TRAINING TO INNOVATION: THE CASE OF THE ALTA SCUOLA POLITECNICA, THE JOINT SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE OF POLITECNICO DI MILANO AND POLITECNICO DI TORINO

The contemporary world is more and more characterized by high complexity problems, which cannot be faced thorough disciplinary approaches; the most significant innovations typically stem from the cross-fertilization of disciplines and are supported by collaborative processes among experts from different fields. Starting from this perspective, Politecnico di Milano and Torino, supported by the Italian Ministry on University, founded in 2004 Alta Scuola Politecnica (ASP - http://www.asp-poli.it), a joint High Education Program. The program is highly selective (admission is reserved to the top 7.5% students of the two universities), runs in parallel with the MSc programs, and offers to 150 students from Milano and Torino additional educational experience, measured as 30 credits. The program has graduated its III cycle of students and applicants to the VI cycle are currently being selected.

ASP’s main focus and challenge is exploring the field of multidisciplinary innovation; innovation certainly requires the strong expertise and solid foundations that ASP students can only obtain by taking advantage of their MSc studies; but often crucial innovation comes from the combination of different deep competences.The focus of ASP programs is the design process, a process by which complex problems are addressed and treated in order to find solutions. But what do we mean by complex problems?

In many cases, the technology to use is not very clear or it is partially unknown. Examples include designing safe and efficient systems for the discharge of toxic waste, or inventing new electronic devices to give deaf people the chance to listen without compromising some other brain functions. These problems require a good capacity for innovation, attitude to incremental designing, and multi-disciplinary expertise.

In other cases, the technology is clear but the design goals are not agreed upon. This happens, for example, when the introduction of new technological products brings about social, technical or environmental controversies; a world-famous example is the Mose system for water level control in the Venice lagoon. In such cases, designers should fluctuate between problem setting activity and problem solving activity for a long time before finding a solution which is “good enough”, by taking into account its deployment within the surrounding environment.

Complex design is therefore an activity which copes with complex and dynamic environments, and requires considerable cognitive capacities, talent for interpersonal relations, capacity to manage organizational and communicative processes, awareness of the interests and the interactions that take place within the specific contexts, and flexibility in adapting to the cognitive processes upon which the design process is based.

The ASP program offers a series of 6 full-immersion, one week courses (dedicated to: innovation management and its impact upon society and environment; decision making; modeling and creativity) and multidisciplinary projects carried on within groups, leaded by professors of the two universities and with external commitment in the private and public sector (10-15 projects per cycle). Such program will be presented in the full paper, by describing its structure and first results (including early students’ and their employers’ feedback).