Inaugural remarks by President Paola Iamiceli
With the start of her term of office, Prof. Iamiceli is taking up the important legacy of Carlo Borzaga and Mario Diani, pursuing a path of scientific rigour, openness to international collaboration and strong ties with the local community. Her words mark the beginning of a new mandate, but also the continuity of a commitment that has guided EURICSE’s work for years.
“Assuming the role that was played by Carlo Borzaga and, in recent years, by Mario Diani, is probably an unattainable challenge. That is why I prefer to think of the start of this new and exciting journey as EURICSE President as a continuation. The continuation of a collaboration that began with Carlo Borzaga in the early 2000s, well before what is now one of the bodies of the Trentino research and innovation system was set up on the initiative and with the support of its founding members: the University of Trento, first and foremost, the Trentino Federation of Cooperatives, the Autonomous Province of Trento, the Caritro Foundation, and the International Alliance of Cooperatives. From Carlo I learnt that research on cooperatives, social enterprises and, more recently, the social economy requires an international dimension and a comparative-oriented method; that the contamination of knowledge, in particular of economic, social and legal sciences, is a source of wealth and scientific progress; that trust in young researchers is one of the best guarantees for the development of research; that the pluralism of business models, if combined with a solid system of values, is a source of stimulus, growth and innovation.
It is with the richness of this viaticum, and with a humility equal to the trust placed in those who will accompany me, that I embark on this journey, aware of the responsibility it entails and the challenges that await us. These are difficult times. The actors of the social economy, in their variety and with their specificities, express enormous potential in the context of the crises, also of values, that characterise the present: crises of democratic values and their practical experience; economic crises, aggravated by geopolitical alarm, which translate into difficult access to markets, production, credit, and labour; social crises marked by a visible increase in inequalities; environmental crises, witnesses to that indissoluble link between territory, community and economy. Will the actors of the social economy therefore be able to meet the new challenges by demonstrating, as in the past, that special aptitude for dealing with crises? Will they be able to reconcile, more and better than other business models, competitiveness, sustainability and social justice? What policies will be needed, at European, national and local level, so that the potential of this important sector of the economy, increasingly recognised also in the international context, can be expressed and trigger growth mechanisms of competitiveness and innovation while respecting the value system on which their roots lie?
Aware of the “seriousness” of these questions, my commitment will be to accompany EURICSE along a path that will see it consolidate its role as a leader in the field of social economy research at local, national and European level and increase opportunities for collaboration with the University of Trento and the other players in the Trentino research and innovation system, in accordance with the hopes shared by the recent Trentino Research Forum in the so-called Rovereto 2025 Charter. The commitment to dialogue and collaboration will be particularly relevant in the relationship with social economy actors, starting with the Federazione Trentina della Cooperazione (Trentino Federation of Cooperatives) and the other networks that, at local, national and international level, deal with research and policies for the social economy, starting with EMES, CIRIEC and ICA, already in collaboration with EURICSE.
In embarking on this journey I know I will find a community of people, each one a bearer of knowledge, professionalism and values, without which research will not be able to pursue the ambitious goals EURICSE has set itself. Towards this community I express a deep sense of gratitude for the work done so far and, as of now, for the future commitment and the trust placed in me. Good work to all.”
Paola Iamiceli, President of EURICSE
