HT Foundation

The Human Technopole Foundation  was established by financial law n. 232, 11 December 2016. The founding members of the Foundation are the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, University and Research which are responsible for supervising the Foundation.

The purpose of the Foundation, as indicated in art.1, c. 116 of the above mentioned law, is the creation of a multidisciplinary scientific and research infrastructure of national interest, integrated in the fields of health, genomics, nutrition, data  and decision science and in the implementation of the Human Technopole scientific and research project (“HT Project”).

The Statute and the Regulations of the Human Technopole Foundation provide for a governance system structured according to a dualistic model.

In particular, the Supervisory Board, chaired by the President of the Foundation, is the body responsible for the general direction and control of the Foundation’s activities, while the Management Committee, chaired by the Director of the Foundation, is the administrative body and has the competence in carrying out the activities necessary to guarantee the ordinary progress and achievement of the Foundation’s purpose.

President

Gianmario Verona

The President is the legal representative of the Foundation, serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, is responsible for strategic thrust and manages institutional and public relations and promotes training and dissemination activities concerning the social and economic impact of the Foundation’s scientific research and public engagement.

Gianmario Verona was nominated President of the Supervisory Board of the Human Technopole Foundation in July 2022.

Rector of Bocconi University (2016-2022). He is Professor of Management and his research, teaching and advisor activity are focused on the strategic and organizational management of technology and innovation.

Supervisory board

The Supervisory Board ensures the excellence of the Foundation, compliance with the rules on the appointment of its bodies, verifies the use of resources, oversees the general coordination of the internal control functions and manages the scientific evaluation process of the Foundation’s activities and carries out a general activity of direction and control.

The Supervisory Board is a collegial body made up, when fully operational, of thirteen members, including the President.

The members of the Supervisory Board are appointed as follows: seven by decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, including two members designated by the Minister of Economy and Finance, one by the Minister of Health and one by the Minister of Education, University and Research; the remainder are appointed by decree of the President of the Council of Ministers, after consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education, University and Research, and according to the Statute.

Each member of the Supervisory Board remains in office for four years and until the new members are appointed. Each member can be confirmed once. The Supervisory Board meets approximately every 45 days and extraordinarily if necessary.

The Board is currently made up of twelve members, including the President.

  • Placeholder People Maura Francese
    Deputy Head of Economic Structure Service, Department of Economics and Statistics, Banca d’Italia
  • Giovanna Iannantuoni
    Rector of the University of Milano-Bicocca
  • Massimo Inguscio
    Full Prof. of Physics at the Campus Bio-Medico University, Rome
  • Giuseppe Ippolito
    Professor of infectious diseases at Unicamillus International University of Health Science; Former Director General, Italian Ministry of Health
  • Biagio Mazzotta
    Ragioniere Generale dello Stato
  • Marcella Panucci
    Chief of Staff, Minister for University & Research
  • Francesca Pasinelli
    Managing Director of Fondazione Telethon
  • Maria Grazia Roncarolo
    Director Centre for Definitive and Curative Medicine and professor Pediatrics and Medicine at Stanford University
  • Serena Sileoni
    Professor of Constitutional Law at Sister Orsola Benincasa University
  • Gianluca Vago
    Presidente Fondazione CNAO, former rector University of Milan
  • Alessandro Vespignani
    Physics professor at Northeastern University, founding director of Northeastern Network Science Institute in Boston

Director

Marino Zerial

The Director of the Foundation is responsible for the implementation of the multiyear strategic plan and chairs the Management Committee.

Marino Zerial was appointed as Director of Human Technopole in February 2023 and took office on 1 September 2023. 

Marino Zerial graduated in biology at the University of Trieste (Italy) in 1982 with a thesis on lysosomal storage disorders. He conducted post-doctoral experiences at the Institut Jacques Monod (Paris, France) and at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, EMBL (Heidelberg, Germany). He became group leader at the EMBL in 1989 and Max Planck Director as well as co-founder of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, MPI-CBG, (Dresden, Germany) in 1998. In addition, he is Honorary Professor at the Medical Faculty, Technische Universität Dresden (Germany).

Management committee

The Management Committee carries out the administrative activity needed to guarantee the ordinary progress and achievements of the Foundation.

The Committee is made up of five members, including the Director.

The members of the Management Committee are chosen through a competitive procedure among those in possession of suitable and documented requirements of professionalism and integrity, as well as of proven legal, administrative, economic and/or business experience or knowledge in the organisation and management of scientific research centres public health institutes.

Each member of the Management Committee remains in office for four years and until the new members are appointed. Each member can be confirmed once.

The members of the Management Committee are nominated by the Supervisory Board.

  • Irene Bozzoni
    Full Professor of molecular biology at “La Sapienza” University, Rome
  • Nando Minnella
    Economist, former Head of technical secretariat, Ministry of Education, Universities and Research
  • Stefano Piccolo
    Full Professor of Molecular Biology at University of Padova
  • Fabio Terragni
    Partner and Director, Alchema

Chair Scientific Committee

Walter Ricciardi

Professor of Hygiene and Public Health at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome.
From January 2019 Head of Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome.
From October 2019 President of the Mission Board for Cancer of the European Commission.
In May 2018 he has been elected President of the World Federation of Public Health Associations (WFPHA) by the General Assembly of the WFPHA.
In November 2017 he was appointed Italian Representative in the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation.
In 2016 he was appointed Principal Investigator of the EC Grant N° 733274 “TO REACH” the first health services and health systems research programme funded by the European Commission.
In December 2015, he was appointed Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Policy, Governance and Leadership at the Institute of Public Health, Medical School, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore – Rome.
From August 2015 to December 2018 he was the President of the Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), where he was Commissioner from July 2014 to July 2015.
In May 2013 he was appointed Member of the Expert Panel on effective ways of investing in Health (European Commission, DG – SANTE) and in December 2016 he has been awarded a three-year second mandate.
In 2011 he was appointed Member of the European Advisory Committee on Health Research to the WHO European Regional Director and from 2011 to 2014 he was Member of the Executive Board of the National Board of Medical Examiners of the United States of America.
In 2010 he was elected President of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and in 2011 he was re-elected for a second term up to 2014. Since 2014 he is Past President of EUPHA.
He was member of the Higher Health Council (Consiglio Superiore di Sanità) of the Italian Ministry of Health in the years 2003-2006 and the Italian Minister of Health appointed him Chair of the Public Health Section of the Council itself from 2010 to 2014.
He manages several undergraduate and postgraduate teaching activities including a Master of Science programme and International Courses in Epidemiology.
He is Editor of the European Journal of Public Health, of the Oxford Handbook of Public Health Practice and Founding Editor of the Italian Journal of Public Health and of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health.
In May 2019 he received the “Laurea Honoris Causa” at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA.

Scientific Committee

The Scientific Committee is an advisory body of the Human Technopole Foundation. These members of the Scientific Committee, nominated by the Supervisory Board among eminent scientists, are external to the Institute and have an important advisory role under the Foundation’s Statute: they are responsible for assessing the protocols of the scientific activities in terms of both quality and consistency with Human Technopole’s multi-year plans.

The members of the Scientific Committee are chosen among those possessing the following personal, moral and professional requirements: wide international scientific recognition and notoriety, undisputed competence in the scientific and research areas of interest to Human Technopole, moral and professional integrity and proven experience in the administration of research centres.

  • Geneviève Almouzni
    Director of research exceptional class at the CNRS
  • Andrea Ballabio
    Director, Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM)
  • Pietro De Camilli
    Professor and Director of Program in Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair (CNNR), Yale School of Medicine
  • Kristian Helin
    Chief Executive and President, The Institute of Cancer Research
  • Alberto Mantovani
    Scientific Director, Humanitas Clinical Institute
  • Margaret McMahon
    Global Head Data Science, Roche Information Solutions Data & Analytics
  • Gerry Melino
    Professor of Biochemistry & Director of Centre “Torvergata Oncoscience Research”
  • Andrea Musacchio
    Director, Max-Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology – Dept. of Mechanistic Cell Biology
  • Luca Pani
    Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at University of Miami and full professor of Pharmacology at University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
  • Alfio Quarteroni
    Professor at Politecnico di Milano and Professor Emeritus at EPFL, Lausanne
  • Walter Ricciardi
    Full Professor of Hygiene and Director of the School of Specialization in Hygiene and Public Health at the Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Rome)
  • Nadia Rosenthal
    Scientific Director, The Jackson Laboratory
  • Michael Snyder
    Director, Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Giulio Superti-Furga
    Scientific Director of CeMM
  • Fiona Watt
    Director, European Molecular Biology Organization

Board Of Auditors

The Board of Auditors is made up of three effective members and three alternates. They are appointed among those included in the register of statutory auditors of the Prime Minister, following a proposal of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and subject to prior designation on behalf of the Founders of the Foundation. Each Founder selects one effective member and one alternate.

The Board of Auditors oversees the Foundation’s administration and accounting, it prepares final balance sheet reports and presents them to the Management Committee and carries out cash checks.

Members:

  • Dr. Piera Marzo – President
  • Dr. Sara Rossi
  • Dr. Andrea Vestita

Supervisory Body

The Supervisory Body monitors the operation and compliance with the organization and management models referred to in Article 6, paragraph 1, letter b) of Legislative Decree 8 June 2001, no. 231 and has autonomous powers of initiative and control pursuant to art. 2 of the Foundation Statute.

Members:

  • Lawyer Vito Branca – President
  • Lawyer Salvatore Scuto
  • Lawyer Andrea Callea (internal member)