Applications are open for participation in Leonardo's Innovation Award, one of the most awaited appointments, not only by the Company's employees but also by university students, to explore the new frontiers of research and technology. The Innovation Award, dedicated to Leonardo's over 46.000 employees and now in its 15th edition, has also been addressed to students since 2015. Young people will be involved through the challenge of the Innovathon, a hackathon lasting 48 hours which for Leonardo represents one of the most suitable methodologies for stimulating new ideas. The new competition is an Open Innovation tool designed to launch new technological challenges, also drawing on external contributions. Leonardo already invests about 12% of its annual revenues in Research & Development, and intends to promote and implement creative solutions for application in products and services.
Two days of adrenaline, in short, in which participants will get involved in the pursuit of technology, innovation and soft skills. The marathon of ideas launched by Leonardo, one of the top ten companies globally in the Aerospace, Defense and Security sector, is a challenge in which students will be asked to implement an innovative project, drawing on their technical knowledge, training creativity, spirit of adaptation, problem solving skills and teamworking skills. During the two days the participants will discuss with professionals, industry experts and mentors, and will be called upon to develop solutions for managing activities in emergency situations, devising support tools for rescuers and designing the working prototype of an autonomous vehicle for reconnaissance of an area in critical conditions. Thanks to the Innovaton, students will come into contact with the reality of Leonardo, constantly engaged in spreading scientific citizenship among young people, in line with the objectives of the UN Agenda 2030 and in raising awareness on relevant issues such as the safety of citizens.
At the challenge can participate, enrolling individually or in teams of up to four people, university students and graduates from January 2018 in STEM disciplines (Science, Technologies, Engineering, Mathematics). The appointment is scheduled for Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November at the Talent Garden Ostiense in Rome. The deadline for sending applications will expire on 31 October.
The award ceremony for the Innovation Award winners will be held in Genoa in November, in the presence of the Leonardo summit and institutional representatives. The first three winning teams will receive cash prizes. On the same day, the winners of the internal competition will also be awarded, which over the years has seen the participation of approximately 30.000 Leonardo employees and the presentation of 10.000 innovative projects and patent proposals.