Marco Ciro Liscio(p), Paolo Sospiro, Daniele Bregoli, Alice Amatore

Salma Mhamed Hichri

This study focuses on the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region (EUSAIR) as a
pivotal framework. EUSAIR's four key pillars—Blue Growth, Connecting the Region, Environmental
Quality, and Sustainable Tourism—form the bedrock for comprehensive regional development. Through
synergistic efforts, EUSAIR aims to cultivate collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth, thereby
contributing to the broader goals of social, economic, and territorial cohesion in the European macro-regions.
This paper investigates the shifting needs and trends within the European Union Strategy for the Adriatic and
Ionian Region (EUSAIR) from 2014 to the present, aiming to formulate strategic policy recommendations
for the upcoming programming period. In addition, this article endeavours to identify emerging priorities
intricately linked to the concepts of neighbourhood and enlargement, emphasizing the integration of the
region, bolstering the single market, and positioning it as a vibrant research and academic hub. Anchored in
the identified potential new priorities, including research emphasis, stakeholder engagement, youth
involvement, infrastructure connectivity, and data standardization, the study proposes leveraging the need of
establishing a dedicated space for research, study, and the exchange of data and information. A wellstructured
space for data and information sharing, along with the definition of specific transversal priorities
represent a cornerstone for addressing evolving regional priorities for fostering comprehensive development
in the macro-region.

Paolo Sospiro (p)

Marco Ciro Liscio

The present paper is designed to investigate the regional integration status regarding each country and regional economic community, examined through five dimensions (trade integration, productive integration, infrastructure integration and macroeconomic integration, along with the free movement of people). These five dimensions, we consider, should help us assess the regional integration associated index. To this end, we have appealed to the African Platform (2019) provided data, initially developed by the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. In this context, the major variable consists in the Index of Regional Integration in Africa (IIRA) 2019, intended to help us compare and highlight the inter- and intra-regional economic communities associated differences. It is on this basis that the exploratory statistical "principal component analysis (PCA)" has been conducted, with the aim of either confirming or refuting our advanced hypotheses. The reached findings turn out to reveal well that both of the macroeconomic and infrastructure related integrations appear to display a significant effect on the regional integration level, whereby, the rather performing and integrated countries and communities could be effectively identified.

P. Sospiro, M. Giurato, Marco Ciro Liscio (p), S. Capogna, J. Pange

Salma Mhamed Hichri

The European Union (EU) faces various social and environmental challenges, including significant
demographic changes. A key concern is the aging population. According to Eurostat (2023), the EU has
seen an increase in median age from 38.7 years in 2002 to 44.4 years in 2022, alongside a decrease in
the proportion of young people (aged 0-19) across all Member States during the same period. The
impact of these trends reaches different sectors, including education. This demographic shift, marked
by a decrease in student enrollment, poses a challenge to the stability of educational systems.
Recognizing the direct implications for the Higher Education (HE) sector, the European Union (EU) must
try to bridge this gap by actively seeking to attract international students from third countries and
advancing initiatives aimed at fostering internationalization (European Commission, 2020). In response,
universities have embarked on a process of rethinking and renewing themselves, recognizing the need
to effectively tackle these societal challenges through enhanced engagement in transnational
cooperation (European Commission, 2022). This also represents one of the objectives of the European
Strategy for Universities, claiming that by exchanging talents from all over the world and building strong
bridges with partner countries across the globe, universities could gain more power. Initiatives such as
the formation of National Promotion Agencies and the Study in Europe project play a central role. The
strategy's central actions aim to:
a) demonstrate Europe's educational prospects to students around the world;
b) assist international students in navigating European higher education, study, research and
scholarship opportunities;
c) build bridges between European higher education organizations and international students and
partners.
This study is designed to examine the variables that contribute to the appeal of European universities
for international students, considering both internal drivers, related to the HEI’s strategies to attract
students, and external drivers, such as the influence of the country, or city, in which is located the HEI
and their influences at regional level.
In developing our methodology, we will rely on a mixed-method approach based on:
a) University Questionnaires: We have identified 151 universities across 27 EU countries using the
ETER database, focusing specifically on the variable "Share of foreign students ISCED 5-7." This
allowed us to calculate the proportion of international students to the total number of students at each
institution.
b) National Promotion Agencies Questionnaires: We have selected 27 national promotional agencies
for our survey to gain insights into best practices and services they provide to enhance the appeal of
European universities.
c) Universities’ Websites Scraping Analysis: We will perform a text analysis of the selected universities'
websites, looking for potential correlations between the frequency and usage of specific words or
combination of words and the university’s level of attractiveness and internationalization.
d) Quantitative Analysis Using Descriptive Statistics and Econometrics: The collected data will be
subjected to various quantitative analyses to derive meaningful patterns and conclusions.
This research highlights the critical factors that enhance the appeal of European universities to
international students. We show the existence of antecedents that influences attractiveness for
Universities towards increased international enrollment. The findings of this study will provide actionable
insights for strategic decision-making in HE policy and institutional planning.

Salma Hichri (p), Hanene Ben Ouada Jamoussi, Foued Ben Said

Marco Ciro Liscio

Purpose
In recent years, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) has received increasing attention in various fields of research and application, but it has not received much attention in contemporary entrepreneurship research. AI equips companies and individuals with powerful tools that enable them to do more and act with superhuman capabilities (Giuggioli and Matteo Pellegrini, 2023). It also makes it possible to automate complex processes and process diverse sets of unstructured data using complex algorithms to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence and considerable human effort (Chalmers and Mackenzi, 2020). The advent of AI therefore has critical consequences and profound implications for individuals, companies and entrepreneurial practices. These consequences also affect entrepreneurs who continue to operate in the traditional way, as they risk being disintermediated in an AI-driven economy. This research aims to explore the impact of AI on entrepreneurial processes and practices, as well as the considerable challenges that new businesses will face. Our analysis will focus on the adaptations needed for new businesses and entrepreneurial players to ensure a smooth transition to this new technological era, and to better prepare future entrepreneurs.
Methodology
The methodology adopted in this research is based on the application of bibliometrics, a quantitative approach that enables the systematic analysis and evaluation of scientific production articulating entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence (AI). First, we exhaustively identify relevant bibliographic corpora, drawing on renowned academic databases. We then apply strict selection criteria to select only the most relevant and influential works, thus guaranteeing the quality and representativeness of our analysis. The use of advanced bibliometric techniques will enable us to explore trends, patterns and articulations that lie at the intersection of entrepreneurship and AI.
Findings
This research aims to demonstrate that AI exerts a significant influence on entrepreneurial processes, conferring transformative power on its various aspects and practices. Our approach aspires to enlighten entrepreneurs on the implications of AI in their field, prompting strategic thinking and proactive adaptation to technological developments. By highlighting these dynamics, we aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with integrating AI into the entrepreneurial context.
Practical implications
The practical implications arising from this pioneering research may be of crucial importance to entrepreneurs and researchers alike. Indeed, this study provides innovative insights likely to guide strategic decisions in a rapidly changing entrepreneurial context.