Enzo Bivona is Associate Professor of Business Management at the University of Palermo, where he serves as Rector’s Delegate for Research Exploitation and Technology Transfer and Vice-Director of the Technology Transfer Centre (UT2C). He is also Vice-Dean of the Department of Political Sciences and International Relations (DEMS). He holds a PhD in Business and Administration from the University of Catania (Italy) and a Master Phil. in System Dynamics from the University of Bergen (Norway). Since 2016, he has coordinated the Transport Special Interest Group of the System Dynamics Society.
Enzo Bivona’s research activity is structured around four interconnected streams that integrate System Dynamics modelling, performance management and sustainable innovation:
- Dynamic Performance Management & Management Control
Research advances Performance Management and System Dynamics–based simulation models to support strategic decisions and performance governance. Applications span private firms, public organizations, and healthcare systems, with emphasis on managing resource accumulation and depletion, unintended behaviors, and sustainability-aligned performance (e.g., Dynamic Balanced Scorecard). - Business Model Innovation & SME Resilience
A significant stream examines Business Model Innovation as a lever for SME competitiveness, crisis response, and sustainable growth. Work includes empirical studies across traditional and digital sectors (e.g., agri-food, brewing, online platforms), highlighting collaborative approaches, digital transformation, and circular business models. - Collaborative & Multi-Actor Governance for Sustainability
This stream develops frameworks to design and evaluate collaborative governance systems involving public institutions, industry, and civil society. Contributions include models for chronic disease management, disaster response, higher education governance, and the Chinese Paired Assistance Policy, emphasizing co-design, stakeholder engagement, and systemic coordination in pursuit of resilience and societal well-being. - Environmental Sustainability & Voluntary Programs
Research explores environmental voluntary programs, ESG practices, and behavioral dynamics shaping sustainability performance in public and private settings. Case studies (France EVE program, waste management, circular bioeconomy) and conceptual contributions analyze drivers, barriers, and policy conditions enabling carbon reduction, circularity, and responsible resource use.
His work has been published in leading scholarly journals, including System Dynamics Review, Simulation & Gaming, Journal of Business Research, Systems Research and Behavioral Science, British Food Journal, European Journal of Innovation Management, Management Control and the International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
He is involved in several major national innovation programs funded under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) within the European Union’s NextGenerationEU initiative. These include GRINS (advancing green transition and sustainable innovation), Samothrace (supporting sustainable territorial transformation and social innovation), and the National Biodiversity Future Center – NBFC (the national hub for biodiversity science, conservation, and bio-innovation). He also serves as local coordinator of PerfeTTO, a strategic program aimed at strengthening technology transfer capacity and fostering university–industry innovation ecosystems. He has led multiple national and international research initiatives, including a recent project in France assessing environmental voluntary programs in the freight transport sector to enhance logistics efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions through System Dynamics-based policy design. As Rector’s Delegate for Research Exploitation and Technology Transfer, he fosters collaboration between universities, industry, and public institutions to advance research valorization and develop innovative business models grounded in scientific excellence. He currently coordinates the Venture Building program within the Biodiversity Gateway, supporting research projects in renewable energy, the circular bioeconomy, and environmental sustainability. This initiative accelerates entrepreneurial paths to transform research outcomes into high-impact, market-ready innovations
