Acceleration for Change is the technological acceleration program promoted by Huawei Technologies Italia in collaboration with SPICY (Society for Innovation, Cooperation and Internationalization). The latter is the open innovation hub born in the San Giovanni a Teduccio Technological Pole of the University of Naples Federico II. Together with Huawei, he launched the initiative last year, ultimately selecting 3 startups that are now benefiting from vouchers worth 100,000 euros which correspond to the use of the Chinese giant’s European infrastructure. “But it is not mandatory to use the Huawei cloud” he points out Eduardo PeroneVice President of West Europe Business Development of the Shenzhen multinational, claiming the company’s added value, i.e. the “development of local ecosystemscloud-enabled in general.
This does not mean that the new edition of Acceleration for Change is aimed “at startups, spinoffs, SMEs and ISVs interested in developing, importing, testing, validating systems, products, processes and innovative technologies in the field of cloud computing in the European Huawei Public Cloud environment , artificial intelligence and machine learning” reads the 2023 notice.
“This program stems from Huawei’s desire to offer its contribution to the country, not only by developing the infrastructure to support the digitization process, but also by making a wide range of digital products and solutions available,” he says. Fabio RomanoHead of Industry Ecosystem Development of Huawei Tehcnologies Italia, during the presentation of 19 April 2023 in Milan, which preceded that of Rome on 27 April and that of Naples on 9 May.
Candidate requirements and program milestones
The requirements to join the program invitation call are as follows:
- be based in Italy;
- propose a Proof of concept (PoC) in uno o più settori compresi tra Green & Blue Innovation, Smart Agriculture, Smart Health, Smart Port, Smart Mobility, Smart Cities, Cultural and Creative Industry;
- have the ability, during the course of the program, to make any necessary changes to the development of the PoC.
When submitting their application, the proposer must register on the Huawei EU Cloud platform which will activate the account if it is then selected among the winners of the call. A short list will follow whose members will be invited to hold technical talks with the SPICI team and with Huawei’s Cloud Solution Architects to thoroughly evaluate the PoC project, as well as the value and extent of the cloud resources needed for its development . The finalists will then sign a contract with SPICI crowned by the configuration of the voucher on the cloud platform which will be disbursed in 4 consecutive tranches.
Cloud Enablement: Migration, Application Management, and Security. How to do
In addition to cloud usage credits, winners will be provided with a support service to facilitate the onboarding and utilization of IT resources. In addition, there will be thematic workshops to help startups, spinoffs, SMEs and ISVs get familiar with cloud environments. The selected startups will also have access to the “Petal Ads” programmatic display platform, a full-stack advertising tool developed by Huawei for brand promotion and product and service positioning. Finally, the winners of the program will be accompanied in the scale-up and international business development of their solution through Huawei’s global marketplace.
If acceleration rhymes with internationalization
The importance of internationalization is also underlined by Mariangela Contursi, General Manager of SPICI: “SPICI’s mission is to bring value and increase competitiveness for a wide range of companies. We support startups with integrated acceleration, digital transformation and internationalization services, to support them along the path that goes from the idea to the project, from the project to the company and from the company to the market”. Opening up to foreign markets should reverse the trend whereby technology is now mainly developed in the United States and China and then arrives here.
He remembers it George CironDirector of InnovUp, the Italian association that brings together around 500 startups, highlighting the key role of research and development: “Startups play a key role in the Italian economic fabric: not only are they the realities that will provide the services and products of the future, but they are also the same ones that will create new jobs. However, our work goes even further, promoting the diffusion and democratization of technology at 360 degrees so that no one is left behind”.
Investing in human capital, the Cosberg case
All of this is possible if you invest in the company’s most important asset, its people. Gianluigi ViscardiPresident of the National Technology Cluster Intelligent Factory, never tires of reiterating it: “We need to exploit technology so that people are the company’s assets. However, it is often easier to ‘steal’ than to train people. This is why the ‘registration’ of knowledge is important, so as to work objectively and no longer subjectively”.
It is by virtue of this philosophy that Viscardi has brought his own Cosberg, a company from Bergamo that designs and builds machines and modules for the automation of assembly processes, to become a reality with an international profile. In addition, it has made it a context in which the female presence is predominant, even though it is a metalworking company that traditionally welcomes mainly male figures. A model for all the realities that intend to participate in the 2023 edition of Acceleration for Change.
Individuals interested in applying to the program must apply no later than May 30, 2023 by clicking here