Date

26/03/2026 - 27/03/2026

Time

13:00 - 12:00

Location

Villa Grumello, Como, IT

3rd Workshop on Funding of Science and Innovation

(FSI 2026)

Building on the successful prior meetings in Milan and Stockholm, this year workshop will bring together participants from academia, funding agencies and organizations, philanthropic research institutions,and expert administrators, offering a unique forum to share ideas, exchange experiences, and address pressing questions in research funding. In addition to advancing our collective understanding of how funding mechanisms can best support innovation, scientific excellence, and societal impact, the gathering aims to spark new collaborations and partnerships across the diverse communities shaping the future of science.

2026 ORGANIZERS
Chiara Franzoni, Politecnico di Milano
Marco Ottaviani, Bocconi University

COMMITTEE
Chiara Franzoni, Politecnico di Milano
Marco Ottaviani, Bocconi University
Valentina Tartari, Stockholm School of Economics
Reinhilde Veugelers, KU Leuven

REGISTRATION

The workshop is free upon invitation. To register, please use the link in the invitation email.
Registrations with the possibility to propose short talks are open until February 15, 2026.
Attendees-only registrations are open until March 13, 2026, subject to capacity constraints (max 50 participants).

PROGRAM

Day 1

8:30 Registration

9:00 Welcome and participants’ presentations
Chiara Franzoni (Politecnico di Milano) & Marco Ottaviani (Bocconi University)

9:30 Keynote | Markets and Policies for High-Growth Entrepreneurship
Juanita Gonzales-Uribe (London School of Economics)
Chair: Marco Ottaviani (Bocconi University)

10:45 Coffee break

11:00 Panel | From Priority to Practice: Funding Policies for Strategic Technologies
Speakers: Jano Costard (SPRIN-D), Louise Riisgard (Novo Nordisk Foundation), Thorsten Grohsjean (University of Vienna), Delegate Name (European Innovation Council TBC)
Chair: Laura Pontiggia (European Research Council)

12:30 Lunch

14:00 Keynote | Designing Better Funding Systems: Evidence, Experiments and Expert Behavior
Stefano Della Vigna (University of Berkeley)
Chair: Chiara Franzoni (Politecnico di Milano)

15:15 Idea development session I
Short presentations of running projects. Collective discussion.
Chair: Reinhilde Veugelers (KU Leuven)

16:30 Coffee break

16:45 Idea development session II.
Short presentations of ideas and open data. Collective discussion.
Chair: Valentina Tartari (Stokholm School of Economics)

Adjurn & Reception

Day 2

9:00 Keynote | Steering the Quantum Leap: Funding Policies for Tomorrow’s Technologies
Florenta Teodoridis (University of Southern California Marshall)

10:15 Panel | Science, Funding, and Geopolitical Realignments
Speakers: Shiri Breznitz (University of Toronto), Renato Lombardi (Huawei), Dietmar Haroff (Max Planck)
Chair: Stefano Paleari (University of Bergamo)

11:45 Matchmaking session (with coffee & pastries)

12:45 Closing remarks

13:00 Light lunch & Adjurn

VENUE

Villa del Grumello
11, Via per Cernobbio, Como, Italy

TRAVEL AND LOGISTICS

The closest international airports are Milano Malpensa (MXP), and Milano Linate (LIN).
The villa can be reached with a 20 minutes walk from Como City Centre and 30 minutes walk from Como Lago train station.


ACCOMODATION

The following hotels are within 20 to 35 minutes walk or 5 minutes ride from the Villa.

LOCAL SUPPORT

For practical information and local support, you can contact Alessandra Gazzaniga, Villa del Grumello. Via per Cernobbio, 11. Como (Italy)
Tel +39 031 579813.
Email alessandra.cazzaniga@fondazionealessandrovolta.it

PAST MEETINGS

Milan 2023

Stokholm 2025


The conference has received funding from:

  • European Research Council (ERC) ERC-2021-ADG "InfoEcoScience - Information Economics for Science" assigned to Professor M. Ottaviani (Bocconi University). G.A. 101055295
  • Alfred P. Sloan Foundation G-2021-14189 – “ImPROGRESS - Improving Grant Peer Review within a Science of Science Funding” assigned to Prof. Chiara Franzoni (Politecnico di Milano).