Italian
Engage kicks off from July 8 to 10, a national event to disseminate science and knowledge, three days characterized by a look to the future, showcasing contemporaneity and understanding
ENGAGE 2026 is promoted by VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science and INAF, in partnership with M9 – Museo del ‘900, Roma Tre University, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice – DAIS, and with the sponsorship of APEnet
Three days dedicated to imagining new forms of dialogue between science and society, experimenting with innovative languages, exploring emerging technologies, and sharing effective strategies for public engagement. From July 8 to 10, 2026, ENGAGE returns, the national reference event for scientific dissemination and public engagement, now in its seventh edition.
Promoted by VIS S.r.l., the first spin-off of the Scuola Normale Superiore and a subsidiary of ETT S.p.A. – Dedagroup, in collaboration with the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), ENGAGE 2026 will also be hosted this year at M9 – Museo del ’900 in Mestre (Venice), a center of excellence for cultural innovation and discussion on contemporary issues through the reinterpretation of the history of the twentieth century.
On the occasion of the event, the museum foyer will host a temporary exhibition open to the public, dedicated to some of the most innovative virtual reality experiences developed by VIS. Among these is Inside the Dafne Electron-Positron Collider, which takes visitors on a journey to discover DAFNE, the particle accelerator at the National Laboratories of Frascati of INFN. The experience guides the audience through all the phases of acceleration: from the linear accelerator to the accumulation ring, up to the two main rings of the collider, where magnets guide and shape the particle beams towards the interaction point. Alongside DAFNE VR, it will be possible to explore TEX VR, an engaging immersive tour of the new facility at the National Laboratories of Frascati of INFN, TEst stand for X-band, which focuses on research into particle acceleration using radiofrequency cavities, allowing virtual travel inside a new generation of compact accelerators that will have innovative applications in the medical-industrial field. Inside the Dafne Electron-Positron Collider and TEX VR were created by VIS for the National Laboratories of Frascati of INFN as part of the PNRR project Rome Technopole. Completing the exhibition is Galileo VR, which retraces the life, observations, and discoveries of Galileo Galilei, allowing the public to immerse themselves 360° in the scientific and cultural context of his time. Galileo VR has been selected by the jury for the CineGlobe 2026 festival at CERN, was presented at the Italy Pavilion during Expo Osaka 2025, and is currently part of the permanent exhibition at the Galileo Museum in Florence.
Marcos Valdes, CEO of VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science, states: “The challenge of scientific communication goes beyond organizing an event or creating content: the true goal is to build lasting relationships between science and society. With ENGAGE, we aim to promote an approach that centers on design, participation, and the ability to generate impact over time, fostering shared practices and growth pathways that make knowledge increasingly accessible and meaningful for everyone.”
Serena Bertolucci, Director of M9 – Museum of the 20th Century, comments: “Reflecting on the processes of sharing and designing knowledge is essential to strengthen the relationship between research and society, beyond the dimension of a single event. We are happy to host ENGAGE again this year, precisely for the shared vision in exploring the impact and potential of multimedia languages and virtual reality. Through digital means, the reinterpretation of history and science ceases to be a static archive and transforms into an open, inclusive experience capable of generating value over time for the entire community.”
Giuseppe Guerrisi, CEO of ETT S.p.A. – Dedagroup, industrial partner of VIS, states: “We believe in the accessibility of knowledge. The goal is to experiment with new inclusive models of storytelling and interaction to bring people and communities closer to the themes of research, innovation, and culture. Through VIS, we are proud to contribute to a project that helps develop awareness, emotional engagement, and interest in even very complex content, without sacrificing scientific rigor. This approach is particularly useful for new generations, but it also helps to break down many barriers to accessing knowledge.”
Design and engagement: building value over time is the common thread of ENGAGE 2026. A theme that highlights the need to go beyond the event dimension to build lasting engagement processes, where the communication of science and knowledge becomes a permanent space for dialogue between research and society. An approach that places at its core design, continuity of relationships, experimentation, and the generation of shared value and transformations that consolidate over time.
The 2026 edition will explore for the first time the theme of impact: projects built from the needs of the recipients and aimed at the shared generation of knowledge are those that are most likely to produce lasting changes. The ability to detect and interpret the changes produced allows not only to meet reporting and transparency obligations but also to build more authentic narratives, define differentiated communication strategies, and strengthen the reputation of organizations. The intervention by Prof. Massimo Bianchi from Università degli Studi di Milano – La Statale will propose a reflection on the relationship between evaluation, impact, and communication in the enhancement of knowledge, highlighting how effective communication does not solely depend on the language used, but on the ability to understand and narrate what has changed thanks to the activities carried out. The in-depth analysis of the case studies of the Centenary of the Università degli Studi di Milano, a program dedicated to healthy lifestyles, and the festival “Il Medioevo di UNIMI” from an impact evaluation perspective will support the reflection.
The program consists of an intensive three-day course with multidisciplinary interventions, moments of discussion, and design workshop activities. The theme of time will be at the center of the project work of ENGAGE 2026. Through different languages and tools – from virtual reality to video, from theater to participatory events – all participants will be called to design together, in groups, an Engage Town, a true virtual Expo dedicated to time. Each team will develop an activity, an exhibition space, or a thematic pavilion, contributing to the creation of a single collective experience. An exercise in co-design that aims to concretely translate the theme of this edition: the ability to create value through processes that develop over time, with the support of technology and a strong component of co-creation. Scientific dissemination, when it goes beyond the logic of isolated initiatives, becomes a shared practice, capable of generating lasting relationships, knowledge, and communities.
The event is promoted by VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science and INAF, in partnership with M9 – Museo del ‘900, Università Roma Tre, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia – DAIS, and with the patronage of APEnet.
Scientific Committee
The scientific committee of ENGAGE is composed of: Marcos Valdes, CEO and scientific director of VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science; Matias Guerra, multimedia artist, founding member and creative director of VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science; Caterina Boccato, since 2000, senior technologist at INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) – Astronomical Observatory of Padua, national coordinator for education and outreach for the Presidency Structure for Communication; Giulia Bordi, associate professor in Medieval Art History at the Department of Humanities of Roma Tre University; Chiara Di Benedetto, University of Padua, contract lecturer, among the founders of the studio Bas Bleu; Sebastiano Moruzzi, associate professor in Philosophy and Theory of Languages, scientific director of the Cogito Research Center and senator at the Academic Senate of the University of Bologna; Stefano Sandrelli, senior technologist at INAF (National Institute of Astrophysics) and Italian coordinator of education (NAEC) and outreach (NOC) activities of the International Astronomical Union; Fabiana Zollo, associate professor in Computer Science at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.
Speakers
Among the speakers, in addition to the members of the Scientific Committee and the director of the M9 Museum Serena Bertolucci, are Davide Giulio Aquini from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the University of Catania, Massimo
Bianchi of the University of Milan, Stefano Borghini, architect official of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, Patrizia Braga from Melting Pro, Enrico Liverani and Alessia Marchetti from the Filò Association – The thread of thought and Gloria Tirabassi from INAF Brera.
The scientific committee, speakers, and program are available at the following link: https://engage.vis-sns.com/
VIS – Virtual Immersions in Science S.r.l. is the first spin-off in the centuries-old history of the Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa. VIS is an innovative startup, whose mission is the communication of science and knowledge to a wide audience, both national and international, through the production, dissemination, and promotion of multimedia content for scientific and humanistic dissemination based on innovative technological methods and tools.
Thanks to the team of members and collaborators, VIS combines a pool of integrated skills in the areas of science, creativity, outreach, and multimedia production.
Dedagroup (Deda) is one of the leading technology groups in Italy. It operates as a Business & Technology Accelerator for Companies, Financial Institutions, and Public Services to support the evolution of their IT and digital strategies. Over the years, Deda has built an ecosystem of companies that share values, business strategies, and a common vision aimed at harnessing the power of dedication to help their clients reap the benefits of digital evolution, thereby enhancing the positive impact of technology on the economy and society. Founded in 1999, headquartered in Trento, the Group has over 5000 employees and has consistently grown both in Italy and abroad. Today, it has a global presence with over 4,000 clients in more than 50 countries and offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Mexico, and the United Arab Emirates. www.deda.com
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