The Research Forum was a unique space for knowledge exchange, critical networking and deep-diving into research and innovation funding practices by foundations.
Hosted by Fondazione Cariplo, with the support of the Cariplo Factory, the Research Forum aimed to build connections across interdisciplinary boundaries, bringing together networks, collaborative research projects and open up processes of knowledge production to the broader philanthropy community.
With innovation at its centre, sessions focused on building collective impact, boosting efficiency and improving fair, responsible and accessible systems for research collaboration across philanthropy.
Conference report
How can foundations shape future innovation
Shafi Musaddique, Alliance magazine
Italian philanthropic tradition stretches back to ancient Rome. Modern Italian philanthropy, however, recently flourished in the 1990s when savings bank foundations emerged. Today they collectively hold half of all Italian philanthropic assets, or 21 per cent of the European total.
However, Italian philanthropy has remained somewhat of an enigma from an outside perspective.
In the heart of Milan, the Cariplo Foundation (Fondazione Caripolo) – an organisation that emerged from the savings banks dotted across Lombardy – hosted this conference in a former factory-turned-startup space. Here, Philea’s research forum laid its foundation for the coming two days to discuss how philanthropy breaks out from its own silos to create innovation. Read more…
Session snapshot
Cariplo Foundation president on bridging divide between local and global inequalities
Shafi Musaddique, Alliance magazine
Giovanni Azzone cuts a sharp figure. The spectacled and suited president of the Cariplo Foundation, one of Italy’s biggest foundations, is softly spoken – but has big ambitions. With an endowment of 9 million euros, Cariplo is plugging the gap between public and private at a critical time in Italy. Or, in his words, the foundation is ‘a gateway between the private world, public administration, and the third sector’, bringing ‘local and global level decision making’ in the same spaces.
The Cariplo Foundation (or better known as Fondazione Cariplo) was created in 1991 at a time when regional savings banks were required to split into a nonprofit foundation alongside commercial banking. It is a foundation rooted in a very Italian locality. Working with local communities doesn’t stop Azzone from thinking big, or what he calls, ‘enlarging boundaries’.
Reflections from delegates and speakers
Foundations as hubs of knowledge and innovation
Alexandre Esteban and Ignasi López la Caixa Foundation.
The Forum was an exceptional opportunity to meet again with some of the most important philanthropic foundations from all over Europe. The theme of the Forum focussed on how foundations can contribute to shaping future innovation ecosystems.
We had the opportunity to participate in a round table (Foundations as hubs of knowledge and innovation). Here, we shared our insights in the field, including an experience closely linked to one of our most transformative initiatives for the health innovation ecosystem in Spain and Portugal; the CaixaImpulse Innovation programme. Read more…
Innovation is like a truffle
Ilaria d’Auria, Philea
“Innovation is like a truffle”. This is one of the many insights that I have been chewing on since I returned from Philea’s Research Forum conference in Milan, hosted by Fondazione Cariplo. Truffles are known to be notoriously difficult to grow, and a lot of patience is needed as there are no guarantees of success. Truffles’ growth cannot be planned. Their growth can only be encouraged by creating the right conditions, and the right ecosystem.
So, what is the point of reflecting on how philanthropy is supporting innovation? Why organise (yet another) conference to discuss bad habits with the ambitious agenda of providing examples of how to break siloes and learn from mistakes? Read more…
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