Mathias Dewatripont

Mathias Dewatripont is Professor at Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), affiliated with the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management. He has held significant leadership roles including co-director of ECARES (1991-2001), Research Director of CEPR (1998-2011), Executive Director and Vice-Governor of the National Bank of Belgium (2011-2017), and current co-director of ULB's Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Healthcare (I3h). His affiliations extend to the European Research Council Scientific Council (2005-2012), Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, and European Central Bank Supervisory Board.

His research centers on contract theory, incentives, and regulation with applications spanning banking systems, healthcare innovation, and industrial policy. Key contributions include foundational work on prudential banking regulation, contract theory frameworks (with P. Bolton), and analysis of innovation-access tradeoffs in rare diseases. His methodology integrates theoretical modeling with policy-relevant empirical applications, particularly evident in post-COVID health economics research and banking crisis analyses.

His extensive publication record shows evolving focus from core contract theory (1990s) to banking regulation (2000s), then expanding into health economics and industrial policy (2010s-present). Recent work addresses pandemic vaccination strategies, Silicon Valley Bank collapse implications, and EU banking resolution frameworks, demonstrating consistent engagement with urgent real-world policy challenges through rigorous economic analysis.

• 1998 Francqui Prize
• 2003 Jahnsson Medal
• Member of Académie Royale de Belgique
• Member of Academia Europaea
• Foreign Honorary Member of American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• Foreign Honorary Member of American Economic Association
• President of European Economic Association (2005)

As advisor to major institutions including the European Central Bank and National Bank of Belgium, his work has directly influenced banking supervision frameworks globally. His current leadership of I3h demonstrates continued commitment to translating economic theory into healthcare innovation policy. Significant research grants include founding membership on the European Research Council Scientific Council and ongoing projects with CEPR on EU financial architecture.

He leads ULB's Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in Healthcare (I3h), fostering collaboration between economists, medical researchers, and policymakers to address systemic healthcare challenges. His teams specialize in designing incentive-compatible regulatory frameworks for innovation-intensive sectors, with current projects focusing on pandemic preparedness infrastructure and rare disease therapeutic development.