Leonardo launches its 2018 Innovation Award that will also include participation of international universities

• Students, recent graduates, PhD students and PhD graduates from the STEM faculties and, for the first time, those from the Faculty of Economics will be able to participate
• Virtual and augmented reality, cognitive systems, blockchain and the circular economy are the four research areas to be addressed by the participants
• Internships in the company and prize money for the winners
• For further information on the initiative go to www.leonardocompany.com/en/innovationaward2018

Continuous technological innovation in pursuit of sustainability. It is the Leonardo Innovation Award, the initiative that aims to promote debate on the central value of innovation as a lever for economic and cultural growth, in line with the sustainable development objectives of the 2030 UN Agenda. The contest will involve young innovators of the STEM faculties and those of the faculties of economics, as well as the participation of international universities for the first time.

The Leonardo Innovation Award winners, three for each category (students/recent graduates and PhD students/PhD), will be offered training internships with the Company and receive prize money.

For Leonardo, the initiative is a way to support the innovative thinking of its employees all over the world. In fact, the company's projects have given rise to important technological solutions over the years: about 23% of the patents in Leonardo's portfolio stem from the Innovation Award and of these, 97% have found applications in various systems, products and services.

Four themes are to be addressed by participants in areas that represent the new frontiers of technology with a focus on the transformation of the hi-tech universe and with a view to sustainability, to improve the present and the future. It is the case that virtual reality and augmented reality, enables the digital world to go beyond objective reality, by enabling innovative services and solutions with added value for the operator, such as human machine interface and system maintenance applications, even remote, or flight and mission simulators.

Cognitive systems and technologies based on artificial intelligence and machine learning are the second research topic, focused on the disciplines that study methodologies, algorithms and techniques of machine learning and reasoning, for systems able to learn, to adapt to the external context and to optimize operational and decision-making solutions. Examples of applications include Leonardo's predictive maintenance systems for airplanes and helicopters, as well as its new communication and radar systems or numerous applications ranging from security to obstacle avoidance to search and rescue.

Also proposed are innovative solutions related to blockchain, technologies that will revolutionise current digital identity, telecommunications, energy, public administration and agrifood services. In Leonardo, this technology will characterise many solutions related to security domains, cyber security and ICT.

The fourth and final area of research is the circular economy, a discipline that revises the traditional economic model in a sustainable way to create a self-sustaining system, responding to the need for economic growth linked to more efficient use of available resources.

Further information on the topics at the heart of the Leonardo Innovation Award and how to participate in the initiative are available at www.leonardocompany.com/en/innovationaward2018