INSEAD, The Business School for the World, has released its inaugural Centres & Initiatives Impact in Focus Report, showcasing how the school is turning research insights into real-world impact through its portfolio of 11 Centres & Initiatives.
The report spotlights key stories from 2023-2025 and identifies how each Centre and Initiative has bridged research and practice to turn academic excellence into real and positive change.
INSEAD’s Centres and Initiatives contribute to four strategic pillars: Business & Society, Entrepreneurship & Family Business, Governance & Conflict Management, and Strategy & Competency - each representing a space where research meets practice and sparks change in classrooms, businesses and communities worldwide.
From improving corporate governance practices to empowering entrepreneurs, INSEAD’s Centres and Initiatives translate research into real-world solutions and reinforcing the school’s mission as The Business School for the World.
Key research findings highlighted in the report include:
INSEAD Blue Ocean Strategy Institute: Strategic frameworks helped companies unlock new markets and achieve sustainable growth through value innovation.
INSEAD Corporate Governance Centre: Research on board dynamics and sustainability integration is influencing decisions and governance practices across global corporations.
INSEAD Maag Centre for Entrepreneurship: INSEAD alumni lead Europe in successful startup creation, supported by bootcamps, accelerators, and venture networks.
Gender Initiative: Women-led startups are less likely to secure follow-on funding if their initial investors are all women; mixed-gender investor teams improve outcomes.
Healthcare Management Initiative: Value-adaptive clinical trials and scalable healthcare models like Unjani Clinics are improving access and efficiency in underserved regions.
Humanitarian Research Group: Evidence-based logistics solutions are helping humanitarian organisations improve fleet management and crisis response coordination.
James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Centre for the Study of Wealth Inequality: Research revealed how early-life wealth disparities shape adult outcomes and policy effectiveness.
Marketing and Sales Excellence Initiative: Insights into customer-centric strategies and digital transformation are reshaping global sales practices.
Negotiation and Conflict Management Collaborative: First offers in negotiations improve deal outcomes, but overly aggressive ones increase deadlocks and dissatisfaction.
Sustainable Business Initiative: Research on product design and consumer behaviour is guiding firms toward more responsible and profitable sustainability models.
Wendel International Centre for Family Enterprise: Studies show that strong dual governance of the family and the business in family firms is an important driver of resilience and long-term intergenerational value creation.
“Our Centres and Initiatives are the bridges between INSEAD and the outside world. They shape practices through our research and outreach, and equip current and future business leaders with real-world insight, and influencing policies and decisions,” says Lily Fang, Dean of Research and Innovation at INSEAD. “They embody INSEAD’s core values: rigour and relevance, independence of thought, and a deep belief in diverse perspectives.”
“What inspires me most is the spirit of collaboration that defines everything we do,” adds Sonia Tatar, Senior Director of Centres and Initiatives. “Our Centres and Initiatives are inherently interdisciplinary, blending the expertise of leading academics from economics, decision sciences, psychology, strategy and technology to tackle today’s complex challenges,”
By collating these stories, the Impact in Focus Report raises awareness of the global network of scholars, practitioners and alumni who power INSEAD’s Centres and Initiatives.
Read the full report here.
