A large open space where ideas are born and grow. These are the Technology & Innovation laboratories of Leonardo's Helicopters business area where everything that is technological creativity, intuition, and courage to dare is concentrated. In short: frontier innovation. Here there is no brain drain, as explained by the protagonists who are engaged in research to build the future of vertical flight: advanced propulsion, electrification, hi-tech materials, radar and sensors, with the support of digital technologies and artificial intelligence.

As emphasised by Mattia Cavanna, Head of Technology & Innovation at Leonardo Helicopters, the contribution of young researchers is fundamental. "We have realised the importance of working on technologies that are not currently strictly linked to a project, but on which we must be present today. And young people are certainly a vital element for innovation, they bring new ideas that challenge traditional approaches".

Leonardo pays particular attention to women with scientific profiles, seeking to rebalance a disproportion that is somewhat typical of the engineering world. “To design a helicopter,” explains Cavanna, “it is necessary to ensure an increasingly multifunctional approach. This is why, in the coming years, many more women with degrees in STEM disciplines will work at Leonardo. Innovation means looking beyond, far beyond.”