Digital Innovation Observatories
In 1999, the Digital Innovation Observatories of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano were established to raise cultural awareness in all the main areas of digital innovation.
Today, the Observatories provide an expert point of reference for digital innovation, integrating Research work, Communication and Continuous Update. According to the vision driving the work of the Observatories, digital innovation is a key element of a country’s development.
Key figures
The mission is to create and spread knowledge on the opportunities and the impact of digital technology on companies, public authorities and citizens through interpretative models based on sound empirical evidence combined with spaces for independent, ongoing, and precompetitive discussions aimed at bringing together the demand-and offer-sides of Digital Innovation.
Research
Our research is carried out by a team of nearly 170 professors, researchers and analysts working in more than 50 Observatories. Together, they address key matters of digital innovation in companies (including SMEs) and public authorities.
Update
Osservatori.net is the point of reference for professionals wishing to remain up to date on digital innovation. They offer a single source of information, data and knowledge based on publications, webinars and workshops prepared by analysts and experts with distinctive and unique expertise and know-how. The work is distributed over a multi-media interactive platform.
Communication & Dissemination
The Observatories spread good practice, experience and a culture of digital innovation through conventions, media and publications, issuing over 6.000 press releases and articles, and holding 200 public events every year.
Through propagation our goal is to explain the impact and spread good practices, experiences, and culture of digital innovation. Research findings are spread across multiple channels and media, through our content platform launched in 2001 through which in recent years more than 700 reports, 200 infographics, 2400 graphics have been downloaded.
Networking
The Observatories gather together a wider community of offer-side and demand-side decision-makers and institutions, developing solid relationships and working together to help spread digital innovation.
The Digital Innovation Observatories of the Politecnico di Milano, by analyzing the outcomes achieved between 2019 and 2024, have promoted a culture of digital innovation both in Italy and abroad. They have worked in partnership with 10 Ministries, 23 institutions, over 1,100 companies, and more than 400 international startups. The Observatories have published more than 260 scientific articles, which have been cited 4,000 times, involved over 2,000 students, and organized 300 conferences attended by more than 170,000 participants. They have been actively engaged in 15 funded projects, contributing to the development of strategies and solutions for innovation at a European level. In the past five years, their research has been featured by the media over 38,000 times.
Activities are conducted by a team of almost 170 professors, researchers and analysts in more than 50 Observatories addressing key Digital Innovation topics in Companies (including SMBs) and Public Authorities.
The Observatories face such topics by adopting the style that is typical of the School of Management of the Politecnico di Milano that combines thorough “experimental” analysis of real life cases in an attempt to develop reliable frameworks, to looking at what is happening in the Country using the most advanced worldwide experience as benchmark, to rationalizing the actual reality being observed to draw guidelines for companies.
The Digital Innovation Observatories are strongly integrated with the educational activities of the School of Management: they represent an important source for the development of teaching and discussion materials for courses, also drawing lifeblood from the experience of course attendees (in particular post-graduate courses delivered by the POLIMI Graduate School of Management) or of those who have attended them in the past.
The International Observatory on eInvoicing
Following the path traced by a few pioneering countries, an ever-growing number of governments are introducing mandatory B2b eInvoicing at the domestic level. At the same time, international initiatives—such as the European Commission’s VAT in the Digital Age (ViDA) proposal—are accelerating the shift toward cross-border eInvoicing.
However, regulatory compliance is only part of the story. Increasingly, companies are embracing eInvoicing for its broader benefits: process optimisation, efficiency, transparency, and significant time and cost savings. For many, eInvoicing represents the first step in a wider journey toward end-to-end digitalisation, enabling automation, new digital services, and the adoption of emerging technologies.
In this context, the International Observatory on Electronic Invoicing, part of the Digital Innovation Observatories of the Politecnico di Milano, was established as an independent and qualified third-party body for monitoring and analysing the evolution of eInvoicing worldwide.
Its mission is to:
- Develop research and analyses that help international stakeholders understand emerging trends and policy directions.
- Foster dialogue and collaboration among solution providers, institutions, and academics in a neutral, pre-competitive environment.
- Promote cultural awareness and knowledge sharing around electronic invoicing at both European and global levels.
The Observatory’s activities combine research, webinars, and workshops, which serve as the cornerstone of its community. These meetings offer a closed, pre-competitive forum where participants can exchange perspectives, engage directly with institutional representatives, and share success stories and best practices from across the ecosystem.
Through this approach, the International Observatory on Electronic Invoicing aims to advance a deeper understanding of global eInvoicing developments, supporting stakeholders in navigating innovation and shaping the future of digital business processes.
How to get involved?
The International Observatory on Electronic Invoicing welcomes the participation of all stakeholders in the eInvoicing ecosystem — including solution providers, user companies, public institutions, industry associations, and experts. If you or your organisation would like to participate or receive further information, please contact us using the form.
