Peers Around the World: Shaping a diverse and collaborative innovation ecosystem

In this month’s edition of our  Peers Around the World series, where we hear from leaders in innovation from across our global network, we spoke with Salvatore Majorana, Director of Kilometro Rosso and IASP President, who shared his perspective on building bridges between science and enterprise, the power of collaboration across diverse innovation actors, and how Italy's ecosystem is shaping the future of technology.     

Salvatore, you come from a unique lineage as the great-nephew of Ettore Majorana, whose name was recently honoured by Microsoft with the launch of its new quantum chip, the Majorana-1. How has this scientific heritage influenced your own approach to innovation and leadership, and in what ways does it inspire the culture you aim to build at Kilometro Rosso?   

Ettore Majorana was an extraordinary scientist, so much so that Enrico Fermi himself called him a "genius, like Newton and Galileo." His studies in quantum physics and the structure of matter have marked the history of physics and are today used in the most advanced research, as demonstrated by the quantum computing chip designed by Microsoft based on his theories and named it after him. 

Bearing Ettore's name has certainly inspired me to try my best in every circumstance. A passion for science would probably have come anyway, but the reflection on the importance of creating channels of communication between science and the "rest of the world" —what we now call Technology Transfer—has drawn heavily from his life story. Understanding the motivations and stimuli that drive the various stakeholders is the essence of the profession of those who seek to connect a long and complex supply chain capable of generating enormous value for the community: the supply chain of innovation. 

Before Kilometro Rosso, you led technology transfer at the Italian Institute of Technology, focusing on turning research into market-ready innovations. What were the most important lessons from that experience that you have applied in your current role, particularly in shaping collaborations between researchers and industry?

The most valuable lesson from working closely with scientific research has been the recognition that scientists cannot be forced to become entrepreneurs. These roles require profoundly different skill sets, and it is extremely rare to find brilliant scientists capable of transforming their science into large-scale enterprises. This process requires the contribution of many: it is a patient effort to align interests, listening, and everyday choices, which are sometimes very difficult, but essential for advancing to the market.  

Kilometro Rosso hosts a mix of startups, established companies, and research initiatives. How do you balance supporting early-stage ventures with meeting the expectations of larger corporate partners, and what strategies do you use to ensure both groups thrive under the same ecosystem? 

In the context of any Science Park, diversity is a value to be cultivated and exploited to generate growth opportunities. Diversity can be measured in terms of skills, industry, size, and mission (profit or nonprofit). Therefore, being able to host and nurture young startups alongside established firms is a great opportunity for both: the energy and drive typical of the startup ecosystem can be a tremendous source of innovation for larger companies, which, on the other hand, can offer the experience, scale, and market penetration of well-established organizations. The former can find in the latter a context for testing their products or services, learning from industry experts how to scale and, not negligibly, start generating revenues. Conversely, corporates can accelerate their rate of innovation, reducing costs and testing many options by pairing with startups which can provide a deep knowledge in specific fields. This process, beneficial for both parties, can be structured under the umbrella of Venture Client/Venture Building, and can be a real booster of innovation.  

Kilometro Rosso describes itself as “the meeting place between research and enterprise”, a space where businesses, research centres, laboratories, professional services, and advanced training come together to create value through collaboration. In this vision of constant exchange between knowledge and industry, what do you see as the biggest opportunities for the park to influence the next generation of Italian innovation, and which ongoing projects or initiatives excite you the most in that regard? 

I believe our role is to provide examples, showing the youngsters there is a way, a place and a team to support them realise their dreams. Being able to create such an ecosystem is the foremost important motivation that takes me to work every day.

One of the most intriguing projects currently emerging from Kilometro Rosso is Prometheus, a reactor capable of generating hydrogen through a low-energy plasma reaction and a potential breakthrough in the quest for clean, portable energy. What makes this technology particularly significant in the context of global energy transition, and how do you envision Kilometro Rosso’s role in supporting such frontier experiments that challenge conventional scientific understanding while opening new industrial possibilities?

Prometheus is truly a game-changing bet. The startup has been working very seriously to consolidate its technology and today is close to bring a novel energy production system to the market. Clean and abundant energy is strictly correlated with people’s and society’s development, and the perspective of providing low-cost, accessible solutions triggers our commitment to support this project. Moreover, Prometheus has worked to exploit a branch of science which has been neglected for years, and as such, it truly pushes the boundaries of innovation, a risky job which requires a mix of trust, patience and resilience. Errors are part of the journey, but you should manage to turn them into learning moments, bricks to build on.  

You just recently had similar conversations with global peers at the IASP World Conference. How has the knowledge sharing and common mission to drive innovation and support entrepreneurs influenced the way you lead and relate to the people and ideas that surround you at Kilometro Rosso? 

The IASP world conference is always an incredible experience, profoundly enriching and instructive. Being able to exchange experiences with peers around the world leaves you with new perspectives. This, above all, is the real essence of the association: finding a context where knowledge is shared, a place where to look for re-setting your curiosity, challenging your certainties, and refreshing your sense of discovery. If you work on the innovation frontier, like STPs and AOIs do, you must be prepared for the unknown, and sometimes this requires leaving the long-known path to find new trails. This attitude is what I bring back and try to share with my team to shape the environment of Kilometro Rosso.