The role of a research institute in a difficult socio-economic context and its contribution to local development.

In a territory characterized by weak local economy, a lack inclination for entrepreneurship, a feeble interaction between the local institutions, research centers and industry, a research organization can contribute to set up conditions in order to develop the economy of a territory in which it operates? It is well known that universities and research institutes play a key role in the development of the local economy, with the dissemination and application of knowledge and results arising from the research activities. Of course the fallouts of the activities of a research center on the territory are not always equal. It depends on the level of development of that territory, how strong the conditions are to allow the transition of knowledge from the laboratory to the local industries or the exploitation of research results through the creation of new businesses. Based on our experience, a research organization that carries out its activities in a strategic sector, such as energy, producing know-how oriented towards the industrial applications, can be an attractor of investment, though located in a non-innovative territory. This article intends to describe the experience of Institute for Advanced Energy Technologies "Nicola Giordano" (hereinafter ITAE), an Italian research centre located in Sicily.