NTT DATA, the Polytechnic University of Milan and POLI.design: An Agreement for Collaboration on Innovative Technology and Design Issues in the Field of Research and Training

A collaboration agreement was signed today among NTT DATA, a Japanese multinational leader in IT consultancy and services, the Polytechnic University of Milan, a scientific-technological university that trains engineers, architects, and designers, and POLI.design, a consortium company of the Polytechnic University of Milan.

The will to work together stems not only from the desire to carry out joint studies on innovative technological issues but also, and above all, from the sharing of important values to be promoted together, such as the support for equality, diversity, and inclusion.

The primary objective of the collaboration is to initiate a cultural transformation enabled by a synergistic use of the most advanced technology and design tools, to "put man at the center," and to support inclusive development of society by placing technology at the service of the individual.

The agreement was signed by Walter Ruffinoni, Managing Director of NTT DATA Italy and EMEA; Ferruccio Resta, Rector of the Polytechnic University of Milan and Matteo Oreste Ingaramo, Managing Director of POLI.design.

The collaboration provides funds for activities and research projects which cover different areas and topics of primary importance to conceive and implement "transparent" technological solutions, giving an impact on individual daily life, such as Smart Mobility, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Internet of Humans, Data Analytics, Diversity and Inclusion, Universal Design, Design for Social Benefit, and Product and Service Design.

These activities will primarily involve the Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, the Department of Design, and the Department of Management Engineering and may then extend to the entire university.

There will also be an internal training program, managed by the Department of Design, for NTT DATA employees and stakeholders on Human-Centered Design, Service Design, and Design Management for better design of the services offered by the company. This made be possible thanks to the expertise of POLI.design, a world center of excellence for design, active in the world of professional training for over 20 years.

The agreement will also allow NTT DATA to contribute to the training of a selected group of students from the Polytechnic University of Milan on specific topics.

The company also undertakes to financially support the university's human resources, both at the faculty level (by funding an upgrade to full professor in Automatica) and at the Doctoral School level (by setting up a scholarship for the Doctorate in Design).

Finally, the partnership includes a recruiting and employer branding plan with dedicated activities carried out in collaboration with the Career Service of the Polytechnic University of Milan.

"Training and digital education represent a fundamental value on which to put down roots for growth in a scenario of such great uncertainty," commented Walter Ruffinoni, CEO of NTT DATA. "Only by guaranteeing adequate digital literacy can we imagine a future of work that is truly smart, in which the balance between work and private life is truly harmonious. At NTT DATA, we strongly believe in young talent and are constantly seeking to promote its potential. This challenge has led to our collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Milan and POLI.design, two excellences with which we intend to meet the challenges of an ever-changing labor market".

"Put man back at the center and start again from the needs and requirements of human as an enabling factor of every technology. This is the goal shared by the Polytechnic University of Milan and NTT DATA, one of the world's top players in IT consulting and services and one of the cornerstones of the university's development plan for the next three years," commented Ferruccio Resta, Rector of the Polytechnic University of Milan. "The agreement signed today strengthens the university-business relationship in contexts of strong social impact. And it is divided into multidisciplinary areas that bring together the skills of three of our major departments. New technical solutions, innovative services, and a focus on the growth of our students are the areas articulated in the agreement."

"A new and important partnership with a market leader such as NTT DATA is born today," said Matteo Oreste Ingaramo, CEO of POLI.design. "It will allow us to transmit, compare and mutually strengthen skills in the field of those technologies and issues, which are now strategic for our society related to digital transformation. The contribution makes an opportunity to develop cutting-edge interdisciplinary research activities and to build and deliver a didactic that can provide vision to understand and oversee the rapid transformations that our society is experiencing."

They will also be established a joint management committee, which will have the function of promoting and monitoring the implementation of the points envisaged by the collaboration, illustrating annually to the parties the developments and results achieved, proposing any new issues of joint interest to develop.

The following will be part of the committee:
Mara Tanelli, Full Professor, Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering of the Polytechnic University of Milan
Francesco Zurlo, Vice Director, POLI.design
Pietro Scarpino, Vice President, Head of IoT, AI and VR, NTT DATA Italia

NTT DATA has always been committed to the training and search for talent, thanks to long-term partnerships with universities of excellence throughout Italy. Besides the Polytechnic University of Milan, NTT DATA also collaborates with the Polytechnic University of Torino, the University of Pisa, CNR (the National Research Council), the University of Bologna, the University of La Sapienza and the University of Roma Tre in Roma, the University of Parthenope and the University of Federico II in Naples, and the University of Calabria.

NTT DATA

NTT DATA is part of the Japanese multinational company of the same name, one of the world's leading IT Consulting and Services players. Digital, Consulting, Cyber Security, and System Integration are just some of the main lines of business. Our mission is to create value for our customers through innovation. NTT DATA has a global presence in over 50 countries, 118,000 professionals, and an international network of research and development centers in Tokyo, Palo Alto, and Cosenza. NTT DATA is present in Italy with over 4000 employees and eight offices: Milan, Rome, Turin, Genoa, Treviso, Pisa, Naples, and Cosenza.

The Polytechnic University of Milan

The Polytechnic University of Milan is a scientific-technological university that trains engineers, architects, and designers.
It has always focused on quality and innovation in teaching and research, developing a fruitful relationship with the economic and productive reality through experimental research and technology transfer.
Research is more and more linked to didactics. It is a priority commitment that allows the Polytechnic University of Milan to reach high international level results and realize the meeting between the university and the business world. Moreover, research activity constitutes a parallel path to cooperation and alliances with the industrial system.

POLI.design

POLI.design, a consortium company founded by the Polytechnic University of Milan in 1999, is a university institution of recognized excellence that brings together unique research and post-graduate training center. Together with the School of Design and the Department of Design, it is part of the prestigious Design System of the Polytechnic University of Milan, an aggregate of resources, skills, facilities, and laboratories, among the most important in the world. POLI.design develops training for young graduates and professionals - there are more than 50 training products, including University Masters and Advanced Training Courses conceived to explore the design culture at 360° - and training for enterprises with a precise orientation towards innovation. It operates in internationalization, establishing partnerships of purpose with universities, schools, institutions, companies, and firms.