Keys to development

Innovation has always been a conditio sine qua non for economic and social progress. It is the means through which we support the quality of our lifestyle. It forms the basis of new products and improvements in the organizational processes of our companies. And it is the tool which allows us to respond quickly and effectively to the on-going changes in production models, demographic shifts and environmental conditions.

Prosperity will be based increasingly on the ability to resist growing international competition through pushing forward the innovation frontier, foreseeing technological transformations and market trends, and maximizing the speed and efficacy of the way new discoveries are transferred and commercialized.

In order to truly relaunch Italy’s capacity to innovate, a real innovation ecosystem must be built.

Mission

The InnoTech Hub mission is to bring together, reinforce and enhance the Italian innovation ecosystem on a global scale.

Specifically, the InnoTech Hub proposes to:

• Promote, foster and support synergies and opportunities among the major stakeholders of the Italian and European innovation, research and technology ecosystem through top-level representatives from government, research, industry and finance;
• Connect players of the Italian ecosystem (from government, research, industry and finance) with their respective players in the main innovation ecosystems throughout the world to reinforce the competitive advantages that already exist or could be created, and to allow Italy’s areas of excellence to be positioned properly within the global context;
• Promote among corporate top management the perception that innovation and technology are structural sources of long-term competitive advantage; provide support to corporate top-management in making the right strategic choices involving innovation and technology; provide support to companies in implementing new strategies for innovation and the adoption of advanced technologies.

The InnoTech Hub has set itself the goal of being the player-of-reference for innovation and technology in terms of the:

1. Ability to appropriately position, in the perception of policy makers and within the business community agenda, specific issues for public debate and to offer suggestions about how these issues should be handled;
2. Ability to build a position of innovation leadership for individual companies in relation to the industry of reference and/or for individual technical applications;
3. Ability to advise top-management in adopting the right strategic choices regarding innovation and technology.

To gain recognition on these three points, the critical factors for success are:

• Networking | The InnoTech Hub has a national and international network of relations within the major innovation ecosystems and dialogs with leading experts on issues that are strategic for the Hub and its clients
• Influencing | The InnoTech Hub is recognized by government and institutions as a credible point-of-reference on innovation- and technology-related questions and it is able to prepare proposals and guidelines on advocacy issues
• Professionalism | The InnoTech Hub is recognized by the Italian business community as a player capable of opening perspectives on cutting-edge innovation scenarios on a global level, and it provides support to companies in the defense and/or building of sources of long-term competitive advantage

As a result, the unique expertise of the InnoTech Hub consists of its:

• Ability to perceive the trends for today and tomorrow thanks to specially-developed tools and relations developed over the years with top experts and opinion leaders worldwide;
• Ability to interact with the relevant public institutions and the business community to promote dialog among top echelons in the business, research and financial sectors, and with policy makers;
• Ability to elaborate guidelines and concrete proposals on a nationwide level that coalesce the strategic interests of all key stakeholders;
• Ability to organize high-level events and bring together top decision makers from business and government, thanks to the Group’s consolidated, long-term experience;
• Assiduous attention to its clients and its professionalism.

Each project is supported by in-depth research and development of proprietary materials that stand out from those of its competitors for the level and quality of the analysis and method.

The InnoTech Hub offers three different approaches:

A. Innovation Community

Targeted programs and forums:

• To better understand the significant social and economic changes that will be triggered by technological innovation (e.g., the InnoTech Community and the Technology Forum);
• For individual industrial chains, to understand how technological evolution can create even radical changes in competitive arenas (e.g., Life Sciences, Fintech, Insurtech, Agritech, etc.);
• To improve the content and positioning of specific geographic areas (e.g., Campania TF) or specific groups and/or companies.

B. Management Consulting

Targeted support services for top management:

• To promote a clear vision of the effects of technological change on the specific industry involved to be able to make appropriate strategic choices. This activity occurs in working groups, including with the assistance of top-level advisors;
• To define innovation programs, primarily through the Open Innovation framework, and through monitoring program implementation over time while also applying approaches, methods and best practices;
• To evaluate company readiness to adopt given technologies and to formulate a plan to fill any gaps that emerge (e.g., the Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index);
• To create external innovation initiatives through both mentoring in pre-seed and start-up phases, and through support, including integration during the scale-up phase, if appropriate;
• To create external innovation initiatives through the design and development of corporate venture capital, multi-corporate venture capital and/or club deal instruments;
• To create external innovation initiatives, primarily through stimulating adoption of entrepreneurial models in-house.

C. InnoConnect

Targeted support services for innovation ecosystem players:

• To create opportunities and synergies for individual groups/companies with players in the main innovation ecosystems (e.g., know-how research, technologies, partnerships, distribution channels, etc.);
• To broaden awareness of the opportunities and risks resulting from the new applications and technologies in the main innovation ecosystems, through on-site visits and/or having access to players first-hand and being able to talk with them.

InnoTech Community

The The European House – Ambrosetti InnoTech Community is the flagship project of the InnoTech Hub and brings together stakeholders and policy makers to gain an understanding of the impacts resulting from new and emerging technologies in order to build long-term competitive advantages for local areas and companies, and to improve the quality of life of individuals. The Community is based on three cornerstones: the Innovation Meeting, the Innovation Trip and the Technology Forum.

The Technology Forum

The Technology Forum is the main event of the InnoTech Community and offers an invaluable opportunity to meet the most influential innovators from all over the world, interact with policy makers and learn from internationally successful cases. The new interactive format provides ample opportunity for peer discussion and debate, including outside the scheduled encounters—a day of full-immersion in innovation and technology.

Life Sciences Technology Forum

This project—created in 2015 in collaboration with Assobiotec, the Italian association for the development of biotechnologies, and Alisei, the Italian life sciences cluster—has as its objective to contribute to promoting the development of the innovation ecosystem in the life sciences sector in Italy and foster discussion among the highest levels of research, business, finance and government and institutions. Starting in 2018, the Life Sciences Technology Forum also has two other important partners: The Telethon Foundation and Sofinnova. Its mission is to make Italy the place we would like for the biopharmaceuticals of tomorrow: a leading player in the research, development, production and access to innovative, biotech products.

Campania Technology Forum

The Campania Technology Forum was formed in 2016 in collaboration with the Campania region, as the first local spin-off of The European House – Ambrosetti Technology Forum. Its mission is to “contribute to the creation and acceleration of the innovation and research ecosystem in Campania, making it the barycenter of new development for the Mediterranean area”.  The methodology applied in the Campania Technology Forum has been developed by The European House – Ambrosetti using a multi-phase and multi-level approach that alternates research and analysis with discussion and debate with local stakeholders.

Fintech Community

The The European House – Ambrosetti Fintech Community brings together key stakeholders and policy makers to promote the development of a business ecosystem that seizes the opportunities deriving from the digital revolution in financial services to create value for all those involved. Each year, a program is organized consisting of three meetings and a concluding forum that examines issues of interest to the partners.

The InnoTech Hub is also involved in monoclient consulting projects.

Among the consulting services offered are:

• Technology Scouting
• Organization of strategic trips to key innovation ecosystems
• Creation of programs designed to develop new lines of business

For more information about InnoTech Hub monoclient services, please contact the Hub manager, Corrado Panzeri, at corrado.panzeri@ambrosetti.eu