Fabrizio Renzi has worked for 30 years in IBM favoring connections between Italy and the rest of the world. He joined IBM in 1990 to carry out research as a biomedical and electronic engineer between Italy and the research laboratories of Austin, Texas and Yorktown, New York. He then worked in the creation and then in the management of all the technical innovation and research teams for the emerging countries of Russia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In the periods he spent in Italy, among his international experiences, he held the role of Director of Technology, Innovation and Research for IBM with increasing responsibility. Since 2017 he has focused in particular on open business innovation by connecting startup companies to research laboratories in the IBM and non-IBM world. Since November 2019 it has taken a further step in this direction, in synergy with IBM and some of its important customers and partners, it is opening companies in Italy, Israel, USA, Poland, Croatia and China.
What are the reasons that led you to join the Swiss Institute for Disruptive Innovation -Sidi-?
“I am very interested in everything that has to do with technology. But what I'm really passionate about are disruptive innovations, which have the potential to destroy or create a new market and trigger irreversible change. I came into contact with Sidi through the president, prof. Andrea Basso, a scientist of great caliber with whom I have been collaborating for years. I then met the director, Pietro Veragouth, with whom there was an absolute understanding from the first meeting. He is a person with an uncommon gift that I really appreciate in those who deal with science and innovation, that is to be able to approach things in a completely unconventional way, finding unexpected connections that allow him to find original and brilliant solutions. I also had the opportunity to work with Igor Ciminelli, marketing manager, and I realized how much innovation in this sector has also made great strides. Communication and marketing are probably the biggest Achilles heel of anyone involved in innovation. I also met the rest of the team and I am infected with the enthusiasm and energy it releases. I strongly believe in the potential of the institute, in its approach and in the objectives it pursues. The topics covered are the most innovative at the moment. Then there is Manno 2.0 which, from the point of view of the territory, is an absolutely farsighted project ».
Manno 2.0 is a project for the revitalization of the territory, how does it differ from the others?
«Switzerland is a very interesting destination for those involved in innovation, however (as a Milanese I can say), Ticino does not appear among the areas of attraction. Everything refers to the cantons beyond the Alps. However, this is not necessarily a negative factor, on the contrary, it means that in Ticino there is still an enormous unexpressed potential from which it is possible to obtain even surprising results. Furthermore, the focus on disruptive technologies strongly characterizes the project, differentiates it from other similar proposals and makes it unique in the European and probably global panorama ».
His specialization is "Research & Business management in a multicultural environment" ...
"Over the years I have realized how much bringing together different cultures generates a great wealth of ideas and ideas, so I have always dedicated my time to favoring this process that generates business and innovation in research and I intend to put my experience and expertise at the service of the Ticino area ".
How much and in what way is multiculturalism an added value in research?
“I am convinced that skills work best in the world of research if they come from different cultures. This is important because it is from lateral thinking that many innovations are generated, it is no coincidence that the population in research laboratories is necessarily intercultural. I can confirm this from direct experience: I have spent many years both in the United States and in other European countries, including Switzerland, and in emerging countries, from Russia to Eastern Europe, from the Middle East to Africa, and I have account of how the intersection of different cultures and ways of thinking generates value. It is a positive process that deserves to be stimulated ».
How has it exercised its role over the years?
«With a two-way relationship: on the one hand, we concentrate a large part of our investments in research and development in laboratories located in various parts of the world. On the other hand, I often accompany our customers from Italy, large hospitals, insurance companies, banks, industries, service companies and many small and medium-sized enterprises that are the heart of the Italian economy. However, these tours are at the same time occasions for an exchange in the opposite direction: customers also bring their ideas into the context of our laboratories, so research becomes co-creation ».
Let's go back to the dominant theme, what is meant by disruptive technologies?
"We can consider disruptive a technology that allows to solve problems that commonly used technologies are not able to solve, also doing it in a way that is not only new, but also more effective and much less expensive".
Can you give us some examples?
«I can give many examples, but it is more important, in my opinion, to learn to recognize them. Because disruptive technologies aren't just a list of typically English names that's nice to add to your business description or resume. Evidently the wheel was also a disruptive technology in its time or the invention of printing. Today the amount of disruptive technologies or candidates for such are many more '. The Internet, in these days it is 50 years old, is a classic disruptive technology. When it was invented, even the researchers themselves had no idea of the impact it would have on everyone's life. Today there are other innovations that are candidates to be disruptive. Artificial intelligence, for example, which will transform the role of computers from simple machines capable of handling large amounts of data to operators who will help us make (or make) decisions. Then there are the technologies that could transform the way in which we relate to reality, indeed to make us experience more realities at the same time such as Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality. Robotics, 3D printing, blockchain or quantum computing. I could go on and on in the list ».
Internet of Things (in English, IoT) is a neologism that refers to the extension of the Internet to the world of objects and places. What is the meaning of this formula for you?
«The IoT, the internet of things, is an area of strategic development. For example, a company like IBM invests $ 3 billion globally in this area, half of what it spends annually on research and development. In particular, I am focusing on the application of new IoT technologies in healthcare: we call it the Internet of Body, it is applications of wearable technologies for patients. In this field we are witnessing and will continue to see incredible progress. Today 80% of healthcare costs go to pay doctors and facilities and only 20% to improve the effectiveness of therapies on people. The effectiveness of the therapies depends for 50% on our behaviors, on our lifestyles ».
How can technology help improve them?
«The behavioral, behavioral approach allows to change the paradigm. A series of sensors applied to humans monitor their behavior every moment. The doctor takes on a new role in monitoring behaviors and how they affect the person's health indicators. On this front we work on important projects, also developed in collaboration with large Italian hospitals ».
Are there disruptive technologies more disruptive than others?
"In my opinion, there is no disruptive technology more disruptive than the others, but the development of a company and a business model increasingly depends on the ability to put together more disruptive and non-disruptive technologies. I call this Nexus, or "put together" as Gartner said a few years ago. As in a culinary recipe, it is always necessary to combine several technologies and approaches at the same time, in the right doses, to obtain the ideal dish. We talk, in the last period of Artificial Intelligence, for example. It is worth asking: is this the most disruptive technology of the others? AI is a bit like parsley that goes with everything. Although analysts and observers agree that this technology will revolutionize and is revolutionizing our lives in some fields, there are relatively few areas where there is a significant return on investment. This apparent slowness is also due to the absence of knowledge, practice, skills capable of enhancing artificial intelligence in concert with other technologies to transform it in the true sense of the word into a business model. During my long career in a corporation with IBM and leading important divisions such as that of research and technological innovation, I was able to see many disruptive technologies, disruptive with respect to a particular historical moment. Some have advanced, others have transformed, some have even fallen into disuse. The approach I've always had is not to trust the buzz but to deepen and experiment. Only in this way is it possible to judge ».
