Innovation for sustainability

In order to achieve the challenging innovation objectives, we redefined the organisation at the Company Acea Innovation, which in 2020 focused above all on electric mobility. Moreover, we strengthened Acea SpA’s Technology and Solutions area: this function manages the Group’s innovation line and promotes the Innovation Model, which identifies the Group’s internal needs and looks for innovative solutions, via the adoption of processes and approaches typical of open innovation.

For Acea, overseeing innovation is fundamental for accessing ideas, business opportunities and technologies and the Group has therefore developed partnerships with InnovUp (formerly Italia Startup), Talent Garden, Open Italy and has launched collaborations with specialised Observers of the Milan Polytechnic (Quantum Computing, Startup Intelligence and Space Economy). 
In 2022, Acea launched 4 Open Calls related to smart cities, new sustainable energy sources, critical infrastructures and work-life reconciliation.

The Group’s line of innovation is managed by the company Acea Innovation, which approves the project and innovative initiatives, generating products and services for the business (B2B) and Institutional (B2G) markets, particularly in the areas of electric mobility, energy requalification and home composting.
There is also an Innovation Board, comprising the innovation coordinators of the various industrial areas, which defines and implements, in a shared manner, the Group’s innovation strategy.

Projects have been launched with regard to every strategic pillar identified and idea generation sessions have been staged enabling the diffusion of an innovation culture involving all people within the Group and highlighting further prospects for the development of technological applications and innovation. Partnerships have also been signed at domestic and international level with a view to consolidating Acea’s position in the ecosystem of innovation and identifying new business opportunities, and innovative solutions coming from startups and SMEs have been analysed and tested. 
The firm’s commitment to research and innovation was recognised also through its achievement of the 2022 SMAU Innovation Award.

Moreover, bearing in mind the importance of promoting and developing a Group culture with regard to innovation, we introduced the Innovation Board, comprising the innovation coordinators of the various industrial areas, which defines and implements, in a shared manner, the Group’s innovation strategy.