Digital in museums and similar institutions in Italy: a research on the levels achieved and the indicators to monitor future trends|Il digitale nei musei e istituti similari in Italia: una ricerca sui livelli raggiunti e gli indicatori per monitorare le tendenze future

The research stems from the collaboration between the University of Turin and the Digital Library of the Ministry of Culture to identify key factors for optimizing the digitalization strategy of the Italian cultural sector, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Responses from over 6,000 museums and similar institutions to National Institute of Statistics' surveys (2015, 2018, and 2021) outline a tendency towards digitalization that is still poorly oriented, mainly linked to size, location, and awareness of the importance of investing in technology. Furthermore, by analyzing the documentation of public tenders and contracts (2016-2022), the relationship between technology providers and cultural institutions appears underdeveloped, especially in terms of duration and amount of contracts. However, interesting opportunities for the involvement of innovative suppliers and startups in ICT are emerging. For the benefit of stakeholders, an interactive dashboard has been created and a digitalization indicator defined for each cultural institution. The research will continue with the analysis of strategic factors for better implementation of the National Plan for the Digitalization of the cultural sector (2022-2026).