(ANSA) - LJUBLJANA, FEB 13 - Science and technology can support economic growth and social welfare: this is the focus of the sixth edition of the Italian Business Forum (IBF), which took place at the Joze Stefan Institute in Ljubljana today.

The Forum was attended by Italy's Minister of Labor and Social Policies, Giuliano Poletti, who gave the opening speech. The challenge of technological innovation has been analysed in terms both of industrial development and social impact.

The thesis which was debated during the IBF is that long-term productivity growth can only be safeguarded if it is combined with the protection of social welfare, thus developing the positive potential of technology for all members of any community. The forum included contributions from politics, given by the Slovenian Secretary of State to the Ministry of Equal Opportunities, Peter Pogacar, and from businesses, such as the founder and CEO of Pipistrel, Ivo Boscarol.

Members of the scientific community, including the dean of the University of Trieste, Maurizio Fermeglia, Andrea Goldstein, chief economist at Nomisma, and the director of the Joze Stefan Institute, Jadran Lenarcic, analyzed the impact of technology on productivity, underlining the importance of investments in research and training to foster sustainable economic growth.

(ANSA).