The dissemination of a culture of innovation and the commitment to promote STEM disciplines are at the center of Leonardo's collaboration with MIT Technology Review Italia, as part of the TR35 event, an appointment dedicated to the selection and enhancement of young talents, of emerging technologies and their impact on daily life. The TR35 event, promoted by the prestigious magazine and the Bologna Business School, will be held in Bologna and will see young innovators under 35 as protagonists. Leonardo has also awarded, as part of the Borsa della Ricerca event, an innovative start-up that will be able to take part in the acceleration program of the Research & Entrepreneurship Foundation. Through these initiatives, the company contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN in the 2030 Agenda.
The recognition of Leonardo within the TR35 was given to a mechanical engineer graduated from the Milan Polytechnic, Mohammad Abbasi Gavarti, for a project related to a multi-axial stress sensor for monitoring the state of the structures. Critical infrastructures and civil structures, such as residential, school buildings or public buildings, are subject to aging and deterioration. Continuous monitoring is necessary to guarantee their integrity, so as to diagnose their state of integrity in order to detect the occurrence of any eventuality early. damage. The technology, based on a multi-axial stress sensor, can be used for the analysis of the operation, maintenance and repair of the structures in which it is integrated. Leonardo's interest in the project is motivated both by the potential for employment in the monitoring of critical infrastructures, whose safety is part of the company's business activities, and by possible future applications in the structural sensing of their systems and platforms.
Leonardo has also awarded an innovative start-up, Kuaternion, active in the high precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning sector, created within the Geodesy and Geomatics Division of the University of Rome "La Sapienza". Kuaternion develops methodologies for the control of structures and territory, with possible uses in emergencies and natural disasters, aimed at creating integrated monitoring systems for the measurement and analysis of the movement of buildings and infrastructures over time.
The focus on innovation and emerging technologies is a priority for Leonardo that nurtures it through continuous collaboration, both within the company and outside, with universities, research centers, SMEs, start-ups and customers, for its own strategy of Open Innovation. Leonardo has invested in 2017 13% of its revenues in research and development, involving in this activity about 10.000 people, belonging to the engineers and structures dedicated to innovation. The Company promotes the Leonardo Innovation Award every year, an initiative created to explore the new frontiers of technology and to foster debate on the value of innovation as a driver of economic and cultural growth.