Associate Professor of Management, Scuola Sant’Anna di Pisa/ Italian Delegate, Horizion 2020 (EU initiative on economic growth and job creation)

In addition to his role as Professor, Alberto also serves on the UC Berkeley Roundtable on International Economy (BRIE). Via Meridian Social Innovation Fellowship, he originally envisioned TalentEurope, a regional campaign to address economic recovery with a renewed focus on science and technology. Alberto discusses his initial plans for the Fellowship here. Since the Fellowship ended in May 2015, TalentEurope has evolved into a course on comparative innovation policy at Santa Anna University for Spring 2016. Learn more at diminin.it

Project Summary

TalentEurope seeks to support researchers, engineers, and thinkers as they develop pioneering scientific and technological solutions to major societal challenges. TalentEurope will promote STEM education and investment in start-ups while likewise establishing programs to incentivize researchers and engineers to contribute to the competitive advantage of their industrial partners and to transform their publications and patents into innovative enterprises. In addition, high-tech business venturing programs established throughout European universities will stimulate the rise of new entrepreneurs and provide an emerging generation with fundamental skills. Established industry leaders will be looped into this process through industrial venturing investment in SMEs and academic spin-off companies.

Goals

TalentEurope seeks to achieve two goals. The first is to empower EU researchers, scientists, and engineers to become the drivers of a more prosperous and secure society. The second is to create a consensus throughout society that expanding science’s endless frontier is a first priority for the future of Europe.

Achievements

In February 2016, Alberto launched his course on “Comparative Innovation Policy” at Santa Anna University for a class of 15 students, originally envisioned as TalentEurope. The curriculum features case studies and reports examining topics such as “From Science and Technology to the Market” and “Financing Innovation.” The course capstone includes an internship for students with Scientific Attaches at Italian diplomatic missions around the world and a flagship program in DC. Alberto and Santa Anna were just awarded the 2015 European Investment Bank Research Grant – EUR 300,000 over 3 years to study innovation in large organizations.