A New Chair to Understand How Innovation Is Being Revolutionized
In today’s world, innovation is more than ever the power of economic growth. From the Industrial Revolution to the advent of digitization, the ability to create new products and processes has always been at the root of success in business. Today, we are at the dawn of a new era: the “third machine age”, dominated by generative artificial intelligence (AI), which promises to profoundly change business dynamics. How are businesses preparing for this revolution, though? What are the challenges and opportunities stemming from this technological transition?
These questions will be addressed by the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation Chair in Innovation Management held by Gianmario Verona of Bocconi. The new chair will be inaugurated on 3 October (Aula Magna, Via Gobbi 5, 6:15pm).
This chair was created with the support of the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation, which for years has committed itself to promoting research and innovation within the Milan-based university. In addition to the new chair in Innovation Management, the Foundation supports several other initiatives, including chairs in Behavioral Economics and Finance, Computer Science, and Development Economics, with the aim of encouraging academic research in areas crucial for business competitiveness as well as for individual and collective well-being.
“The continued support by the Romeo and Enrica Invernizzi Foundation,” explains Francesco Billari, rector of Bocconi, “not only allows the university and its researchers to explore new frontiers of research, but is fundamental to the development of skills that will be decisive for the future of our businesses and society. The chairs established by the Foundation are a point of reference for academic training and research in strategic areas.”
Foundation President Giuseppe Bertoni says that “The Invernizzi Foundation is particularly keen on supporting this new chair, because it represents a unique opportunity to assess — also thanks to the ongoing discussion involving experts, institutions and entrepreneurs — the impact of artificial intelligence on companies, together with the challenges and opportunities it implies, starting with the ethical aspects. It is a challenge that applies as much to the proponents of innovation, at various levels, as to the users: businesses, politicians, citizens and, last but not least, students of programs like this one, who will be the leaders of change in the coming years.”
According to Professor Verona, the chair will not only be a hub of theoretical studies, but a true innovation laboratory: “Our research will focus on how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the development of new products and business models. The goal is to understand how businesses can address far-reaching challenges, such as sustainability and technological change, by means of an effective innovation governance.”
The chair will address momentous issues:
- AI and new product development: the role of artificial intelligence in creating pivotal innovations.
- Sustainability and technological change: how businesses can navigate between digital transformation and the need to reduce their environmental impact.
- Governance of innovation: the importance of aligning top management with innovation processes.
At the launch event Verona will present his keynote lectio magistralis on “Firms and Innovation in the Third Machine Age”, exploring the topic of innovation in the context of generative artificial intelligence and its implications for business. A panel discussion will be held afterward, with some of the key players in industry and research, including: Sergio Dompé, CEO of Dompé Farmaceutici; Monica Iacono, CEO of Engie; Marcella Panucci, Chief of Staff at the Ministry of University and Research; Marco Tronchetti Provera, Executive Vice President of Pirelli; and Luca Mignini, professor of practice at Bocconi. The roundtable will be moderated by Daniele Manca, Deputy Editor of Corriere della Sera.
