Supply chains in transition, new technologies emerging week by week, growing pressure from sustainability requirements and intensifying international competition: many businesses are optimising faster than ever – and yet still face the risk of becoming irrelevant tomorrow. In many industries, incremental improvements are no longer sufficient to stay competitive in the long term. In this interview with Petra Seppi, Head of Unit Innovation Management at NOI Techpark, we explore why radical innovation has become a strategic necessity, how the Alpha Innovation method developed at NOI can assist in this process, and why the most important step is often not about "more speed" but "more distance." 

Ms Seppi, when you talk about radical innovation – what exactly do you mean? 

Many people equate innovation with incremental improvement: the next update, the more efficient process, the more sustainable product. All of these things are important, of course, yet they are not sufficient. Radical innovation means moving away from what seems certain today and thinking consistently ahead in terms of possible future scenarios. The question is no longer: "How can we improve our product?" but rather: "Which needs, technologies and conditions will shape our business in the future – and what solutions will be required to meet them?" 

Why is this step so crucial right now? 

Because markets no longer evolve in a linear way. Companies that only react to short-term signals risk being caught off guard by fundamental shifts – and at that point, the only option left is a scramble to catch up. Radical innovation is therefore not a privilege reserved for large corporations; it is a matter of future viability. Businesses that focus exclusively on optimising the here and now risk watching their relevance quietly and gradually decline. That is why it is so vital to gain distance. 

What exactly do you mean by “distance”? 

Distance is a strategic tool. In temporal terms, it means projecting ourselves far into the future, so as to avoid getting trapped in day-to-day business, whereas in spatial terms it means opening up perspectives by exploring other industries, markets and ways of thinking. Sticking too closely to our current reality restricts our imagination. Radical innovation requires precisely this kind of deliberate detachment. 

And this is where Alpha Innovation comes in? 

Yes. Alpha Innovation is a method designed to support businesses in making the leap from incremental to radical innovation – systematically, fact-driven and in an environment that fosters new ways of thinking. We developed the concept together with companies including Loacker, Dr. Schär and VOG Products, as well as in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano University and the Centre for Family Business Management at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano. The underlying idea was that radical innovation must not be left to chance – it needs to become something that companies can actively cultivate and train. 

How does it work?  

Alpha Innovation is structured as a three-step process: 1) Discover opportunities. We begin by looking both outwards and inwards: which technological opportunities are emerging and where do they align with the future needs of people and environment, as well as the company's own strengths, ambitions and challenges? This results in the “Alpha Innovation Radar”, which identifies concrete innovation potential and new strategic directions. 2) Create ideas. During the second phase, the previously identified fields of innovation are translated into viable concepts in a guided setting: teams question the status quo, combine various perspectives and refine ideas until they become genuinely transformative. 3) Make decisions. The final phase focuses on determining which ideas have the most potential: the selected concept is assessed against key criteria and translated into a data-driven roadmap. 

What role does sustainability play?  

A very significant one. Today, sustainability is not only a moral imperative, it is a competitive factor. We therefore deliberately ask: which solutions create value for future users whilst also benefiting nature and society? Radical innovation without sustainability is often little more than technical gimmick. Our work aims for concepts that endure over the long term: technologically, ecologically and economically. 

Last but not least: what do businesses ideally gain from Alpha Innovation?  

A clear vision of the future – and concrete concepts for new products, services or entire business models. Many teams leave the programme with a concept they wouldn’t have envisaged before, together with clear plans for the next steps: partnerships, pilot initiatives, strategic decisions, and sometimes even the deliberate choice not to pursue something. Quite often, what emerges is something you rarely experience in everyday life: that moment of clarity when a team realises “Wow, this is it. This is where we want to go.” Radical innovation is not a matter of chance. It requires courage – and the space to truly think far beyond the present. 

Discover more about Alpha Innovation.