Bocconi Takes Center Stage at MEETmeTonight

Thirty professors and researchers involved, two large immersive installations, talks, workshops, and speed dates: Bocconi lands at MEETmeTonight 2025 with a collective presence and a clear goal: to turn research into a living, accessible experience aimed not only at professionals but at the whole city. During the two days of the European Researchers’ Night, on September 26 and 27, the university will bring the best of its outreach projects to the public, with formats designed for adults, families, students, and children.

This is because, as Dean for Research Elena Carletti points out, ‘scientific dissemination is not an ancillary activity, it is an integral part of the university’s mission. It means opening up knowledge to society, building trust and dialogue, making research a shared resource and not jargon for an elite’.

What is MEETmeTonight?

Meet Me Tonight is the Milanese version of the European Researchers’ Night, an initiative promoted by the European Commission that brings science to the streets of hundreds of cities every year. The 2025 edition will be held at the Università Statale di Milano (via Festa del Perdono), with a program that brings together five Milanese universities — the Statale di Milano itself, Bocconi University, Bicocca University, Politecnico, and Vita-Salute San Raffaele — with the support of the Municipality of Milan, the Lombardy Region, and MUSA Scarl (the innovation ecosystem funded by the Ministry of University and Research as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan).

Talks, workshops, stands, and themed pavilions are organized around the missions of Horizon Europe: from climate change to the fight against cancer, from smart cities to soil and ocean health. The goal is to involve citizens firsthand, offering spaces to experiment, ask questions, and reflect. All events are free of charge.

The Bocconi pavilions: climate and the fight against cancer at the forefront

The heart of Bocconi’s presence beats in the themed pavilions. With AdaptAction – Connecting Solutions for Climate Change, the university offers an immersive journey in which the public is confronted with twelve future scenarios, including urban regeneration, agriculture, international cooperation, and sustainable mobility. Scientific evidence is provided by the work of Valentina Bosetti, Gianmarc o Ottaviano, Edoardo Croci with his SURLab team, Vitaliano Fiorillo with the AgriBusiness Lab, and Fabrizio Zerbini with the Mobius Lab.

Separately, Care to Action – Connecting Solutions for Beating Cancer takes visitors on a journey that starts with prevention and ends with post-treatment management, focusing on individuals and the network of relationships that supports them. Here, the research of Francesca Buffa, a pioneer in the use of artificial intelligence for early diagnosis, Andrea Tangherloni, an expert in predictive mathematical models, Marianna Cavazza, who studies integrated health policies, and Oriana Ciani, who works on accessibility and quality of life for patients, intertwine.

Talks and workshops: research in dialogue

But Bocconi does not stop at exhibitions. In the talk sessions, Andrea Conconi will talk about natural fertilizers, Pier Vittorio Mannucci will debunk the myths of creativity, Mariateresa Maggiolino will address the European Union’s battle against Big Tech, Francesco Grossetti will investigate the power of words in financial statements, Giulio Malavolta will talk about the challenges of quantum computing, and Giulia Cappellaro will propose tools for monitoring democracy.

The workshops are designed for different audiences: Nicola Misani will guide children in “transforming toys into tools to change the world,” while Iacopo Savelli will invite adults to discover energy communities with an interactive challenge.

Young researchers and European projects

Among the protagonists of the EU Corner, a space designed to raise awareness of European-funded research projects, will be three researchers who have won ERC grants. Nicoletta Balbo, with FRAILIFE, investigates how disability and physical frailty affect family life and care dynamics, offering tools for rethinking welfare policies. Erika Deserranno, with DIGIDEV, explores the role of digitalization as a lever for reducing socio-economic inequalities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Andrea Celli, with PLA-STEER, studies new digital platforms and their impact on individual and collective choices, to understand how they can be designed and governed in a fair and sustainable way.

PhD students Nicola Gorini, Alberto Perego, Simone Boldrini, Matilde Perotti, Federica Paolucci, and Adriano Salerno will be the protagonists of speed dating with research, a dynamic format in which young scholars have a few minutes to present their projects to small groups of visitors, who then rotate as in a real speed dating event. It will be an opportunity to learn about studies ranging from statistics to social sciences, from economics to constitutional law, and to talk directly with those who are building the research of tomorrow.

Bocconi speaks to the city

From sustainability to health, from digital rights to creativity, Bocconi’s presence at Meet Me Tonight 2025 is a snapshot of a university that lives its “third mission” as a real commitment: research is not confined within academic walls, but is offered to the city as an experience to be touched, discussed, and shared.