Cooperatives have historically been a cornerstone of economic and social development in the Province of Bozen-Bolzano. This Competence Centre aims to promote research and innovation in the context of the cooperative system of this region, to address the transformations that new social, ecological and economic challenges pose. 

The Competence Centre works in concert with South Tyrolean institutions that work for the development of the cooperative system, such as the South Tyrolean cooperative associations Coopbund, Raiffeisenverband, Cooperdolomiti and the Associazione Generale delle Cooperative Italiane (AGCI), as well as with national and international research institutes, with a multidisciplinary perspective on the phenomena under study. 

The Competence Centre is financed by the Office for Cooperative Development of the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano