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SUD TIROLO
GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY
 South Tyrol (Alto Adige) is an autonomous province of north Italy that belongs to the region of Trentino-Alto Adige, of which it is a subdivision. It has an area of 7400 kmē, and a total population of 476,023 and a density of 63 inhabitants for square km. South Tyrol is known for its mountains which compose a portion of the Italian Alps.
INFRASTRUCTURES
 Considering its mountainous territory the Region has a good transport network of motorways, roads and railways. A motorway divides the region in two parts and links it to Austria and the rest of Italy. There is an airport in the province, the Bolzano Dolomiten airport.
ECONOMY
 The most important features of the region's economic structure are the strength of tourism and the special system of co-operation between agriculture and industry. The tourist sector is well developed, there are many hotels and accommodation structures. Food industry is also well developed. The handicraft industry is dominated by cabinet making, construction, painting, plumbing, meat preparation, and banking.

Agriculture too is very important for the economy of theregion. In agriculture, the main activities are apple-growing, the cultivation of grapes, livestock breeding for the production of meat and milk, and timber production. In 2000, this sector represented 3.9% of the total gross value added of the region. The industry of hydroelectricity is well developed. The region per capita GDP (with the EU per capita GDP=100) is 160, higher than the EU-25 average.

LABOUR MARKET
 The unemployment level is roughly 3%, which is lower than the national Italian, or the Austrian average . The employment rate is around 70%.
DATA RELATED TO REGIONAL STRUCTURAL FUNDS MECHANISMS
 EU Objective 2, for the period 2000-2006.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
 South Tyrol spends less than 0.53% of its GDP on Research and Development.
DATA RELATED TO REGIONAL PROGRAMME OF INNOVATIVE ACTIONS
 The RPIA for the period 2002 - 2003concerned the cooperation of firms in a network based on knowledge and technological innovation. This programme aimed at creating a 'one-stop-shop' for information technologies, development of clusters and innovation management. Its main objective was to develop a network between the disadvantaged mountain areas in South Tyrol and the more advantaged areas by using modern information technologies, and exploiting the synergy between regional enterprises and research and technological development institutions. Three major action fields were:
  • Creation of a regional economic network among different public and private economic agents;
  • Development of clusters as a necessary basis for this network in the timber and construction industries, in measurement technology, information technologies and food industry;
  • Training of cluster managers, information technologies assistants and expert consultants who will be in charge of developing and maintaining these clusters.

The European Commission has approved the second RPIA for this region: ASM (Applied Spatial Management. During the period 2006-2007, the programme aims to stimulate research and technological development in a region characterised by a traditional economic structure. ASM develops an integrated approach for boosting the competitive strength of the region to transform it into a site for innovation. South Tyrol's current economy is characterised by the predominance of traditional structures.

The technological performance and the degree of innovation of local enterprises as well as the level of research and development activities in the region are below the European average. Technical and scientific institutes, R&D institutes, and technologically-oriented commercial enterprises are suffering from a lack of personnel with a high technical and scientific background. The final goal of ASM programme is to transform South-Tyrol into a Knowledge Region with new technological and innovation assets, by developing the following measures:

  • The development of a capacity-building system improving the qualification of professional innovation managers and more generally the ability of the region to understand and manage innovation and structural change processes;
  • The creation of networks involving companies, R&D centres and public agencies in future-oriented areas (High-Potential Areas) with a high potential for innovation for the region.