The future increasingly lies in the fourth mission: after the results achieved in the first (teaching and higher education), second (research) and third (all scientific, technological and cultural transfer activities) missions, the University of Milan-Bicocca aims to strengthen its impact in the fourth mission, which refers to the university's social responsibility. This was discussed today at the inauguration of the 2023-2024 academic year, during which Rector Giovanna Iannantuoni outlined her vision for the young Milanese university, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary. And which has opened up to the socio-economic context and the territory, not only through the economic enhancement of research, but also through initiatives with a socio-cultural, educational and health value.
"In recent years, Bicocca's growth has been measured in terms of the number of students (in 1998 there were only 6,000, today there are 38,000, divided into 77 courses), in terms of the range of courses offered, including postgraduate courses with the Bicocca Academy, the newly created school of higher education, and in terms of the quality of its research," emphasised the Rector. All of this has resulted in an effective scientific and technological transfer (396 research contracts currently active with 351 companies and private bodies for a value of over 11 million euros). But this is not the only way to measure a university's success. Our aim is to contribute more and more every day to the social and cultural development of society.
With this in mind, Bicocca has proposed initiatives such as 'Uniforyoureyes - L'Università per i tuoi occhi' (Uniforyoureyes - The University for your eyes), which offers a permanent and continuous optometric service to citizens in a state of economic fragility, and has also provided spaces for medical examinations and information and prevention activities to participants in the latest edition of CorriBicocca. There are many activities to protect health and well-being, including in the psychological field, as well as in the field of rare diseases, with a constant focus on inclusiveness. In addition, the BiUniCrowd programme aims to support innovative and social projects through crowdfunding. Spreading the culture of innovation is another of the University's objectives, for example by raising students' awareness of entrepreneurship and the acquisition of skills that can be used in the world of work through the iBicocca project.
Particular attention has also been paid in recent years to involving citizens in research (such as the Innovation Pub project, open to all to network and talk about innovation in an informal way) and to interaction with the world of education, with more than 346 events in the last five years, attended by around 50,000 students. Through its Vivaio, Bicocca wanted to bring its staff, students and citizens closer to greenery, biodiversity and nature, in an oasis created as part of the urban renewal plan, which has become a real laboratory for educational and research activities. This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the Penitentiary Pole: ten years in which the scientific, cultural and educational activities developed in the penal institutions of the Milan area have been extended to the local area, promoting discussion on the meaning of punishment inside and outside prison. In the future, the University intends to invest even more in its relationship with the territory. With the MUSA project, it has set itself the ambitious goal of transforming the Milan metropolitan area into an innovation ecosystem for urban regeneration. With ANTHEM, it also aims to innovate in the field of personalised medicine, using innovative technologies and pathways to bridge the existing healthcare gap for frail and chronic patients in specific areas.
The ceremony took place in the presence of the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, and Alessandro Fermi, Councillor for Universities, Research and Innovation of the Lombardy Region. The University of Milan-Bicocca is a relatively young reality that has been able to play a leading role both in the academic world and in the cultural and social life of our city," said Sala. In these 25 years of activity, Bicocca has successfully carried out many valuable projects and collaborations that have contributed to making Milan a reference point in the fields of innovation, research, sustainability and education. We are sure that, in the academic year that begins today, Bicocca will continue to offer, as it always does, ideas, reflections and opportunities for discussion that are useful for the personal growth of the boys and girls attending the courses and that are essential for the fairer and more sustainable development of our community".
"Today is a day of great celebration for this University, which opens its 26th academic year. It is a University that, in just a few years, has already been able to leave a great mark throughout the territory and even in a city as strongly dedicated to teaching and research as Milan," added Councillor Fermi. In fact, this University was born precisely to respond to the need for new spaces dedicated to innovative research activities and new disciplinary fields. Twenty-five years later, we can undoubtedly say that this goal has been achieved'.
The Rector's speech was followed by those of Luca Motto, President of the University Students' Council, and Roberto Manera, Academic Senate Representative for Technical and Administrative Staff. Adrian Hayday, Group Leader of the Francis Crick Institute and 'Kay Glendinning' Professor in the Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology at King's College London, then took the floor. In his keynote speech, entitled 'Knowledge: an eco-friendly route to confidence and contentment', he said: 'Among the most enduring legacies of the Roman Empire are the roads to places and cultures never before experienced. Our roads should be directed towards confidence and contentment, based on knowledge and discovery of the world, society and ourselves'.
"While the university plays a crucial role in providing the foundation, the fundamental goal for the student is to learn to think," Hayday continued. "Learning to think has provided researchers with a passport to new worlds of fulfilment, both global and personal. Achievement comes from the confidence to combine knowledge and thinking to discover the beauty of our surroundings, to see it from ever-changing perspectives, and to consider how things might usefully be changed.