UNIVERSITA COMMERCIALE LUIGI BOCCONI

Their core work

Bocconi University is one of Europe's leading economics and social sciences research universities, based in Milan. Within H2020, they concentrate on frontier research in behavioral and political economy, decision theory, labor markets, and innovation systems — primarily through prestigious ERC grants awarded to individual principal investigators. They also contribute economic analysis, policy evaluation, and cost-effectiveness expertise to applied consortia in health technology assessment, smart cities, and energy efficiency. Their core value lies in rigorous empirical and theoretical economics applied to real-world policy and business questions.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2015–2018), Bocconi focused heavily on foundational economic theory — decision-making under uncertainty, ambiguity, and individual behavioral models — alongside some transport and capacity-building projects. From 2018 onward, there is a visible shift toward applied policy domains: global value chains, innovation policy, digitalisation, regional development, and circular economy business models. The trend shows Bocconi moving from pure theoretical economics toward research that directly informs industrial and innovation policy in Europe.

Bocconi is increasingly bridging economic theory with applied innovation and industrial policy, making them a strong partner for projects needing rigorous economic evaluation of technology adoption, regional development, or digital transformation.

How they like to work

Bocconi leads more often than it follows — 32 of 59 projects as coordinator, almost all of which are ERC grants where the PI drives the research agenda independently. As a participant, they typically join large applied consortia (10–20 partners) to provide economic analysis, policy evaluation, or cost-effectiveness components. With 366 unique partners across 45 countries, they are a well-connected hub rather than a loyal-partner institution, drawing on a wide European network project by project.

Bocconi has collaborated with 366 distinct partners across 45 countries, making it one of the most broadly networked economics departments in H2020. Their reach is truly pan-European with strong connections to both Western European research universities and Eastern European institutions through capacity-building projects.

What sets them apart

Bocconi stands apart from traditional economics departments because of the sheer density of ERC grants — 28 ERC awards (Advanced, Starting, and Consolidator combined) signal world-class individual researchers. Unlike technical universities that contribute engineering or lab capacity, Bocconi brings deep economic theory and empirical methods to applied consortia, filling a gap that most engineering-led projects struggle to cover internally. For any consortium needing credible economic impact assessment, policy analysis, or behavioral insights, Bocconi is among the strongest choices in Europe.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DisCont
  Largest single ERC grant at nearly €2M, studying how major shocks like the Great Recession and digitalisation reshape family formation across Europe.
• EUROPOPULISM
  Timely €1.3M ERC project connecting European integration, populism, and urban identity — highly relevant to current EU policy debates.
• CatChain
  Bridges Bocconi's theoretical strength with applied industrial policy, studying how countries and regions catch up along global value chains — directly relevant to EU competitiveness strategy.