SICIT was awarded for "Environmental Sustainability," a category encompassing all innovations developed by SMEs with the goal of having a positive impact on the environment. The jury selected companies for whom sustainability was key to overcoming recent challenges and who could serve as a model for building a more sustainable economy. The award selection process is extremely rigorous, with a jury comprising senior executives from Piccola Industria Confindustria, Sapienza University of Rome, Gruppo 24 ORE, the Vatican, and Banco BPM. Over 300 Italian companies applied for the award. The 2022 award ceremony took place at the Holy See, in the presence of Pope Francis.