< BACK TO ABOUT Francesco Molinari Senior Research Associate and Project Coordinator Francesco Molinari is an international researcher and policy advisor with 25 years of working experience in research and development and innovation projects at the European, national and local levels. Notably, he worked on topics such as digital government, living labs, smart cities, culture and creativity. Over this period, he has also successfully advised several national and regional governments in the design, implementation and evaluation of their research and innovation policies and programmes, notably including smart specialisation strategies and innovative public procurement initiatives. The background of Francesco is in public management, both on the theoretical and the practical side, including serving for five years as director of a mid-sized municipality and for seven years as chief financial officer of a local business development agency.