Promoting innovative industrial supply chains and startups
The activities of Office IV for the Promotion of Innovative Industrial Supply Chains and Startups focus on the international promotion of Italy’s innovation and technology ecosystem, which includes startups, innovative SMEs, venture capital funds, accelerators, incubators and innovation hubs active in the main high-tech sectors, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology, fintech, aerospace, quantum technologies, cleantech, foodtech, agritech and related fields. This work is carried out in close cooperation with public and private stakeholders involved in strengthening the national innovation ecosystem, including the competent Ministries, the Italian Trade Agency, CDP Venture Capital, SIMEST, AI4I, CHIPS-IT, startup associations and investor associations.
The Office also supports technology transfer from universities and research centres to startups and businesses, while promoting the attraction of foreign investment and talent.
Particular attention is devoted to the management of the network of Italian Innovation Centres, INNOVIT, and to the organisation of dedicated initiatives and projects aimed at promoting Italy’s technological supply chains internationally, including sectoral working groups and targeted events.
ACTIVITIES
Participation in trade fairs abroad
Among its various responsibilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports the internationalisation of businesses, including startups and innovative SMEs.
In this area, the Ministry works in close coordination with the Italian Trade Agency (also known abroad as ITA – Italian Trade Agency), over which it exercises supervisory, policy and oversight functions together with MIMIT and MEF.
Innovit – Italian Innovation & Culture Hub
INNOVIT – Italian Innovation and Culture Hub – is a project promoted by the Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in Washington and the Consulate General of Italy in San Francisco. Active since the end of 2021, it operates with the support of the Italian Trade Agency and the Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco, which respectively maintain a desk and premises within the same facilities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Office IV of the Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion have launched a series of strategic actions aimed at promoting international dialogue on opportunities for growth and development within the life sciences and biotechnology ecosystem, while strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors.
Cybersecurity is a strategic cross-cutting issue that affects both relations among States and private actors. As more and more services become digital — from telemedicine to e-government and online banking — exposure to risk in this area continues to grow. Likewise, the spread of the Internet of Things has made even everyday objects vulnerable to hacking. The growing use of artificial intelligence is making attacks more sophisticated, including through the use of deepfakes, while also automating processes and enabling malicious actors to operate at unprecedented speed and scalei.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation promotes a range of actions and initiatives aimed at encouraging international debate on opportunities for growth and development within the quantum technologies ecosystem. In 2025, it also contributed to the drafting of the Italian Strategy for Quantum Technologies.
Artificial intelligence has been discussed since the 1950s, from the Turing test to the Dartmouth conference (1956), where the term was first used. The real turning point in the field, however, came only after 2017, when advances in research made it possible to introduce the deep-learning models known as transformers. In particular, large language models (LLMs) of the GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) type, capable of generating long, coherent texts, have spread extremely rapidly in recent years.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is playing an increasingly important role in supporting Italy’s national space ecosystem, with particular attention to startups and innovative SMEs active in the most dynamic segments of the new space economy.
Foodtech refers to technologies applied to the downstream stages of the food supply chain, focusing on the industrial processing of food, distribution, consumption and the end consumer’s food experience. It is therefore not simply a matter of “producing more”, but of producing, processing and consuming better, by rethinking the entire food system in terms of efficiency, safety, nutritional value and sustainability.
The term Agritech does not have a single, universally accepted definition. It is generally used to describe the shift from an agricultural model based on experience and manual labour to one supported by technology and driven by data, in which operational and strategic decisions are informed by data, sensors and algorithms. This new approach has led to the development of methodologies such as Smart Farming, Precision Agriculture and Digital Agriculture, terms often used as synonyms or as complementary concepts.
The fintech sector is one of the most dynamic drivers of innovation in Italy. In recent years, a number of significant business success stories have emerged, combining advanced technological expertise, entrepreneurial creativity and a deep understanding of financial markets. It is no coincidence that some startups in the fintech sector have gone on to become unicorns.
Cleantech refers to the range of technologies, processes and solutions designed to reduce environmental impact, improve energy efficiency and accelerate the transition to a low-emission economy. It includes sectors such as renewable energy, electric mobility and the circular economy.
Venture capital is a form of investment through which professional investors provide risk capital to companies that are not yet fully developed but show high growth potential and a strong innovative profile, acquiring equity stakes in their share capital.
A strong venture capital market is a key factor in fostering the creation and growth of new high-tech companies. In addition to financial resources, VC funds provide founders with technical, managerial and strategic expertise that is essential in the early stages of business development.
As part of its support for the internationalisation of businesses, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Office IV of the DGCE for the Promotion of Innovative Industrial Supply Chains and Startups devote particular attention to the promotion of Italian startups and scaleups in international markets and, more broadly, to national innovation ecosystems, with the aim of making them increasingly international in outlook and better able to attract capital, talent, technologies and businesses from abroad.
The activities of Office IV focus on the international promotion of Italy’s innovation and technology ecosystem, which includes startups, innovative SMEs, venture capital funds, accelerators, incubators and innovation hubs active in the main high-tech sectors, including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, biotechnology, fintech, aerospace, quantum technologies, cleantech, foodtech, agritech and related fields.
USEFUL CONTACTS
Directorate General for Growth and Export Promotion
Office IV – Promotion of Innovative Industrial Supply Chains and Startups