We share the article that Green Economy Report, thematic monthly on business, innovation and sustainability, dedicated a long interview to the President Fulvio Ananasso by the journalist Francesca Druidi to the States General of Innovation.
Below is the text of the interview. To download the pdf of the article Click here.
Since 2011, the Stati Generali dell'Innovazione (SGI) association has been a point of reference for associations, organisations, businesses and individuals committed to innovation, from the social, industrial and digital transformation point of view of our society, promoting the synergy of individual initiatives and maximizing their effectiveness. The pandemic has helped to accelerate the innovation process even further and at the same time has made our country's various critical issues on this front even more evident, as noted by the president of SGI Fulvio Ananasso, who boasts 40 years of international experience in telecommunications- Ict dealing with technological, legal and economic aspects.
What scenario can be outlined for the state of innovation in Italy?
«On the one hand, the state of innovation in Italy presents delays and well-known obstacles - think of the bureaucratic difficulties of setting up start-ups and finding funding compared to abroad, the small size of our open innovation micro-SMEs, the resistance (substantially cultural) to the change of organizational processes -, on the other, significant opportunities for growth and development, precisely because of the possibility of bridging the accumulated delays with decisive "leapfrogs" and of seizing new "green field" opportunities. The pandemic period we are experiencing has, in fact, accelerated awareness of the need for a paradigm shift in the digital transformation of our society, from healthcare to the predictive maintenance of infrastructures. It is important to underline the central role of quality data in technological platforms for management and decision support (so-called Decision Support Systems, DSS), "data driven" platforms based on predictive approaches of Artificial Intelligence (AI), substantially through algorithms and machine learning techniques (machine learning). The digital transformation of the various production sectors will induce increasingly important changes in our daily life and in the way we do business, evidently requiring specific e-skills and consequently the training in this regard of adequate professional skills".
Do you believe that the Pnrr will be able to help innovate the country?
«The Pnrr will be able to contribute to substantially reducing territorial, generational and gender gaps, and have a significant impact on our country's "disruptive" innovation, on its productivity and economic growth. The government forecasts an increase of 3.6 points of GDP in 2026 following the introduction of the Plan. The first challenge to face for the realization of the investments and the reforms within the times agreed with the European Commission and the regular and correct management of the resources is an efficient and effective governor of the Plan, with direct responsibility for the ministries and local administrations coordinated by a director at the Presidency of the Council. A survey conducted by Ipsos for the Lega Coop Observatory shows that work, education, justice and taxation are the issues that Italians consider priorities for the structural reforms of the Pnrr, while remaining doubtful about the government's ability to implement them. From a less "emotional" analysis of the six Missions of the Plan, all of them represent fundamental and priority aspects for the purposes of a true digital transformation of our society".
What are the areas where innovation can contribute more substantially to the sustainable development of the country?
«In September 2015, the UN approved the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - with the related 169 targets - by 2030, which concern all dimensions of human life and our planet . In order to oversee the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS) was established on 3 February 2016, of which Stati Generali dell'Innovazione is an honorary member who is quite active as regards the implications of innovation in sustainable development processes. Innovation (technological, process, cultural) can make a concrete contribution to the re-establishment of a virtuous cycle for the achievement of sustainable development objectives. In particular, SGI is quite active in working groups – Goal 4 (quality education, equitable and inclusive), 8 (inclusive and sustainable growth, full employment and decent work for all), 9 (Resilient Infrastructures, Innovation and Responsible and Sustainable Industrialization), 10 (Reducing Inequalities), 11 (Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable) and 17 (Strengthen the means of global partnership for sustainable development). Our association is engaged in initiatives and projects on research and innovation, work, training, health, urban agendas for the sustainable development of cities and inland areas, poverty and inequalities and international cooperation".
What are the most complex challenges for smart cities of the future?
«The most complex challenges for the Smart Cities of the future are, in our opinion, many. There is a need for "Green, Resilient & Data-Driven Next Generation Cities", more sustainable and resilient ecosystems (infrastructures, sensors, services and applications) managed through data-driven platforms, and "digital twins" (cities-territories ), virtual models for the simulation-planning of the physical world. In this regard, the first fundamental step consists in modeling the urban reality (city model), to then aggregate the Digital Twins of the city management systems (intelligent buildings, infrastructures for the mobility of people and goods, energy, water, telecommunications networks) and finally integrate the Digital Twins of the subjects of the city-territory (community or groups, individuals), with the aim of monitoring the behavior of the physical city and its evolution; plan and develop projects, observing in advance the effects of their implementation on its virtual "twin"; anticipate any problems and carry out corrective actions, preventing the emergence of critical issues. 5G can give a strong boost to Smart Cities through network slicing, such as e-health, smart grids and safe transportation. Finally, the "Territorial workshops" will assume particular importance, easily accessible and redeveloped meeting places to allow agile work intermediate between presence in the office and smart working from home".
The 2Yes Manifesto that you have promoted for Regions and Municipalities includes all the dimensions that pertain to sustainability and social innovation.
«Based on a similar initiative for the 2013 elections (“Charter of Intent for Italy's Innovation”, prodromal to the establishment of the Parliamentary Intergroup for Technological Innovation), SGI launched on 19 February 2020 in the Chamber of Deputies the “2YES for Regions and Municipalities” Manifesto. The most relevant themes around which to build an effective sustainability, innovation and Social Innovation agenda have been identified as: Simplification and transparency in the Public Administration; Integrated welfare for subsidies to families, the elderly and needy, gender issues (STEM training); Cultural growth, school and training; Infrastructure, land use, environment and mobility; Growth and renewables; Digital Twin Models for Smart Communities; Open Source Ethics and Private Public Partnerships (PPP)».
