Nicola Belli is CEO of MaTech – PST Galileo. He graduated from the University of Bologna as an aerospace engineer in 1993. His career started at Ferrari Spa as project manager for the Space Division to develop experimental platforms that flew in the Shuttle Spacelab and ESA microgravity sounding rockets missions.

From 1996 to 2000 Nicola served at Benetton Spa as Innovation Manager for the Sportsystem division, developing the company technology transfer program in partnership with the Benetton F1 team. Projects developed within this program applied to Nordica skiboots and skis, Rollerblade skates, Asolo trekking and climbing shoes, Prince tennis racquets, Killer Loop snowboard and skateboards, including the development of a hi-tech garments kit for astronaut fitness activity that has been successfully flown and tested in the 2002 ASI — SOYUZ “San Marco” mission to the International Space Station.

In 2001 Nicola founded MaTech as the new department of Galileo Science and Technology Park — Padova — devoted to New Materials and Product Innovation. In these 8 years of activity MaTech developed and consolidated an effective methodology to support product innovation, properly mixing concepts and tools from Open Innovation, TRIZ^®, Braingineering^®, and InOLDvation^®.

In these years MaTech completed more than 215 product innovation projects for a wide variety of customers, from F500 companies to Small Medium Enterprises.

Aside from main business activity, Nicola — married with 2 sons and residing in Venice — devoted part of his time to professional sport, and he served the Italian Bobsleigh National Team since 1992, climbing from material researcher (and minivan driver) up to Team General Manager for the Torino 2006 Olympic Games program.