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Three days of meetings in Washington showcase Italy’s growing appeal for foreign investors and its ambition to become a European hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation.
Italy’s latest mission to the United States, dedicated to foreign investment promotion, concluded in Washington with impressive results: over €4 billion in new investments pledged toward projects across Italy. Organized by the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy (MIMIT) in partnership with ICE – the Italian Trade Agency, SIMEST, SACE, CDP Venture Capital, the Transatlantic Harmonic Foundation (THF), and the Transatlantic Investment Committee (TIC), the initiative was supported by the Embassy of Italy in Washington.
From October 16 to 18, 2025, more than 200 Italian and American companies, investment funds, and regional representatives gathered in the U.S. capital for a dense program of meetings, workshops, and roundtables. The goal: to strengthen industrial and technological collaborations in strategic sectors such as space economy, blue economy, life sciences, clean energy, agri-tech, and tourism.
The mission, led by Amedeo Teti, Head of Department at MIMIT and Coordinator of the Committee for the Attraction of Foreign Investments (CAIE), together with Augusto Reggiani, head of the CAIE Technical Secretariat, served as a concrete example of the “Sistema Paese” model — an integrated, coordinated effort to enhance Italy’s international competitiveness and attract global capital.
A Transatlantic Bridge for Innovation
One of the mission’s flagship events was the Second Italy–US Tech Business and Investment Matching Initiative, titled “Working Together to Invest”, hosted at the Investment Company Institute. This gathering brought together leading institutional and industrial figures from both countries, reinforcing mutual trust and highlighting the complementary nature of the Italian and U.S. innovation ecosystems.
Another milestone was the launch of the Transatlantic Venture Platform, a pioneering initiative uniting 20 venture capital funds from Italy and the United States. The platform aims to facilitate co-investments in startups and frontier technologies, particularly in biotech, energy, advanced manufacturing, and aerospace. It represents a strategic step toward integrating transatlantic innovation pipelines and enabling shared access to high-growth opportunities.
The mission also featured the Fourth THF/TIC U.S. Stakeholders’ Meeting, held at the Embassy of Italy in Washington. The event gathered government representatives, CEOs, and regional leaders to strengthen “local-to-local” partnerships between Italian regions and U.S. states — a model designed to foster concrete, decentralized collaboration.
Over €4 Billion in New Investment Commitments
The Washington mission produced tangible outcomes. Several U.S. companies announced new investment projects in Italy across diverse high-value sectors:
Life Sciences and Biotechnology: joint R&D programs and new industrial partnerships targeting innovation in healthcare and pharmaceuticals.
Energy and Clean Tech: investments in LNG, hydrogen, and smart grid infrastructure, supporting Italy’s transition to sustainable energy.
Space and Blue Economy: agreements for orbital infrastructure and sustainable maritime technologies, reinforcing Italy’s growing role in aerospace and ocean innovation.
Tourism and Regional Development: integrated initiatives to promote wellness, sustainability, and territorial identity, combining digital transformation with cultural heritage valorisation. These investments will be distributed across multiple Italian regions, confirming international confidence in the country’s industrial ecosystem and policy stability.
Regional Partnerships and Economic Diplomacy
Seven Italian regions — Abruzzo, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Lombardy, Sicily, and Trentino — took center stage during the mission, presenting tailored opportunities for innovation and investment. They engaged directly with major U.S. regional development agencies such as Choose New Jersey, JobsOhio, EDPNC (North Carolina), and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
This decentralized, region-to-region approach reflects Italy’s strategic intent to build long-term, localized economic relationships that combine industrial expertise, academic research, and institutional collaboration. It also aligns with a broader trend in international diplomacy: the growing importance of subnational partnerships as engines of innovation and sustainable growth.
Italy’s Expanding Role as a European Innovation Hub
The mission’s success underscores Italy’s emergence as a European hub for advanced manufacturing and technology-driven investment. By leveraging its industrial know-how, vibrant network of SMEs, and expanding innovation infrastructure, Italy is positioning itself as a natural bridge between the U.S. and the European market.
The initiatives promoted by MIMIT, THF, and TIC further consolidate the transatlantic partnership as a key axis of economic diplomacy — one capable of generating mutual growth and fostering innovation across both continents.
In the words of the organizers, the Washington mission demonstrated that when institutions, regions, and private sectors act in concert, Italy’s potential as a global investment destination becomes unmistakably clear.
Alessandro Fiorentino