Dear friends of the Mack Institute,

 As the year draws to a close and the holiday season approaches, we’re reflecting on one of the busiest and most transformative years in the Mack Institute’s history. In 2024, we broadened our scope, forging new partnerships and launching impactful initiatives across our three priority focus areas: AI-Driven Creativity and Innovation, Innovation Ecosystems, and the Commercialization of Academic Science. 

Many of our partnerships this year extended beyond Wharton’s walls. We continued our collaboration with Penn’s Center for Innovation & Precision Dentistry and the GRASP Lab on a Robotics for Healthcare initiative, and with Prof. Rahul Mangharam’s Autoware Center of Excellence on autonomous vehicles. We partnered with Philadelphia’s Department of Commerce to host a panel discussion on Penn’s role in the city’s innovation ecosystem. Globally, we undertook a study on how the world’s leading companies engage in corporate venturing and deepened our ties with businesses and non-profits in India, exploring the country’s rapidly evolving innovation landscape.

These new initiatives complement our existing programming, such as our experiential learning course (the Collaborative Innovation Program), our academic and industry conferences, and our annual commercialization workshops. We also remain a leading funder of faculty and graduate student research at Wharton, having allocated nearly $250,000 this year to support 29 new research projects, as well as sponsoring numerous student conferences and clubs. 

Next year marks a milestone for the Mack Institute: the twenty-fifth anniversary of our founding as a research center, made possible by a gift from William L. Mack (W’61) and his wife, Phyllis. As we approach this “silver jubilee,” we reflect fondly on the network of friends, colleagues, and partners—at Wharton and beyond—who have supported us through the years. 

Wishing you a joyful and restorative holiday season and a bright start to the new year! 

Dr. Valery Yakubovich
Executive Director, Mack Institute 

and the Mack Institute Team ❄️