Polaris Innovation Journal
Innovation and sustainable growth: Leonardo’s “Factory of Ideas”

09 November 2022

The winners of the Leonardo Innovation Award 2021 are the protagonists of the latest issue of the Polaris Innovation Journal, a quarterly publication that publishes scientific papers on Leonardo's technologies and Research & Development activities.

The magazine is part of Polaris World, a series of editorial initiatives that Leonardo's Chief Technology & Innovation Office organizes to promote innovation, the sharing of know-how and the transfer of knowledge, skills, and excellence present in the company, with particular attention to new ideas, technologies and the development of innovative products, solutions, and services. From this issue, the Polaris Innovation Journal becomes accessible to everyone on the web, with multimedia content and in a new graphic format.

The Innovation Award is a Leonardo’s international initiative, which for sixteen years has involved all employees, offering them great opportunities to express ideas and projects with a high rate of innovation, relating to the business areas covered by the Group and aimed at improving the business products, processes, systems and services.

831

Projects received in 2021

2,500

Applicants in 2021

16

Total editions since 2004

58%

Projects from Italy’s Group sites in 2021

42%
Projects from Group’s international sites in 2021

~ 35,000

Leonardo’s employees involved in previous editions

~ 11,000

Innovative projects and patent proposals submitted in previous editions

"Leonardo's excellence - as recalled in the editorial by Franco Ongaro, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer - has always been sustained and driven by innovation", in a people-centered process, in which everyone can contribute in an original and impactful way, regardless of their hierarchy and role. 

For this reason, Ongaro defines "ambassadors and inspirers" all those who participated, and not just the winners of the Prize. Ambassadors because their success at the Awards well represents all of Leonardo's 50,000 colleagues who implement innovation daily, strengthen their sense of belonging to the company and promote the image of excellence that our company transmits to the outside world. 

“Inspirers – he continues – thanks to the courage and dedication shown by all candidates in proposing and promoting their ideas, in which they believed and invested time and resources, regardless of the outcome. Their example acts as a stimulus to the many people in Leonardo who have good ideas, that are of fundamental importance to our company”. 

This issue of the Polaris Innovation Journal dedicates ample space to the illustration of the winning projects in the main categories (Product results, Technological results, People), in the transversal categories (Digitization, Sustainability, Promotion of Leonardo's culture and values), in addition to those who have obtained the special prizes (Best patent, Special mention and Jury prize). 

The most recent years have revealed scenarios of progressive scarcity of natural, energy and economic resources, in the face of growing world consumption. However, there is a resource, the inventiveness of the innovators, which instead grows hand in hand with its greater 'use'. As Ongaro also recalls, "the more we innovate, the more we generate new ideas to grow and develop", and this is the message that the magazine wants to convey to the reader: Leonardo's innovation progresses even, and all the more so, in challenging times.

Start reading Polaris Innovation Journal issue 46