From the redesign of sviluppo.toscana.it to a digital ecosystem where information architecture, search and intelligent assistance make regional calls for applications accessible to everyone.
Sviluppo Toscana S.p.A. manages regional programmes, calls for applications and measures for economic development, research, innovation and business support. Its institutional portal is the primary tool through which entrepreneurs, startups, public bodies and professionals search for — and find, or fail to find — the opportunities they are entitled to. The problem was not one of content: the information was there. It was one of access. A technologically obsolete platform, an unintuitive information architecture and inadequate search tools made it difficult to navigate for anyone who did not already know the organisation’s internal structure. The new portal was built to resolve this tension.
The starting point was a simple question: how does someone search for a call for applications when they don’t already know where to look? The answer shaped the entire redesign. Rather than organising content according to Sviluppo Toscana’s internal structure, the new portal is built around profiles and objectives: users find their own path without needing prior knowledge of European programme logic or funding terminology. An internal search engine with filters for recipient type, sector, programme and application status completes the orientation, reducing the time between need and answer.
A well-structured portal reduces that time, but does not eliminate it entirely. This is why the project integrates a virtual assistant that is always available, trained directly on the published calls for applications content: precise, up-to-date, traceable responses — not a generic chatbot. For an organisation like Sviluppo Toscana, this is not an ancillary feature.
The portal is developed on WordPress, compliant with the Design Guidelines for Public Administration web services and WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. Access to the reserved area is via SPID, in continuity with the regional digital ecosystem. The modular structure guarantees full editorial autonomy for the Sviluppo Toscana internal team, with the flexibility to evolve over time alongside the organisation’s activities.
When a business quickly finds the right call for applications and immediately understands whether it meets the eligibility criteria, the likelihood of submitting an application increases. The quality of the digital experience becomes, in this sense, a concrete instrument of regional economic policy.
