Progressively develop technological and product know-how in an increasingly competitive international context, strengthening research and making it a common factor for all corporate business structures. It is the goal of Leonardo Labs, the technological incubators at the center of the road map for research and innovation, presented at GenoVa on the occasion of Leonardo Innovation Award 2019.
The road map aims at strengthening the company's technological research also through the involvement of a network of external expertise with a view to open innovation, the acceleration of digitalisation processes and the development of enabling technologies as drivers to compete effectively on the markets International. The challenge consists in responding to both short and long-term needs, designing products and services capable of guaranteeing Leonardo growth in line with the Sustainable Development Goals of theUN Agenda 2030.
In the new laboratories, in the next five years, an important inclusion of young external researchers of international origin is expected, focused on well-defined activities and under the supervision of experts and internal researchers. An opportunity to attract talent from abroad.
Therefore an interdisciplinary community will be born for the development of technologies and products of the future. The main research areas already defined include Big Data, high-performance computing and simulation, Artificial Intelligence and autonomous systems (unmanned), quantum technologies and cryptography, electric mobility, materials and structures.
"The road map assures Leonardo - emphasizes the Chief Executive Officer, Alessandro Profumo - a long-term growth perspective to address the challenges of the third millennium in a sustainable way. The objective is twofold: on the one hand to satisfy the market demand that requires continuous innovation, on the other to anticipate innovation which, in turn, generates new demand. The Leonardo Labs - adds Profumo - they will also enable a continuous flow of talent to ensure flexibility and renewal both in terms of skills and professional competences based on a model adopted on an international scale, as well as our constant updating on technological trends worldwide".
"I Leonardo Labs - observes Roberto Cingolani, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Leonardo - will be central research structures in charge of working on frontier programs in the medium-long term, transversal to the business areas of the company, able to develop the technologies of the future and anticipate market demand. The initiative is a key factor for Leonardo's competitive growth ".
The Leonardo Labs will study and develop highly innovative technologies. These new structures will be built near the main industrial sites of Leonardo in Italy with the aim of facilitating technology transfer and maximizing the benefits for the reference territories, also consolidating collaboration with local institutions. The Genoa area, among the headquarters of the Leonardo Labs, will host, in particular, one of the most powerful existing computers that will significantly strengthen the company's and national capabilities in supercomputing, big data and autonomous and intelligent systems.