Teaching, research, and dissemination in the field of strategic innovation are the three cornerstones of the new Luiss Chair in “Strategic Innovation.” Funded through an agreement with Angelini Industries, the Chair will be launched on Monday, November 21, at 4:00 PM on the University’s campus at Viale Romania 32 in Rome.

The new partnership between Luiss and the Italian multinational—active in the fields of health, consumer goods, industrial technology, perfumery and dermocosmetics, and wine—was strongly supported by Rector Andrea Prencipe and the CEO of Angelini Industries, Sergio Marullo di Condojanni. They will open the event with institutional greetings, followed by the keynote address by Giovanni Valentini, who holds the new Chair in “Strategic Innovation.”

With the launch of this new chair, which also includes high-impact teaching and research projects, the University named after Guido Carli is solidifying its position as a hub of international excellence in the field of innovation. It boasts a faculty of international renown, including Henry Chesbrough, the Maire Tecnimont Chair in Open Innovation and Sustainability at Luiss, who is also the Director of the Garwood Center for Corporate Innovation at the University of California, Berkeley, and the father of Open Innovation.

The focus on innovation is now strengthened by Professor Giovanni Valentini, a former professor at IESE Business School, co-editor of Industrial and Corporate Change, Associate Editor of Management Science, and Chair of the Knowledge & Innovation Interest Group of the Strategic Management Society. Valentini’s research—now part of the Luiss Research Center “Leadership, Innovation and Organization” (CLIO)—focuses on analyzing how innovation helps companies gain a competitive edge, including by combining internal and external knowledge. His work has been published in leading academic journals such as the Journal of International Business Studies, Management Science, Organization Science, and the Strategic Management Journal.

Furthermore, thanks to the new agreement, Angelini Industries will participate in the Luiss “Adoption Lab,” a project designed to connect students with the business world. The goal is to provide them with tangible opportunities to experience the world of work from within a major multinational company through business challenges, project work, and post-graduate internships.

The launch event for the Chair in “Strategic Innovation” will feature a roundtable discussion with Silvia Ferrara, Professor of Mycenaean Philology at the Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, and Giuseppina Di Foggia, CEO and Vice President of Nokia Italy. The event will be moderated by Francesco Giorgino, Director of the Master’s Program in Communication and Marketing at the Luiss School of Government. This will be followed by concluding remarks from Alessandro Zattoni, Head of the University’s Department of Business and Management. 

“Through the Chair in Strategic Innovation, the partnership between Angelini Industries and Luiss strengthens our role as an international center of academic excellence in the field of innovation. Collaborations with companies, professionals, and public administration have always provided opportunities for discussion among students and the entire academic community. They are therefore an irreplaceable source of inspiration for creating new educational programs and conducting impactful research,” said Luiss Rector Andrea Prencipe.

“Innovation has always been a key factor, central to the growth of a Group like ours, which operates in highly competitive sectors. Collaboration between universities and businesses is an essential driver for developing open innovation projects. Today, our partnership with such a prestigious institution as Luiss allows us to approach innovation in an even more systematic way—through advanced education, research, and cultural growth—with the goal of constantly generating new ideas and knowledge. These, in turn, can drive growth not only for our industry, but also for the economy, society, and individuals themselves, who are the true wealth and assets of every company,” commented Sergio Marullo di Condojanni, CEO of Angelini Industries.

Through the partnership between Luiss and Angelini Industries, academia and industry are coming together to create added value through a shared journey.