Francesca Spigarelli

Full Professor of Applied Economics and Director of the China Center, University of Macerata

A full Professor of Applied Economics, she teaches industrial economics, innovation economics and political economy in the Department of Law.

Her main research areas are economics applied to the study of the impact of foreign direct investments at both macro and economic levels, the analysis of industrial dynamics (with particular reference to the environmental and health sectors), the third mission of universities, sustainability and circular economy, industrial policies and the development of the Chinese economy. Since 2013 she has led the China Center of the University of Macerata. She is the Italian representative, appointed by the MUR, for the permanent Human Resources and Mobility working group of the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC) of the European Commission (since 2017). Also appointed by the MUR, she is the Italian representative for the Strategic Programme Committee of the European Commission – sub-group Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area, Horizon Europe (from 2020). Member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Society of Economics and Industrial Policy (SIEPI) for the three-year period 2022-2024. She coordinates several projects under the 7th Framework Programme and Horizon 2020, and is an expert evaluator of the European Commission Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. She currently participates and has previously participated, as Principal Investigator or scientific coordinator, in numerous EU and national projects.