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February 11, 2026

The Ferrara Technopole confirms its commitment to scientific dissemination and its relationship with the local area by participating in the 2025–2026 edition of the “Ugo Coluccia” cultural courses, promoted by the “Anne Frank” library of the Municipality of Copparo.

As part of a rich and multidisciplinary calendar – ranging from local history to art, cinema and literature – the Ferrara Technolpole is contributing to scientific topics, thanks to the participation of researchers working in its laboratories.

The first meeting, held on 22 January at the “Alda Costa” Civic Gallery, saw the presentation of the Ferrara Technopole and its laboratories by the manager Angela Princi, followed by a talk held by Prof. Luisa Pasti, scientific director of the Terra&Acqua Tech Laboratory, who guided an attentive and numerous audience through the challenges of the circular economy, illustrating how agri-food waste can be transformed into new materials and innovative products, providing concrete examples of the valorisation of agri-food waste resulting from the research activities of the University of Ferrara.

The second event, held on 29 January, also ended with an extraordinary turnout.

After a video presentation of the Ferrara Technopole introduced by Angela Princi, manager of the Ferrara Technopole, Prof. Peggy Marconi, researcher at the LTTA Laboratory, entertained the audience with an in-depth analysis of the correlation between climate change and infectious diseases.

During the session, the following topics were explored in depth:

• the mechanisms linking environmental degradation to the spread of “emerging” diseases;

• the direct impact of these dynamics on the health of local communities;

• the resilience and adaptation strategies needed to address this global challenge.

The constant interaction and numerous questions transformed the meeting into a lively discussion between citizens and the world of research. This dialogue is the central objective of our Technopole: to bring the academic excellence of Unife directly to the local area.

The series of meetings will be closed by Prof. Fabrizio Riguzzi, affiliated with the IN4 Laboratory, who on 5th of March will guide the audience on a journey to the origins of Generative Artificial Intelligence with the meeting 'How we got to ChatGPT: the revolution of Generative Artificial Intelligence': an opportunity to understand the technological evolution that has led to the development of systems capable of dialogue and generating complex content, now part of our everyday lives.

The participation of Ferrara's Technopole in the ’Ugo Coluccia’ Cultural Courses is an example of knowledge transfer, making the results of scientific research accessible to the public and stimulating informed reflection on the challenges of the present and the future.

Link to the leaflet.