Promoting interconnection across different business areas through the adoption of enabling technologies and platforms, fostering an integrated collaborative ecosystem and strengthening the sharing of skills, knowledge and resources in support of innovation: this is one of the objectives of the Innovation Award. The initiative forms part of Leonardo’s Industrial Plan strategic vision, which identifies digitalisation as a key lever for the Group’s transformation and competitiveness.
Confirming the growing engagement across the organisation, the 2025 edition recorded 1,000 submissions across six thematic areas, including 380 proposals in the “Innovative Idea” category. A distinctive feature was its focus on inclusion and participation, with the involvement of Divisions, Business Units, subsidiaries, joint ventures and affiliates, which introduced dedicated categories known as “Division First”, separate from the Group-level awards.
In a constantly evolving scenario characterised by great unpredictability, global security is a necessary condition, the compass that guides every industrial choice. According to Roberto Cingolani, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo, “initiatives such as the Innovation Award are a driving force for transforming research, talent and skills into advanced technologies for defence and deterrence, capable of protecting citizens and infrastructure and helping to prevent conflicts. Investing in innovation means developing sustainable solutions, built on the integration of interdisciplinary skills, which are indispensable today, capable of communicating with each other and translating into a long-term industrial vision.”
“Leonardo is a company that must bring ideas to market,” emphasises Simone Ungaro, General Manager Strategy & Innovation, “and, in this perspective, the Innovation Award is a tool for transforming the creativity of our people into industrial value. Over the last three years, we have significantly accelerated the development of new technologies, adding a digital layer based on Artificial Intelligence, High Performance Computing and Cyber Security to our assets. This evolution enables full multi-domain integration and finds its most advanced expression in the Michelangelo Dome project. The figures for the 2025 edition of the initiative confirm this change of pace: proposals are growing, colleague involvement is increasing, and innovation is increasingly focused on creating value for the market.”
The Innovation Award, aimed at consolidating a widespread culture of innovation, recognised six projects selected for their high level of innovation and business impact, demonstrating the ability to translate ideas and expertise into concrete solutions supporting the company’s competitiveness and growth.