Manifesto

History teaches us that crises can be great opportunities for change, able to give life to periods of unexpected rebirth. Even today, we have the possibility of emerging stronger from the pandemic and moving towards a new paradigm that looks to technologies as tools to build a better, resilient and future-proof society.

COVID-19 deeply changed our lives but it was also a powerful accelerator of the changes taking place in the society, acting as a driver of the full digital transformation.

Today we are more aware of digital as an essential factor for working, socialising, taking care of our health and educating our children. This new awareness will be the basis to build the next generations’ society, which has to be not only more competitive and efficient, but also more flexible and inclusive, putting at its centre the human being and the planet.

The future appears near and reachable as never before. We can easily think about doctors that monitor, treat and even operate patients remotely; or vehicles and infrastructure that exchange data and information in real time to reduce safety risks and environmental impact.

In this perspective, Italy Next Generation is a coalition that brings together some of the main players in the corporate, associative and academic world. ING’s aim is supporting the debate with decision makers and stakeholders on the fundamental pillars that will allow Italy to “reborn” like a phoenix with a new strength and rise towards the future society, also with Next Generation EU investments.

Building the new Italy firstly requires to complete the digital infrastructures’ development: the widespread deployment of fixed ultra wideband and the fast development of 5G networks are two fundamental pre-requisites allowing all citizens to exploit the enormous potential of next generation technologies.

Moreover, it is necessary to guarantee a full and integrated digitalization, including production and administrative processes,not only from a technological but also an organic and holistic point of view. This transformation has to start from Public Administration and small and medium enterprises, which represent the backbone of our production system.

Finally, since the next Italy will have to include everyone, it will be very important to pay attention to digital skills’ diffusion, in order to make all citizens, businesses and public administrations key players of the ongoing changes.

The pandemic started a process of rethinking our societies that in the coming years will be focused on the reorganization of public and private life, the redesign of urban and domestic spaces and a greater integration between environment and economy. These are huge challenges that we have to face with ambition, determination and a clear long-term vision to build a more digital, sustainable, inclusive and resilient future for the next generations.