EXPLORING INDUSTRY 4.0 FROM A COLLABORATIVE PERSPECTIVE

The Thesis presents the findings of a three-year research project, carried out within the “Eureka” program jointly developed by the University of Macerata, ISTAO business school and the Region Marche. The scholarship attached to the industrial Ph.D. program was aimed at examining how to foster the involvement of various stakeholders (i.e., institutions, firms, academia and users) to promote the adoption of Industry 4.0 enabling technologies among regional firms. The Thesis includes a regional report, a policy brief, and seven papers among which six were published in national and international journals. The studies included are mainly based on qualitative methodologies, such as literature review, focus groups and multiple case studies. The studies assume that plans aimed at endorsing the introduction of Industry 4.0 technologies should be designed within the regional Smart Specialization Strategies (S3). Indeed, collaborative governance plays a prominent role in S3, requiring the involvement of multiple stakeholders in their design and implementation. Therefore, after reviewing why and how collaborative governance can support the integration of Industry 4.0 in S3 (Chapter 1), the degree of readiness towards Industry 4.0 is assessed at the European (Chapter 2), Italian (Chapter 3) and Regional level (Chapter 4), focusing on the Marche region case. The last chapter (Chapter 5) integrates all the three territorial levels of analysis, by considering the role of intermediary actors in supporting collaborative mechanisms for the introduction of 4.0 technologies. Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) are appointed and analyzed as eligible intermediary structures. DIHs were introduced by the European Commission in 2016 within the Digitising European Industry initiative to support firms and particularly Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the integration of 4.0 technologies. DIHs are likely figures to hold the role of intermediaries, as stated both in S3 and Industry 4.0 plans. The last chapter designs and applies a conceptual model to shed light on the activities of DIHs. The model proposed reviews the DIHs’ activities within the Open Innovation (OI) framework. The model is applied through desk research to all European DIHs and then more in depth by using semi-structured interviews on an Italian sample, among which an exemplary DIH from the Marche region is included. The analysis reveals that the Italian system of DIHs distinguishes itself from the European scenario because of the high number of industrial and artisan associations acting as their coordinators. These structures are embedded in the regional territory. Further, the interviews revealed that trust is considered the main aspect triggering OI mechanisms, placing the DIH as a trustful knowledge broker. However, the results captured from the Italian sample of DIHs cannot be generalized, thus extensive research is needed at the European level. To offer a complete assessment, it would be worthwhile to incorporate the viewpoint of the SMEs that are supported by the DIH, differentiating them per sector and technology. In terms of policy implications, control mechanisms should be introduced for evaluating and rewarding DIHs based on their contribution towards regional growth. Further, it is required to strengthen the links of DIHs within the regional S3 and national Industry 4.0 plans. In this direction, the studies presented pave the way for seeking a greater integration of Industry 4.0 within the S3 framework, leveraging on the collaborative perspective required by the fourth industrial revolution.