Milan, 26th January 2023
"At the heart of the celebrations for its first 25 years, the University of Milano-Bicocca is looking to make a new “renaissance”, a story of new beginnings, to quote a famous speech by the President of the EU, Ursula von der Leyen.
Over the past 25 years the University of Milano-Bicocca has been driving a process of change and innovation affecting not only the surrounding area but also the relationships built up over time with national and international academies, institutions, bodies and companies. The area was initially agricultural land, later becoming the outskirts of the city of Milan and at the beginning of the 1900s an industrial hub until the 1990s when it was reborn as a cutting edge university campus and new urban centre within a polycentric vision of Milan as a metropolis.
Milano-Biocca is now getting ready for a new renaissance, choosing to focus on the future according to a model that I would like to define as having four propellers. Cherishing the knowledge and experience gained over the past 25 years, our institution would like to accelerate a process of ecological and social regeneration and sustainability, leveraging the support of the public institutions, entering into agreements with private entities and developing scientific and innovative research tailored to citizens.
This choice has been made even more urgent by the events of recent years, during which the international community has been put to the test first by the pandemic and then the geopolitical, energy and raw materials crisis.
The sustainable development of our cities is certainly the first step towards a more inclusive society. To celebrate the 25th anniversary from the foundation of the university in June this year, we have initiated research into renewable resources such as solar energy and new sources such as geothermal energy and also studies and analyses of the circular economy and climate change.
I have personally asked lecturers, researchers, students, technical and administrative personnel of all of our subject areas to think of our district as an open air laboratory and to come up with practical actions that could transform it with respect for nature and the planet which can also be replicated on a large scale.
One of the projects funded by the PNRR (national recovery and resilience plan) of which we are the leading partner, the Musa Ecosystem, involving four universities, public institutions and 24 companies, in different areas, is also focusing on urban regeneration.
Education will also move in the same direction. Some of the 11 degree courses to be activated over the next three years will focus on the sustainable development objectives identified by the UN, green digital transition and environmental technologies."
Giovanna Iannantuoni
Rector University of Milano-Bicocca