NRRP and high-impact innovation: opportunities to seize

The opportunities offered by the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) are a timely and highly relevant topic for those aiming to drive high-impact innovation. This is not the first time funding has been made available to help companies de-risk their innovation-related activities.

The novelty lies in the unprecedented volume of funds allocated to this support measure: we are talking about 230 billion euros to be deployed over the coming years by the Italian Government and the European Union to finance innovation activities.

This represents a massive opportunity for Italy and an enormous chance for companies that, by acting promptly, will be able to intercept this flow of funding to give an unprecedented boost to their innovation efforts—specifically those with a high impact.

It is a unique occasion, not just to fund specific initiatives, but also to rethink the way innovation is approached, preparing to innovate differently by leveraging the NRRP opportunities in a more strategic and synergistic manner.

In a recent online webinar, held in partnership with Leyton, a specialist in innovation financing, we examined the latest NRRP updates, providing a series of practical insights on how to intervene in the corporate innovation system and prepare to seize this opportunity.

The context has fundamentally changed over the last 20 to 30 years: supply now far exceeds demand, a stark contrast to the market dynamics of the past.

In this new landscape, simply launching a new product is no longer enough. Innovation has become a commodity.

Innovation in itself is no longer enough: the leap we must take is towards high-impact innovation. This means driving innovations that generate significant value for both the customer and the company.

In this regard, we invite you to skip to the 7-minute mark of the video to explore the insights shared by Gabriele Colombo, Partner at Lenovys and Head of the Strategy & Innovation practice.

Until a few years ago, regulations allowed for the funding of innovation projects based on a very broad definition of the term. Under those rules, anything considered “new”, even if only new to the specific company applying for the grant, could qualify as innovation.

Today, however, funding trajectories are becoming more selective, specifically targeting innovation that can demonstrate a high impact for both the company and the customer.

In the financing sector, the label used is “disruptive”: an impact that does not remain confined within the company walls but actively shifts market benchmarks and references.

Stefano Fili, Research and Services Manager at Leyton, describes here how the “Missions” (the various funding lines) are allocated: culture and tourism, competitiveness within the production system, sustainable agriculture, energy efficiency and/or transition, technology transfer activities, and mobility infrastructure.

Companies must prepare themselves to navigate these development trajectories. Bringing high-impact innovation into an organization is a complex process: it requires companies to overhaul the mindsets and methodologies they have relied on until now.

Admittedly, this transition is not simple; however, numerous companies have already embraced this approach through tailored support and guidance from Lenovys consultants.

Whenever we attempt to think and work differently, small points of organizational resistance inevitably arise. However, specific guidelines can be established to better manage and overcome them.
Gabriele Colombo detailed these strategies during the webinar (you can re-watch it on YouTube ) and they can be summarized as follows:

• Commitment: it is essential for the entrepreneur, the owners, or the top management to fully embrace the philosophy and the journey of high-impact innovation.
• Focusing on People’s Behavior: behavior is the most measurable and modifiable element within an organization. By consistently changing behaviors over time, it becomes possible to shift the corporate culture, paving the way for a new mindset and approach to innovation.
• Start with Small Experiments: implement projects that are measurable, controllable, and time-bound. This allows the organization to gather data, learn quickly, and scale what works.
• Avoid Improvisation: innovation is not the same as unstructured creativity or spontaneity. It requires a professional and rigorous approach.
• Follow a Method and Define a Process: having a structured framework from the initial idea generation to the market launch facilitates the entire journey and helps break down organizational resistance.

Lenovys believes in, and actively implements, a step-by-step, sustainable, scientific, and repeatable method: the Impact Innovation method, this framework was meticulously outlined during the Impact Innovation Masterclass (October – December 2022) Its effectiveness is further validated by the direct testimony of numerous companies that have already embarked on this structured innovation journey alongside Lenovys. These organizations are already beginning to reap the rewards of a new way of thinking about and approaching innovation.

You can re-watch the full webinar featuring Gabriele Colombo, Head of Strategy & Innovation at Lenovys, and Stefano Fili, Research and Services Manager at Leyton, below. Dive deeper into the NRRP (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and discover how it can revitalize your company’s development and innovation strategy when the innovation process is correctly planned and executed.