Luxinnovation strengthens its executive committee

In a profoundly and rapidly changing economic context, innovation has become an essential lever for the entire national ecosystem: companies of all sizes and sectors, research centres, the University of Luxembourg and public decision-makers. At the crossroads of all these stakeholders, Luxinnovation, the national innovation agency, works to give stakeholders the means to innovate today, so that they are ready for tomorrow.

This action, which is central to the three strategies (on data, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies) presented by the government in 2025, finds an echo in the figures. According to a recent publication by the European Commission, the productivity of companies already investing in data-driven innovation and data analysis grows around 5% to 10% faster than that of companies which do not.

It is in this context that Luxinnovation has considerably expanded its capacity to support and assist the national innovation ecosystem. Since the beginning of the year, the agency has seen significant workforce growth, rising from 90 employees in 2025 to 107 employees (as of 1 July), with near gender parity.

This expansion has been marked by a strengthened management structure and a growing diversity of expertise deployed in the field. Today, the teams comprise 80% engineers and PhD holders, reflecting the breadth of backgrounds and areas of competence made available to companies and research centres nationally, as well as to international companies looking to establish themselves in Luxembourg.

Six members with complementary profiles 

This drive towards greater structure and expertise is also reflected in the finalisation of the agency's executive committee, made up of six members with complementary profiles. Their sectoral expertise and understanding of innovation challenges offer a guarantee of quality in the support provided to the entire national ecosystem.

Alongside Mario Grotz, CEO since 1 March 2025, after leading national innovation policy for more than ten years as Head of the Directorate General for Industry, Technology and Research at the Ministry of the Economy, the committee comprises:

• Daniela Cattolico, Director of National Business Relationships — She joined in February 2025, bringing more than 25 years of management experience in metallurgy, global supply chains and the digital transformation of industrial operations;
• Pauline Laparra, Director of HR, Finance, IT & Administration — She has brought more than 15 years of expertise forged in consulting and international finance to Luxinnovation since September 2023;
• Cécile Lorenzini, Director of Marketing & Communication and Market Intelligence — She came from the world of communication agencies, where she led a team of around a hundred people for more than ten years, gaining in-depth expertise in managing an internationally active business, before joining Luxinnovation in November 2024;
• Stefano Pozzi Mucelli, Director - Innovation & Funding Support — Promoted to director on 1 October, he brings more than 10 years of experience within Luxinnovation, where he has developed an in-depth knowledge of European funding programmes and mechanisms, notably under Horizon Europe and the European Innovation Council.

This team of directors is now joined by Charlène Meyer, who took up the position of General/Corporate Secretary in August 2026. She draws on specialist expertise in risk management, compliance and advisory work gained within audit firms and financial sector organisations at international level.

We are here to help companies bring their ambitions to life, at every stage of their development. Mario Grotz, CEO of Luxinnovation

"Our executive committee, rich in complementary expertise, reflects our ambition to make Luxinnovation an ever stronger and more responsive partner for innovating companies," comments Mario Grotz. "Each of our profiles shares a common conviction: that quality support is the essential condition for the success of innovation projects. We are here to help companies bring their ambitions to life, at every stage of their development."

Sustainability and digital / artificial intelligence at the heart of the agency’s work

In 2025, Luxinnovation supported more than 1,000 companies of all sizes and across all sectors of activity. For the first six months of 2026 alone, more than 670 companies have already turned to one of Luxinnovation's services.

The agency's mission is to help companies navigate the innovation ecosystem by connecting them to the knowledge, partners, opportunities and funding they need to turn their ambitions into action.

Luxinnovation's services are built around two cross-cutting pillars: sustainability, to support the ecosystem's environmental and social transition, and digital and artificial intelligence, to support digital transformation and the responsible adoption of AI.

Today, our role goes beyond supporting research and development projects. Mario Grotz, CEO of Luxinnovation

The agency's activities are underpinned by a catalogue of services structured around four pillars:

• Inspire — Raising awareness and informing companies about innovation trends, opportunities and challenges;
• Assess & Accelerate — Assessing companies' level of maturity and supporting them in accelerating their innovation projects through dedicated programmes;
• Connect — Connecting companies with players in the Luxembourg and European ecosystem: technology partners, research centres, investors, decision-makers and more;
• Funding — Identifying and mobilising national and European funding suited to each project.

"Luxinnovation's growth in recent years reflects the expansion of our scope of action and the growing diversity of needs within the ecosystem in general, and among companies in particular, whether they are startups, SMEs or large groups," observes Mario Grotz. "Today, our role goes beyond supporting research and development projects: we inform and inspire companies, assess their maturity, help them accelerate their projects, connect them with the right partners and guide them towards the funding best suited to their situation."