. Angelini served as president until April 1983; he was succeeded in 1984 by Renato Ugo, who held the office until 2019. The current presidency is held by Andrea Bairati. In the 1980s AIRI developed proposals to build more adequate support for Italian industrial research, also on the initiative of CORDI (the EEC's Advisory Committee on Industrial Research and Development). In 1979 it published the first Guide to incentives for industrial research (followed by editions in 1987 and 1991), a systematic and annotated collection of the regulations governing public funding of industrial research. During the decade, AIRI's studies on the transformation of Italian industrial research contributed proposals to improve Law 46/82, recognition of the role of emerging private research centres, greater support for innovation in small and medium-sized industry, tax relief on research expenditure, and innovation support more closely tied to market reality and industry needs. In the 1990s, following the large-scale privatisations of state holdings including in key research sectors, AIRI analysed changes in corporate decision-making and organisational processes, noting the emergence of corporate research centres, and defended and supported the relaunch of major national advanced-technology centres. It promoted the introduction of support mechanisms for industrial research centres in crisis (Law 451/94) and, at the end of the 1990s, contributed to the definition and approval of the framework law 297/99. Since 1995 AIRI has regularly conducted analyses under the title "Innovations of the near future. Priority technologies for industry", which reached its tenth edition in 2020 and originated from the first analytical nucleus of the Centre for Technological Forecasting (active from 1976 to 1984). In the first decade of the 2000s AIRI analysed new aspects of industrial research management, such as the growing role of outsourcing and the abandonment by large companies of significant corporate research structures, supporting national recognition of the European definition of a Research Organisation and public-private collaboration. New multinational members joined AIRI, along with typical realities of the "fourth capitalism" distinguished by advanced technological innovation, innovative products, or the opening of new technological sectors in the environmental and energy fields. In 2003 AIRI created Nanotec IT – the Italian Centre for Nanotechnologies, the first Italian body to analyse nanotech in Italy and to promote a national initiative on nanotechnologies, as had happened in the main industrialised countries, with the aim of spreading the use of these cross-cutting technologies across multiple industrial sectors relevant to the country's economy. From 2013 AIRI extended its analyses to the reality and potential of Key Enabling Technologies in Italy and to sustainability in technological development. From 2015 it deepened the theme of applying the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation. From 2017 it studied the technological and systemic aspects of developing the Industry 4.0 model in Italy. Alongside its consolidated activities in technological forecasting and transfer, and in EU and national analysis of R&D funding programmes, since 2019 AIRI has developed initiatives for human resources in industrial research through specific studies on education and new skills. In particular, through the scholarship programme named in memory of Renato Ugo, it supports young STEM university students who have distinguished themselves with excellent experimental theses oriented towards industrial research.

• 2024

  AIRI marks 50 years as a reference point for Italian industrial research.

• 2020

  Tenth edition of 'Priority technologies for industry'.

• 2019

  Renato Ugo's presidency ends; Andrea Bairati becomes president; human resources initiatives and Renato Ugo scholarships launched.

• 2017

  Studies technological and systemic aspects of Industry 4.0 in Italy.

• 2015

  Deepens Responsible Research and Innovation principles.

• 2013

  Extends analysis to Key Enabling Technologies and sustainability.

• 2003

  Nanotec IT – Italian Centre for Nanotechnologies created.

• 1999

  Contributes to the definition and approval of framework law 297/99.

• 1995

  Regular publication of 'Innovations of the near future. Priority technologies for industry' begins.

• 1994

  Support for industrial research centres in crisis via Law 451/94.

• 1991

  Third edition of the Guide to incentives for industrial research.

• 1987

  Second edition of the Guide to incentives for industrial research.

• 1984

  Renato Ugo becomes president.

• 1983

  Arnaldo M. Angelini's presidency ends in April.

• 1979

  First Guide to incentives for industrial research published.

• 1976

  Centre for Technological Forecasting active (1976–1984), origin of later foresight work.

• 1974

  AIRI founded on 18 December on the initiative of Prof. Oscar Masi; founding members CSM, Confindustria, Enel and IMI.

Italy's reference association for industrial research, bridging industry, research bodies, universities and public institutions to shape innovation policy and technological foresight.

• Tecnologie Prioritarie per l'Industria – Le Innovazioni del Prossimo Futuro

  Flagship technological foresight publication, first published in 1995 and reaching its tenth edition in 2020.

• Guida alle agevolazioni per la ricerca industriale

  Systematic and annotated collection of regulations on public funding of industrial research, published 1979, 1987 and 1991.

• Nanotec IT – Centro italiano per le nanotecnologie

  Created in 2003 as the first Italian body to analyse nanotech and promote a national nanotechnology initiative.

• Renato Ugo Scholarships

  Scholarship programme supporting young STEM university students with experimental theses oriented to industrial research.

• Working papers and sector profiles

  Studies such as new skills and professional figures for the aerospace sector.

1. 1Airi - Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca Industrialeairi.it
2. 2Chi siamo - Airiairi.it
3. 3Italian Association for Industrial Research - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Associazione italiana per la ricerca industriale - Wikipediait.wikipedia.org