Regione Puglia

Puglia is an emerging region in the southeast of Italy, where the endless beauty of the sea and rural landscapes have turned it into a major tourist destination and the high quality of life represents an asset for local businesses. Steeped in history, it is both an authentic and modern, forward-looking region, which rivals Silicon Valley for its ability to innovate and attract innovators. The region has built a strong reputation in the international panorama as a hub for innovation thanks to the ongoing activities of the far-reaching R&I ecosystem which brings together more than 415 private and public entities, including 5 local universities, over 20 business and technology clusters, and a continuously expanding network of research laboratories, with the National Research Council alone accounting for 24 research institutes based in the region which carries out cutting edge research in fields such as nanotechnology, biosciences and biotech, smart technologies.

In addition, the presence of 3 certified incubators (including, The Hub Bari and TQC - The Qube Consulting in Lecce) and 1 national accelerator (FAROS Blue Economy in Taranto), in addition to a European Digital Innovation Hub (CETMA-DIHSME in Brindisi) is accompanying the growing number of innovative start-ups which have chosen to set-up in Puglia: 634 innovative start-ups are currently registered active in Puglia (Source: Registroimprese.it, March 2023).

Recognized as one of the most dynamic regions in the south of Italy, with over 332,300 active businesses registered in 2022 (Source: InfoCamere – Movimprese) and an ever-increasing international standing, the region’s attractiveness as a business location has become more and more tangible over recent years, boosted by regional incentives for business investment projects, aimed at supporting innovative start-ups and SMEs, as well as MNEs, looking to expand operations in Europe.

The Puglia regional government stands out for its commitment to investment in R&I, focusing mainly on smart technologies and providing a significant boost both to hi-tech and traditional sectors, encouraging investments in sustainable manufacturing, industry 4.0, digitalization and intelligent energy systems.

Over the past few years (programming period 2014-2020), the regional government’s industrial and economic growth policies have pushed through a raft of incentives for business creation, development and innovation, together with significant investments in both physical and technological infrastructures, which have allowed the regional economy to prosper and withstand the negative impact of the global pandemic:

-       GDP in Puglia increased by 6.6% in 2021, rising above the average growth registered by the regions of Southern Italy (+6,0%);

-       the Regional Government has made available incentives in excess of 3 billion Euros, supporting business investments in Puglia, in various sectors, totaling almost 7.3 billion Euros, with approx. 1.57 billion Euros destined to investments in R&I;

-       set-up in 2017, the regional TecnoNidi scheme which provides incentives packages for innovative start-ups, has received funding applications from 360 start-ups or budding entrepreneurs, for projects worth over 85.4 million Euros;

-       Puglia was the first Italian region to close the digital divide, with the completion, in February 2021, of ultra-broadband coverage across the region, through the FTTx network (involving both FTTC technologies up to 200 Mbps and FTTH up to 1 Gigabit/s), which reaches 99.4% of households and businesses using the fixed network, with the remaining 0.6% being covered by FWA or satellite ultrabroadband connections;

-       Puglia ranks first in Southern Italy for the number of approved patent applications (approx. 125/year between 2020 and 2022);

-       Exports from Puglia continue to grow, passing the 10 billion Euros milestone for the first time in 2022 (+ 14.8%).