The Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali will examine the global uncertainty and new industrial policies
Marco Simoni, Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), will deliver the opening keynote at IGNITE, the International Congress on Ceramics Innovation, organised by the Castellón Chamber of Commerce and taking place in Castellón on 28 and 29 September.
Entitled "Europe's Geostrategic Challenges in an Era of Uncertainty", the keynote will provide an overview of the major political, economic and industrial developments that are reshaping Europe's position in the world and will influence the competitiveness of its productive sectors in the years ahead.
The opening keynote will place geostrategic debate at the heart of the IGNITE programme, linking it to issues of particular relevance to the ceramics industry. In doing so, the congress reinforces its commitment to addressing ceramics innovation from a broad perspective, encompassing not only scientific and technological advances, but also the economic, political and commercial factors that shape business decision-making and influence the evolution of global markets.
A Career at the Intersection of Industrial Policy and International Economics
Marco Simoni is an Italian political economist, academic and executive. Since May 2026, he has served as Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), one of Europe's leading independent think tanks dedicated to the study of foreign policy, European integration, security and international economic relations. He is also Professor of the Practice of European Political Economy at LUISS University in Rome.
A graduate in Political Science from Sapienza University of Rome, he earned a PhD in Political Economy from the London School of Economics (LSE), where he began his academic career and spent several years teaching and conducting research. His work has focused particularly on European economic governance, industrial policy and the different models of capitalism.
Between 2014 and 2018, he served as economic adviser to Italian Prime Ministers Matteo Renzi and Paolo Gentiloni. During this period, he was responsible for international economic relations, trade and investment policies, and a range of industrial policy issues with an international dimension.
From 2018 to 2022, he was the founding President of Human Technopole, one of Italy's leading life sciences research centres. Under his leadership, the project evolved from its initial phase into a fully operational scientific campus, equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and staffed by professionals from 25 countries.
Simoni has also held senior positions in several public and private organisations active in research, finance, technology and asset management. Among other responsibilities, he served on the Board of Directors of SACE, Italy's export credit agency, where he chaired the committee responsible for strategy and sustainability.
Throughout his career, he has combined academic, institutional and executive responsibilities with participation in public policy research projects. He is also a regular contributor to Italian and international media, commenting on issues related to economics, industrial policy and the transformations of contemporary society.
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