Professor Alessandro Giudici appointed to scientific committee of ProduttivItalia

Alessandro Giudici, Professor of Strategy at Bayes Business School, has been appointed to the scientific committee of ProduttivItalia, a newly established Italian think tank dedicated to addressing persistent productivity challenges facing the country’s micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (mSMEs).

Launched at the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome in May, ProduttivItalia brings together leading academics, policymakers, and industry figures to develop actionable solutions for Italy’s economic growth challenges. The initiative is supported by key national agencies and industrial unions, and aims to bridge the gap between research and practice by fostering collaboration across sectors.

mSMEs are the backbone of the Italian economy, providing the majority of jobs and driving innovation and development. However, they have long struggled with barriers of limited access to skilled labour, underinvestment in research and development, lagging digital transformation and a culture of risk aversion. These challenges have contributed to Italy’s sluggish productivity growth, a concern that has been recognised at the highest levels of government and industry.

The formation of ProduttivItalia comes at a time when Italy is mobilising significant resources to support SME transformation, including major investment programmes and EU-backed initiatives to enhance access to finance, digitalisation, and innovation. The think tank is poised to play a central role in ensuring these efforts translate into tangible productivity gains for Italian businesses.

ProduttivItalia’s scientific committee, comprising nine distinguished academic and industry experts, will play a pivotal advisory role in shaping the think tank’s research agenda, public outreach, and capacity-building programmes. Professor Giudici brings strategic expertise in mSME engagement and collaborative innovation, further strengthening the committee’s ability to tackle these national challenges.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Giudici said:

“It is a huge honour to join an initiative with such an important social purpose.

"Growth and productivity are existential issues for smaller businesses. For too long, Italy has struggled to match its peers in innovation and talent attraction. ProduttivItalia’s mission to unite academic insight and business leadership is exactly what is needed to drive change.

"With the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, Italy cannot afford to fall further behind. As a committee, we strive to promote innovation and strategic business modelling for the benefit of the entire mSME sector.”

The launch event at the Chamber of Deputies was attended by representatives from institutional, academic, and economic sectors, underscoring the broad support for the initiative. It follows a series of six launch events held in cities across Italy since January, with 10 more planned over the coming months in all regions.

Marco Travaglini, Executive Director of ProduttivItalia, highlighted the urgency of the mission:

“Productivity is our country's number one social issue today. Too many companies are excluded from innovation processes, lacking access to practical tools, training, and support networks.

"ProduttivItalia offers a structured response to this emergency by providing studies, data, and operational models. Professor Giudici’s experience in both academia and strategic advisory will make an invaluable contribution to our scientific committee and the overall success of the centre.”