Promoting innovation
Promote innovation:
pursuing a new frontier
The promotion of innovation as an enabling factor to support the sustainable transition is one of the areas in which the ESG strategic pillar of the 2022-2025 Business Plan is implemented.
Investing in new technologies and startups is one of the key elements to support evolution in a green perspective.
The Group's commitment in this area is reflected in the following objectives defined in the Business Plan:
- launch of around 800 innovation projects in 2022-2025
- development of multidisciplinary applied research projects (e.g. Artificial Intelligence, neuroscience, robotics) in collaboration with research centers of excellence, promoting technology transfer and spin-offs and creating intangible assets and intellectual property
- support to startups with high potential through non-financial services (e.g. acceleration programs) and connection with/support from venture capital funds, also thanks to NEVA SGR (approximately 100 million euros of NEVA SGR investments in start-ups in 2022-2025)
- support for the development of innovation ecosystems with an international perspective, coordinating the network of relationships with companies, incubators, research and development centers, universities and other national and international bodies
- acceleration of business transformation and support for the long-term development of companies (e.g. scouting for new technologies), promoting the reduction of the risk profile and competitiveness with Open Innovation programs
- dissemination of a mentality/culture of innovation with events and new educational formats (e.g. positioning and match-making events, dissemination to retail and corporate customers and to high schools, universities and postgraduates).
Intesa Sanpaolo aims to sustain business growth by leveraging active involvement from people and cutting-edge digital infrastructure. In line with the 2022-2025 Business Plan and ESG targets, the future challenge is to accelerate the digital transformation of the Group’s customers, extending digitization and dematerialization across all processes ensuring the protection of information. For example, in 2024 the number of digital payments operations increased to 409 million (266 million in 2023, and 137 million in 2022).
Main objectives and results*
646 innovation projects launched
as at 31.12.2024 out of the target of 800 in business plan
27 research projects launched
in 2022-2024 in the neuroscience, robotics and AI fields
€118m invested by Neva SGR in startups
in 2022-2024 out of a target of about €100m
*Data referred to 2022-2025 Business Plan and, where not otherwise stated, are data as at 31.12.2024
Commitment to innovation
| 2022-2025 Business Plan targets |
Description | Results as at 31.12.2024 (where not specified) |
| Innovation projects | Promotion of innovation with the launch of around 800 projects in 2022-2025 Development of international innovation ecosystems by coordinating the network of relationships with businesses, incubators, research centres, universities and other local and international organisations Support for high-potential start-ups Dissemination of a mindset/culture in the field of innovation through events and new educational formats |
646 projects launched by Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center (ISPIC) in the 2022- 2024 period (241 projects launched in 2024) 27 research projects launched in the 2022-2024 period (18 ongoing projects in 2024 on AI, neuroscience and robotics, with 8 launched in 2024) Approximately 80 corporates have participated in open innovation programmes, with 11 involved in circular economy-focused projects In the 2019-2024 period, over 230 startups were accelerated, over 450 collaborations and proofs of concept were realized, more than €120m in capital was raised, and 830 new hires were made Over 100 positioning and matchmaking events organised in the 2022- 2024 period, involving over 17,000 participants (in 2024, 41 events organised with over 12,000 participants, and approximately 80 corporates participated in open innovation programmes, with 11 involved in circular economy-focused projects
|
| NEVA SGR investments in startups | Support to high-potential startups by providing nonfinancial services (e.g. acceleration programmes) and in connection/with the support of venture capital funds, also thanks to NEVA SGR: €100m of investments in startups in 2022-2025 | €118m invested by Neva SGR in the 2022-2024 period (more than €33m in 2024); Launch of two new Funds (Neva II and Neva II Italia) with the objective to raise €500m (first closing of more than €200m) |
| Training to Group personnel on cybersecurity | Providing Group’s people with excellent training on critical skills for the digital transition | 83,344 participants; 122,306 hours provided |
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Last updated 2 May 2025 at 16:22:37
