Anna De Carolis earned her Master’s Degree in Management Engineering from Politecnico di Milano (final grade: 109/110) and, in 2014, began a Ph.D. within the Manufacturing Group at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, focusing on Smart Manufacturing.

During her doctoral studies, she participated in national and international research projects and developed the DREAMY model (Digital Readiness Assessment MaturitY), awarded as Best Research at the APMS 2016 conference and validated in collaboration with NIST (USA).

The model has been applied in more than 300 national and international companies (including Leonardo, Thales Alenia Space Italia, Fincantieri NexTech, Agrati, Whirlpool, Comau, and Illy Caffè) and forms the basis of the Industria 4.0 Test, adopted by Confindustria and the Digital Innovation Hubs to support around 3,000 Italian SMEs. The DREAMY methodology is also used by the MADE Competence Center to guide companies in defining their digital transformation strategies.

Since 2017, she has been involved in applied research and technology transfer activities, having developed over 50 industrial projects in collaboration with Italian and international manufacturing companies.

In parallel, she has gained extensive experience in university and executive education at Politecnico di Milano (since 2023, lecturer of the course Sustainable Manufacturing), the Graduate School of Management (GSoM POLIMI), and innovation centers such as the MADE Competence Center.

Her research and technology transfer activities focus on digital transformation, Industry 4.0, and sustainability in manufacturing, in close collaboration with the Italian and international industrial ecosystem.

Anna De Carolis carries out research on digital and sustainable transformation in manufacturing, with a strong focus on applied research and technology transfer.

Her work is part of the MICS Project – Made in Italy Circolare e Sostenibile (Circular and Sustainable Made in Italy), the National Partnership promoting a regenerative, responsible, and competitive manufacturing system. Within this framework, her research focuses on developing methods and tools to support the ecological and digital transition of Italian manufacturing companies, aiming to make it tangible, measurable, and scalable.

Her main research areas include:

1. Sustainable innovation of production models, through the adoption of digital technologies and regenerative practices;
2. Creation of collaborative ecosystems connecting companies, research centers, institutions, and territories to foster knowledge sharing and co-innovation;
3. Definition of metrics and shared standards to assess the maturity and impact of sustainability in manufacturing, contributing to the establishment of a recognizable benchmark for Circular Made in Italy.

The overarching goal is to support companies in their journey toward a more digital, sustainable, and competitive manufacturing model, strengthening the connection between academic research and industrial practice.

Manufacturing-as-a-Service: State-of-the-Art and the Development of a Maturity Model

2026 | Book chapter

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-03538-7_35

Contributors: Elena Beducci; Sara Paitoni; Beatrice Bonato; Federica Acerbi; Anna de Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-03538-7_35

Development and Validation of a Maturity Model for Digital Servitization of Manufacturing Companies

2025 | Book chapter

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-93319-6_6

Contributors: Elena Beducci; Anna de Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-93319-6_6

Exploring the role of digital servitization for sustainability: A framework for environmental and social impact

Cleaner Environmental Systems 2025-06 | Journal article

DOI: 10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100269

Contributors: Elena Beducci; Federica Acerbi; Anna De Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cesys.2025.100269

Servitization in the B2B Manufacturing Context A Practice-Based Research Agenda

2025-06-16 | Conference paper

DOI: 10.1109/ICE/ITMC65658.2025.11106523

Contributors: Elena Beducci; Federica Acerbi; Anna de Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICE/ITMC65658.2025.11106523

The Digital REadiness Assessment MaturitY (DREAMY) framework to guide manufacturing companies towards a digitalisation roadmap

International Journal of Production Research 2025-01-27 | Journal article

DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2025.2455476

Part of ISSN: 0020-7543

Part of ISSN: 1366-588X

Contributors: Anna De Carolis; Claudio Sassanelli; Federica Acerbi; Marco Macchi; Sergio Terzi; Marco Taisch

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2025.2455476

Development of a Multi-plant Cross-Function Roadmapping Tool: An Industrial Case in Food & Beverage Sector

2024 | Book chapter

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62582-4_9

Contributors: Elena Beducci; Federica Acerbi; Marco Spaltini; Anna De Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62582-4_9

Integrating Processes, People and Data Management to Create a Comprehensive Roadmap Toward SMEs Digitalization: an Italian Case Study

2024 | Book chapter

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-62582-4_7

Contributors: Marco Spaltini; Federica Acerbi; Anna De Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-62582-4_7

Maturity Models for Servitization: A Systematic Literature Review

2024 | Book chapter

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-71637-9_12

Contributors: Beducci Elena; Anna de Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71637-9_12

Toward a technology roadmapping methodology to enhance sustainable and digital transition in manufacturing

Production & Manufacturing Research 2024-12-31 | Journal article

DOI: 10.1080/21693277.2023.2298572

Contributors: Marco Spaltini; Federica Acerbi; Anna De Carolis; Sergio Terzi; Marco Taisch

URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/21693277.2023.2298572

Developing a Roadmap Towards the Digital Transformation of Small & Medium Companies: A Case Study Analysis in the Aerospace & Defence Sector

Product Lifecycle Management. PLM in Transition Times: The Place of Humans and Transformative Technologies 2023 | Book chapter | Author

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-25182-5_28

Contributors: Federica Acerbi; Marco Spaltini; Anna De Carolis; Marco Taisch

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25182-5_28

Towards Circular Systems: The Role of Digital Servitization in an Italian Extended Partnership

Innovative Intelligent Industrial Production and Logistics 2023 | Book chapter | Author

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-49339-3_15

Contributors: Elena Beducci; Federica Acerbi; Anna de Carolis; Sergio Terzi; Marco Taisch

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-49339-3_15

Initiating an Industrial Machinery Producer to Digital Servitization: A Case Study

Product Lifecycle Management. Green and Blue Technologies to Support Smart and Sustainable Organizations 2022 | Book chapter | Author

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-94399-8_35

Contributors: Claudio Sassanelli; Anna de Carolis; Sergio Terzi

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-94399-8_35

Integrating Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis in the Overall Equipment Effectiveness Framework to Set a Digital Servitized Machinery: An Application Case

Advances in Production Management Systems. Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable and Resilient Production Systems 2021 | Book chapter | Author

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-85902-2_16

Contributors: Claudio Sassanelli; Anna de Carolis; Sergio Terzi

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85902-2_16

A Maturity Model for Assessing the Digital Readiness of Manufacturing Companies

Advances in Production Management Systems. The Path to Intelligent, Collaborative and Sustainable Manufacturing 2017 | Conference paper

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-66923-6_2

Contributors: Anna De Carolis; Marco Macchi; Elisa Negri; Sergio Terzi

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66923-6_2

Gap Analysis on Research and Innovation for Cyber-Physical Systems in Manufacturin

Service Orientation in Holonic and Multi-Agent Manufacturing 2017 | Conference paper

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-51100-9_6

Contributors: Anna De Carolis; Giacomo Tavola; Marco Taisch

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-51100-9_6

Maturity Models and Tools for Enabling Smart Manufacturing Systems: Comparison and Reflections for Future Developments

Product Lifecycle Management and the Industry of the Future 2017 | Conference paper

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-72905-3_3

Contributors: Anna De Carolis; Marco Macchi; Boonserm Kulvatunyou; Michael P. Brundage; Sergio Terzi

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72905-3_3

Guiding manufacturing companies towards digitalization a methodology for supporting manufacturing companies in defining their digitalization roadmap

2017 International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Innovation (ICE/ITMC) 2017-06 | Conference paper

DOI: 10.1109/ice.2017.8279925

Contributors: Anna De Carolis; Marco Macchi; Elisa Negri; Sergio Terzi

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ice.2017.8279925

• Assistant Professor, 01/03/2023 - to date
• Post-doc Research fellow, 15/01/2018 - 28/02/2023
• PhD candidate, 01/09/2014 - 12/01/2018