Marco Romano

Marco Romano is a Full Professor in the Department of Economics and Business at the University of Catania, Italy. He also serves as a Visiting Professor at Northumbria University's Newcastle Business School (UK) and is a Faculty Member in the Ph.D. program in Economics, Management, and Statistics at the University of Messina. His research and teaching are centered on entrepreneurship, innovation, digital transformation, and strategic management.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Management, University of Catania, May 2000
• Master Degree in Economics and Business, University of Catania, May 1995
• Diploma in Managing Abroad, IBIS Programme, Haarlem Business School, The Netherlands, August 1993 – June 1994

His research interests span strategic management, innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, academic spin-offs, knowledge management, digital transformation, and marketing. He has published in leading journals such as the Journal of Technology Transfer, Journal of Intellectual Capital, and Journal of Knowledge Management, and with publishers including McGraw-Hill, Palgrave MacMillan, Emerald, and World Scientific. His work emphasizes the entrepreneurial roles of scientists, innovation ecosystems, and public-private collaboration.

He has held numerous editorial roles, including Associate Editor of the Journal of Intellectual Capital, and membership on the editorial boards of Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Journal of the Knowledge Economy, and Sinergie Italian Journal of Management. He has been an expert for MIUR, ANVUR, and the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme.

Marco Romano has supervised around 300 undergraduate and postgraduate theses and has led large-scale, multi-partner research projects as Principal Investigator, focusing on innovation systems, business planning for research infrastructures (e.g., KM3NeT), and social entrepreneurship. He has also provided strategic consultancy to SMEs, startups, and public sector organizations.

He has held significant leadership roles, including President of the Science and Technology Park of Sicily, General Manager of the Department of Economic Development for the Sicilian Region, and General Manager of the Health Emergency Service 118 in Sicily. He is also a founder of the Technological Cluster 'Bio-Medico della Sicilia' and the National Cluster 'Scienze della Vita (ALISEI)'.