Abstract
Sovereignty’ is once again a crucial feature in both the academic and public debate, due to thevcrisis of the liberal international orders, but also – and increasingly – as a response to challenges coming from economic and technological domains, which are reshaping the way governments perceive international security threats and adjust related policies. In this context, the present project focuses on the politics and policy of the national interest in contemporary Europe. More specifically, our aim is to investigate the how international threats to the security of national assets are framed by policymakers and embodied into regulative responses in the domain of critical infrastructure and supply chains (CISC). The project was based on a collaborative approach that fostered cross-unit co-authorship, joint research activities, and shared dissemination efforts, ensuring that the project outcomes were developed collectively rather than within isolated work streams. The project’s main achievements were presented at the Final Event, held in Genoa in January 2026, where the overall findings and outputs were discussed with the wider academic community and stakeholders. The project generated a substantial body of scholarly output, resulting in 21 co-authored research papers, several of which involved collaboration across units. Among these, one article has already been published in the Journal of Common Market Studies, while the remaining contributions have been presented and discussed at leading national and international conferences. Project researchers actively participated in major scientific forums, including those organized by the Italian Political Science Association (SISP), the International Studies Association (ISA), the European Consortium on Political Research (ECPR), the European Political Science Association (EPSA), and the European International Studies Association (EISA). These venues provided extensive opportunities for peer review, academic exchange, and international visibility. A key result of the project was the consolidation of a vibrant research network on economic security, critical infrastructures, and regulatory governance. Multiple workshops were organized to refine theoretical frameworks, improve methodological approaches, and engage with specialists in the field. In January 2025, researchers from Unit 3 organized a workshop at the University of Bologna dedicated to the project’s central themes, bringing together leading experts on economic security who provided feedback on emerging findings and research designs. Unit 2 further contributed by organizing a workshop on the growing regulatory challenges surrounding data centres in Italy, involving institutional representatives and societal stakeholders and strengthening the project’s policy relevance. The project also achieved significant dissemination and outreach results. Researchers presented findings in academic seminars, public events, and stakeholder-oriented initiatives. Unit 1 promoted the project internationally through a seminar and public presentation at Erasmus University Rotterdam in January 2025 and introduced the project to broader audiences through participation in the Scuola di politica alla pari, jointly promoted by UDI and the Department of Political and International Science of the University of Genoa. Additional dissemination activities included book presentations, online public events, and participation in thematic workshops linked to international journal special issues, notably the workshop organized by Politics & Governance on resilient and just energy transitions and critical infrastructure governance. On January 21, the CELIS Blog, the media outlet of a think tank focused on de-risking policies, published a post version of a paper esented in October 2025. The project also strengthened scholarly leadership and intellectual exchange. Coordinators and researchers acted as organizers, discussants, and invited speakers in numerous academic events. Unit coordinators contributed to the dissemination of project-related research through book presentations and public discussions, helping to connect the project’s findings with broader debates on economic security, regulation, energy transitions, and critical infrastructures. Overall, the project successfully met its objectives by producing high-quality scientific outputs, establishing a strong international research presence, fostering interdisciplinary and inter-unit collaboration, and engaging both academic and policy communities. The combination of publications, conference presentations, workshops, stakeholder engagement activities, and dissemination events has significantly advanced research on the governance of economic security and critical infrastructures while creating a solid foundation for future collaborative research initiatives.
Dettagli del progetto
Responsabile scientifico: Francesco Niccolò Moro
Strutture Unibo coinvolte:
Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche e Sociali
Coordinatore:
Università degli Studi di GENOVA(Italy)
Contributo totale Unibo: Euro (EUR) 113.121,00
Durata del progetto in mesi: 24
Data di inizio
30/11/2023
Data di fine:
28/02/2026
