ILEO – Innovation Law and Ethics Observatory

Christophe Geiger

Director

Home center: Research Center Law and Investment on Future and Earth

In April 2024, the “Innovation Law and Ethics Observatory” (ILEO) was established at Luiss to create a research stream and a dedicated center of excellence for innovation law, with a particular focus on ethics and sustainability. While innovation law – and in particular intellectual property (IP) law – provides a framework for innovative processes, a growing awareness of ethical issues and sustainability has led to calls for innovation to respect ethical principles in order to balance economic interests with non-economic ones. Growing environmental challenges and the global imperative for sustainable development have sparked a broad, comprehensive reflection at the national, regional, and international levels on the effects of technology—and innovation more broadly—on present and future generations, as well as on the world we live in.

Therefore, the role of innovation law is to provide a suitable framework to ensure economic growth while preserving the fundamental values on which the EU was built. Exploring the challenge of striking this delicate balance will be at the heart of the Observatory’s research. While the Observatory will primarily focus on digital innovation, particularly in the online environment (such as advancements in artificial intelligence or platform regulation), its legal framework is still evolving. Therefore, ample space will be dedicated to research as part of a broader discussion, encompassing more traditional sectors of the knowledge economy that are also grappling with the imperatives of ethical and sustainable innovation. The outputs will focus on providing scientific activities (offline and online publications, organizing lectures, conferences, and workshops), as well as offering advice and policy guidance to European and international policymakers.

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