Welcome to The Node, the podcast published by the Decision Science Alliance and edited by IDA Magazine. Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Andrea Calcagni.

Andrea defines himself as an Automation and AI Performance Manager—and he truly is. He works for Hype, an innovative FinTech company, and today joins us to also talk about C2T, a national consortium based in Brianza. Andrea is an active member of the consortium, and we’re delighted to have him on The Node.

Thanks, it’s a pleasure to be here. At Hype, my role focuses on enhancing AI products—improving and evolving the artificial intelligence technologies implemented within the company to improve customer experience and automate internal processes.

At the same time, I collaborate with the team at C2T, a technology consortium and a network of over 7,000 PhDs, spanning both STEM and humanities disciplines. The consortium builds bridges between innovation needs in business and research excellence in academia. It’s a space that connects two very different worlds: research and industry.

Let’s go back to the beginning. How did your journey with C2T start, and what was the first project that brought you together?

It all began with a challenge: designing a new label for a wine company. But not just any label—a smart label.

We were looking to create something that went beyond packaging. The idea was to embed dynamic content, integrate digital tools, and use the label as a gateway to tell the story behind the product. From traceability and certifications to values, missions, and even emotions.

The label became an interface. And to make that happen, we had to bring together skills that were not typically found in the same room: communication experts, data scientists, engineers, designers, and researchers from humanities fields.

That’s what C2T enabled. They helped orchestrate the process—activating researchers, curating partnerships, and making sure the final product wasn’t just technically sound, but also meaningful.

It was a great test of what I believe innovation should be: cross-disciplinary, human-centered, and driven by real needs.

Let’s talk about communication. You work at the crossroads of technology, science, and language. What role does communication play in the success of innovation today?

It’s absolutely essential. Especially when it comes to science.

There’s often this idea that good research should speak for itself. But that’s not true. Even the best project can go unnoticed—or be misunderstood—if it’s not communicated properly.

In my experience, researchers tend to be very strong in content, but often struggle with visibility. On the other hand, companies are excellent at storytelling but sometimes lack the depth.

That’s where I see opportunity: building spaces where research meets the world, without being flattened. Communication doesn’t mean simplification—it means translation. It means helping different people see the value of an idea from their own perspective.

This is especially true in applied innovation. If you want to bring science into business, you need to make it speak the language of impact. Otherwise, it stays confined to papers and labs.

One last question we always ask at The Node. When you have to make a difficult decision—one where data and logic aren’t enough—what do you rely on?

I rely on resonance. I ask myself: does this decision resonate with who I am and what I believe in? Not just professionally, but personally too.

I’ve learned that when something feels forced, it probably is. When it feels aligned—even if it’s risky or complex—it usually means I’m on the right track.

And of course, I talk to people. I’ve never believed in the myth of the isolated genius. The best decisions I’ve made were shaped by conversations, by listening to others, by testing my assumptions.

You also talk a lot about risk—not as a danger, but as a space of possibility. Can you elaborate on that?

Yes, I think we’ve been taught to fear risk. But in innovation, risk is the only constant.

What I try to do is change the lens. Instead of asking, “What could go wrong?” I ask, “What new things could emerge?” Risk becomes a creative space—a zone where the unexpected can happen, where something new can be born.

It doesn’t mean being reckless. It means staying open. 

And that’s what I love most about working between research and business.