Rome, September 17, 2021 – To strengthen its global and institutional commitment, Luiss Guido Carli University is launching the first edition of the Global Fellowship, a project created to reinforce the university’s reputation as an open, connected, and responsible institution. The Global Fellowship is awarded to high-profile individuals who have distinguished themselves internationally through their innovation and leadership.

The awards for this inaugural edition went to two Italians who have helped enhance our country’s international image: Francesca Bria, President of the National Innovation Fund and a member of the high-level expert group for the New European Bauhaus established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Marco Durante, President and founder of LaPresse. The ceremony will take place this afternoon on the Luiss Campus in Viale Pola, attended by Luiss President Vincenzo Boccia, Rector Andrea Prencipe, Director General Giovanni Lo Storto, and the Undersecretary of the Prime Minister’s Office for Information and Publishing, Giuseppe Moles.

As of today, Francesca Bria and Marco Durante are the first members of a club of internationally renowned individuals who will serve as ambassadors, promoting the values of the Luiss educational model worldwide through their professional networks.

“The Global Fellowship has a grand ambition: to complement higher education with experience, skills, and professionalism of significant international value, with the goal of sharing ideas, identifying solutions, and providing opportunities for growth and development for the entire Luiss community. A perfect blend of leadership and strategic vision to tackle tomorrow's challenges together,” said Luiss President Vincenzo Boccia. In his laudatory address, Rector Andrea Prencipe added: “Pico della Mirandola asked himself: ‘How can one choose one’s own wisdom without having encountered others?’That's the question we aim to answer with the Luiss Global Fellowship. I am especially proud to award this Fellowship to Francesca Bria and Marco Durante, who embody the values of “Educated in Italy” through their passion and innovation.

The reasons for the award are: Francesca Bria — recently named one of Forbes’ Top 50 Women in Tech and among the 20 most influential people globally in digital governance by Apolitical — for proposing, during her time at the City of Barcelona as Councilor for Technological Innovation and Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer, to use data as a common resource for citizens, making public services more accessible and fostering innovation within institutions. Marco Durante, President and founder of the multimedia news agency LaPresse, which is now Italy's most international multimedia content provider and the leading entrepreneur-led multimedia news agency with 11 offices in Italy and 15 abroad, for having envisioned and created a new economy in the media sector with a strong impetus beyond national borders.

“I am proud to receive such an ambitious and visionary recognition as the Luiss Global Fellowship, and I thank President Boccia, Rector Prencipe, and the entire Luiss community for recognizing my work focused on democratizing the digital transition. This involves putting technology, data, and artificial intelligence at the service of people to address the major environmental and social challenges we face, such as climate change, global health, and education,” said Francesca Bria.

“Receiving the Luiss Global Fellowship fills me with joy and pride. The award is for me, but above all, it’s for my company. In the midst of a pandemic, we opened 15 new offices worldwide and hired 74 people. With our partner The Associated Press and its 242 offices worldwide, Italy—thanks to LaPresse’s daily work—can offer extensive global coverage, enabling us to bring Made in Italy to every corner of the world through 17,000 newspapers and 5,000 broadcasters. “Thank you, President Boccia; thank you, Rector Prencipe; thank you, General Director Lo Storto; and thank you to the entire Luiss community, which shares my goal: that of an Italian who is proud to lead our country to compete with the world's great powers,” said Marco Durante.