Relationships between Universities, Research Centers and District Firms: the Italian Case

Italian system of large firms clearly appears to be today progressively marginalized compared to international competitors. In Italy we have, together with the so called "Pillars" according to Quadro Curzio and Fortis Terminology to designate large firms that shaped Italian economic history and development, also a district system of firms that allowed, since the 70's, a broad diffusion of industrial production and wealth in the country. Nevertheless also this system appears today to be in serious troubles. For this reason the issue of italian industrial development must be faced, by now, under a global perspective. This means having a confrontation on the capacity to generate added value within a strongly competitive context in continuos transformation