Invitalia English Version

Among ICT main investment opportunities, it is worth signalling Italy is efficiently complying with recent technological trends and, primarily, "Cloud Computing" and "Green ICT" developments.
Among the major ICT firms there is growing acceptance of virtualisation combined with the need to adopt less expensive on-line applications for business and organisational purposes.

Italian firms’ traditional system integrator approach must now be switched to solutions such as Software as a Service (SaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS), both concerning Cloud Computing, introducing innovative and high value-added services, and supported by foreign company partnership.
Partnership will be aimed at developing both new applications and related services throughout the Cloud.
Cloud Computing is rising rapidly in Italy: in 2010 cloud services amounted to € 280 million and in 2013 are expected to grow to € 660 million. According to a recent survey conducted on 300 medium-large Italian companies, 61% of them is going to adopt Cloud technology within the next 12 months (Nextvalue, Cloud Computing Report 2011).

In light of the growing interest in applications virtualisation, investment opportunities could be more strongly focused on software & IT services, semiconductors, sensors, and Green ICT.
The Italian Government’s main purpose is to promote Italy as one of the focal points of the new “open innovation” business model currently adopted by most multinational companies in the ICT sector. In order to satisfy the fast growing demand for innovation both from suppliers and customers, such companies are developing a worldwide innovation net with universities and research centres, aiming to catch the best idea and develop innovative applications and products.

Investor Target

The following stakeholders have been identified as the best suited investors to build up initiatives within the Italian ICT market:

• SMEs carrying out global strategies – i.e. acquiring market share in different countries thanks to displacement of previous firms due to credit loss, financial crisis, etc;
• Venture Capitalist specialised in ICT sector;
• ICT firms yet established in Italy with the aim of expanding previous activities or opening new business activities;
• Firms operating in energy sector or construction sector, interested in integrating their offer(s) with ICT embedded solutions aiming to increase energy efficiency and enhance integration of renewables and grids, building, logistic infrastructure systems, industrial processes, etc.