The international workshop “Pathways to Future Regional Development” took place in Bolzano/Bozen, Italy, on 11 and 12 June 2026. The two-day event was organised by the Institute for Economic Research of the Chamber of Commerce of Bolzano/Bozen (WIFO) and the Institute for Regional Development of Eurac Research, in collaboration with the Regional Studies Association (RSA), the SPRINT research network, and the Austrian Institute of Economic Research. Participants from around the world discussed key regional development issues, particularly those relating to innovation, sustainability and social inequality.
The first day of the workshop, held at the Chamber of Commerce of Bolzano/Bozen, was marked by scientific contributions and in-depth discussions. Researchers from various countries presented their current research projects and exchanged ideas on new approaches and findings during thematic sessions. The day's highlights were the two keynote lectures: in his presentation entitled “
Rethinking Human Capital”, Frank Neffke from the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna explained why people’s skills and capabilities play a central role in regional economic development and how they evolve over time. Sandro Montresor, professor at the University of Trento, explored the topic of “
Where Bytes Meet Watts: Mapping the Geography of Twin Transition Technologies”. He discussed how digital and green technologies are increasingly converging, and the implications of this for regions. The joint workshop dinner at Eurac Research provided an opportunity for informal discussion and further exploration of the day's topics.
Group photo with the participants
On the second day, the conference moved to NOI Techpark South Tyrol. The focus was on a panel discussion entitled “
Bridging Worlds: Connecting Research, Policy, and Innovation Ecosystems”. Carlo Menon from the OECD in Trento and Vincent Mauroit from NOI Techpark discussed the connections between research, innovation practices, and regional development systems. A guided tour of NOI Techpark provided an insight into the innovation hub's role in regional innovation and technology transfer.
Panel discussion; pictured: Vincent Mauroit from NOI Techpark
“Networks are essential for understanding the current challenges of regional development and working together to find possible solutions. Exchanging ideas with international colleagues can open up new perspectives, highlight different regional dynamics and strengthen the link between research and practice,” commented Georg Lun, Director of the Institute for Economic Research, and Thomas Streifeneder, Head of the Institute for Regional Development at Eurac Research.
see the presentations