OPEN INNOVATION

COMPANIES ALL OVER THE WORLD, OF ALL SIZES AND SECTORS, ARE FACING A PROFOUND TRANSFORMATION OF THEIR BUSINESS MODEL CALLING FOR A SHIFT TO OPEN INNOVATION BASED ON A CONSTANT DIALOGUE WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD. MAIRE TECNIMONT HAS ADOPTED AN OPEN INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM THAT ALLOWS IT TO LEVERAGE EXTERNAL KNOWHOW TO DEVELOP NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES.

An Open Innovation management strategy is a critical success factor in today’s market, along with its implementation process that must become part of the corporate culture in the broadest sense. Given that sustainability issues are increasingly an integral part of corporate strategy, Open Innovation is essential to support the achievement of strategic sustainability goals and the expected business benefits, and contribute to the process of change and transformation of the company over time. The key element to address this profound transformation is Open “Green” Innovation – the right combination of innovation (product, service or process) and sustainability, in order to develop new sustainable solutions in line with the SDGs.

During 2021, we strengthened a few of our most important Open Innovation initiatives. Federated Innovation at MIND is a collaboration in the area of Green Tech and Sustainability with Italian energy companies A2A, Enel X and ENI. We worked together to set out an Innovation Agenda containing the strategic guidelines and objectives for the next 2 years. MIND is an innovation hub in Milan, Italy that involves national and international leaders to partner in scientific, technological and digital experimentation. The companies will experiment with technological, scientific and digital innovation projects using an innovative and collaborative methodology, the “Federated Innovation Model”, which combines open innovation with more traditional corporate innovation practices. We participated in the 2021 edition of OPEN ITALY, a network bringing together large companies, Italian Startups and SMEs and innovation enablers such as accelerators, research centers, venture capitalists and young talents. Last year’s edition gathered 50 large corporations, 374 startup candidates and almost 2,000 solutions proposed to respond to company challenges. Maire Tecnimont contributes to OPEN ITALY through its green chemistry company NextChem, allowing the Group to capture a dealflow of solutions that represent opportunities for the development of green projects.

With innovation becoming a critical factor in success, in 2019 Maire Tecnimont established a synergetic collaboration with the LUISS Guido Carli University by launching a professorship for Open Innovation and Sustainability, the first of its kind in Europe, and in 2021 confirmed its commitment to the collaboration for the next eight years. Our collaboration with Luiss also includes contributing to the topic of the circular economy with lectures as part of the dedicated professorship.

New open innovation, collaborations and strategic initiatives in 2021

Italian Cleantech Accelerator ZERO was launched in 2021 by CDP Venture Capital, ENI, LVenture Group and ELIS, with the support of Corporate Partners ACEA, Maire Tecnimont and Microsoft. ZERO is part of the state-run investment fund Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) National Accelerator Network, and was created to support startups demonstrating strong business potential and a zero-impact solution for the environment. For Maire Tecnimont, projects like ZERO are an ideal way to strengthen or develop new partnerships. The program’s verticals are perfectly in line with the Group’s strategic objectives and the UN SDG’s.

CALL4Recovery is promoted by Università Campus Bio-Medico of Rome and Marzotto Venture Accelerator, and is supported by Italy’s electricity group ENEL along with other major corporations including Maire Tecnimont. The goal is to support startups offering technological solutions in the field of energy transition and sustainability in line with five Key Focus Areas (Circular Bioeconomy, Circular Water Economy, Circular Energy Economy, New Circular Life Cycles, Circular City & Land). Maire Tecnimont is currently evaluating candidates to propose for inclusion in the Acceleration Program.

Caracol and NextChem (Maire Tecnimont’s green chemicals company) created BELUGA, a joint research project to design the world’s first 3D printed monocoque sailing boat prototype using recycled MyReplastTM material. The boat was presented at the 2021 edition of the Fuorisalone furniture and design trade show in Milan. MyReplast technology combines innovative optical separation techniques with formulation processing in an extruder, making the process a true UpCycling. Contaminated, low-value mixed polyolefin waste is thus restored to a level of purity and quality that allows it to be processed and made into new objects, replacing virgin polymers.

THE WORLD’S FIRST 3D PRINTED MONOCOQUE SAILING BOAT PROTOTYPE