Interdependent. People, choices, planet

Every day, the present presents us with a crossroad: react or resign ourselves. Certainties are dwindling, changes are accelerating, and the future - which until recently seemed a distant horizon - has become a daily urgency. The climate crisis, geopolitical tensions, and new technological and generational inequalities are not separate phenomena: they feed off each other, redefining the rules of coexistence, the economy and democracy. In this context, Pact4Future offers itself as a space for convergence, where complexity is not an obstacle but a starting point.

From March 24 to 26, Bocconi University and Corriere della Sera will return to Milan for the third edition of the forum that brings together research, business, institutions and civil society to imagine together how to hold together what today seems fragmented. “Pact4Future is the place where the complexity of our time meets the responsibility of those who want to take action,” says Francesco Billari, Rector of Bocconi. “We are living in a time when crises are multiplying and solutions seem further away, but this is precisely the moment not to abandon our ambition to improve the world. Knowledge and dialogue remain the key to finding our way.”

The three days – People, Purpose and Planet – are not separate thematic containers, but stages of a single journey that brings together social, economic and environmental dimensions, showing how interdependence is now the inevitable condition of our time.

PEOPLE. Schools and generations as the infrastructure of the future

The first day focuses on what underpins everything else: people. And in particular, schools and generations. The session dedicated to education starts from a clear observation: schools are still the place where the future of a country is decided, but today they are called upon to reinvent themselves. Invisible inequalities, implicit biases and social isolation can hold back the potential of the most vulnerable students. However, evidence-based tools – from targeted tutoring to mapping vulnerabilities – show that schools can once again become a powerful engine of social mobility. Alongside research, the testimonies of teachers capable of innovating teaching from within and the experience of those who have brought education to the most difficult contexts remind us that educating is, first and foremost, an act of freedom.

The thought will then broaden to include generations. Never before have so many different ages coexisted, each with its own idea of progress, work, rights and happiness. The key is not conflict, but alliance: how to build a future that brings together those who have paved the way and those who are just beginning to walk it. From business leadership to intergenerational justice, from civic engagement to sport as a metaphor for passing the baton, the evening will show that the future is a shared responsibility.

The message is clear: without serious investment in schools, dialogue between generations and the quality of relationships, no technological or financial innovation can stand the test of time.

PURPOSE. Innovating with direction

The second day delves into the heart of economic and productive life. In an era of permanent transformation, innovation is no longer a choice but a structural condition. The real difference lies in knowing where you are going.

“Purpose Economy. Innovating with direction” is not a slogan, but an uncomfortable question: growth for what? From start-ups that have reached billion-dollar valuations to investors who measure impact beyond financial returns, to science that questions its ultimate meaning, the day will explore what it means to link development, responsibility and vision.

The discussion between Italian unicorn founders, business leaders, impact investors and scientific research leaders will show that purpose is not a rhetorical exercise, but a strategic criterion. Innovating over the long term means balancing growth and consistency, profit and return, competitiveness and social impact. Because only what has direction can generate trust and a future.

PLANET. Climate, health, migration: the reality knocking at our door

The third day addresses the broader and more fragile dimension: the planet. Climate change is not only an environmental crisis, but an unprecedented demographic and social transformation. Extreme temperatures, water scarcity, floods and environmental degradation are redrawing the map of humanity, forcing populations to move and testing the adaptability of cities and economic systems. Scientific data, urban perspectives and testimonies from the most exposed territories make it clear that the climate crisis is already here and is affecting us unequally.

The evening will broaden the perspective further: regenerating the world means recognising that the health of the planet and the health of people coincide. From the economic measurement of natural capital to the human cost of extreme events, from the role of regenerative businesses to the power of creativity and storytelling, one thing is clear: it is not a question of saving an abstract ecosystem, but of rethinking the very idea of progress.

The limit is no longer a theory. It is a concrete condition that institutions, businesses and citizens must deal with. And it is precisely from that limit that a new idea of the future can emerge.

A pact that becomes a method

The common thread of this edition is interdependence: there are no longer any watertight compartments between economy and society, between science and social cohesion, between public and private. Every choice crosses boundaries and generations. It is in this awareness that the possibility of building a fair and sustainable future is at stake.

“The real pact for the future,” observes Daniele Manca, Deputy Editor of Corriere della Sera, ‘is not based on declarations of intent but on the ability to connect different worlds. Politics, science, businesses and citizens must return to talking to each other in a common language: that of responsibility.”

Pact4Future is not intended to be an exercise in analysis, but a laboratory for discussion and practice. A place where scholars, entrepreneurs, policymakers, artists and young innovators measure themselves against reality without shortcuts, seeking concrete and replicable solutions.

Because the future is not a destiny to be awaited. It is a collective project to be undertaken. And today, quite simply, we no longer have the time to postpone it.