The EIB is cooperating with Luiss (Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali) to develop a wide ranging cooperation in the fields of academic research, teaching and training.

The agreement was signed on 29 October 2018 by Giovanni Lo Storto, Director General Luiss, and Dario Scannapieco, EIB Vice-President. It concerns more specifically the School of European Economic Policy (Luiss SEP) directed by Marcello Messori.

The agreement calls for the development of a capstone project, i.e. a research project on a topic chosen by the EIB Group and followed by an EIB Group mentor, involving Luiss SEP Masters students. It also entails the participation of EIB staff as guest speakers in academic courses or in practical seminars series on the EIB group at Luiss. Students will also be able to apply for internships at the EIB in Luxembourg.

“This initiatives matches perfectly our educative model in which institutions or companies put their expertise at the service of a continuous exchange with the academic world which must always be more open, pragmatic and harmoniously related to its surrounding economic and social fabric,” said Rector Andrea Prencipe.

The agreement also includes the sponsorship of the Rotman European Trading Competition (RETC), organised by Luiss. The RETC is an invitational contest that brings together more than 100 students from universities all over Europe, to participate in a simulated market challenge. It is similar to the very successful Rotman International Trading Competition (RITC) held annually in Toronto, Canada, where 50 schools from around the world meet and compete in simulated markets.

The Luiss SEP and the EIB are also working at developing specific fields of common interest research. A STAREBEI research grant was signed in 2019 on “Changes in the European Financial Markets and the Financing of Non-Financial Firms”. Even before signing the agreement Luiss had benefited from a STAREBEI research grant, in 2008, on “Regulation and investment incentives for next generation broadband access network”.

This is the eighth agreement signed between the EIB and a European university.