National Public Engagement Network: event in Naples

Can universities and research institutions exist without collaborating with the society around them? What if the ability to dialogue, co-plan and restore value to the territory was the mission par excellence of their future? These are the crucial questions that emerged during the annual meeting of ApeNet , questions that overturn traditional hierarchies and place Public Engagement no longer as an ancillary activity, but as the very condition for a new phase of relevance for universities. 

In the splendid setting of the Federico II University of Naples, on 6 and 7 November 2025 the seventh edition of the event of the Italian network which includes around 60 universities and research institutions entitled: "Destination Public Engagement" took place, bringing together the institutional leaders of the academic and research system in Italy. The inaugural day hosted a high-profile discussion between CRUI, ANVUR and representatives of the university and research world, which marked the transition from a phase of theoretical reflection to the shared construction of concrete policies and tools.

Opening Matteo Lorito , Rector of Federico II who hosted, argued that Public Engagement increasingly represents "a window on the future of universities". A future which, he added, in addition to producing brains and skills, must be a promoter of local development, explaining that already today the Campania university system has an impact of 2.1 billion euros in the city of Naples alone. 

In short, Public Engagement is no longer the "third" mission in order of importance, but a founding pillar, an osmotic element that must permeate teaching and research. As he pointed out Pier Andrea Serra , President of APEnet as well as Pro-Rector of the Third Mission of the University of Sassari, universities and research bodies are called to exercise a profound social accountability , in which the ultimate mission is the return of value to the community.

«It means - according to President Serra - overcoming disclosure to embrace an approach of co-creation and a two-way dialogue , common to all disciplines, in which listening to communities becomes the key to generating a real impact on people's quality of life. Our goal is to give a voice to the public by building a lasting and significant bond."

A paradigm shift that requires empathetic listening to communities, to ensure that research can concretely improve people's quality of life. What gave a soul to this vision was the testimony of Claudio Pettinari , former Rector of the University of Camerino, who recounted the dramatic experience of the 2016 earthquake, describing a university that was transformed into a “garrison of hope”, whose mission was not just to rebuild buildings, but above all social bonds. 

Not just material reconstruction, but social regeneration; the university, he explained, does not "come into contact" with society, but “it is part of society”.  The key is in the relationship of reciprocity and authentic listening, where research and community walk together, aware that the   failure of this dialogue would mean the failure of both.

These words found an institutional support and an operational roadmap in the intervention of Stefano Corgnati , Rector of the Polytechnic of Turin and CRUI delegate for Technology Transfer, Third Mission, Museums and Sport.  His message announced his willingness to recognize commitment to Public Engagement “in career paths” of teachers and researchers. It is, he highlighted, a request that comes forcefully especially from young people, who invest time and passion in these activities and ask for the right valorisation. This push from a new generation of academics underlines the urgency of integrating students immediately, as hoped by Serra, in a mission of which they will be the future protagonists. Corgnati proposes on behalf of the CRUI of “open a constant dialogue on these issues with APEnet”. An offer that represents a decisive step towards translating shared principles into operational regulations, transforming the perceived value into a recognized and rewarded value.

Antonio Felice Uricchio , President of ANVUR, spoke underlining the theme of evaluation. The university, in his words, does not look at the Third Mission and Public Engagement as a function of the VQR reward share, but carries out this task because fully perceives its function and social responsibility : without this projection on the territories, the university would lose meaning.

During the meeting, the increasingly important role of public research bodies within the APEnet network. Their wide diffusion throughout the national territory, with offices, laboratories and observatories present in numerous cities, represents a strategic value for the construction of authentic and participatory Public Engagement.  This capillarity allows us to reach different audiences and activate direct relationships with schools, associations, cultural institutions and local communities, strengthening the link between research and society. The participation of these bodies not only broadens the impact of the initiatives, but contributes to making APEnet a truly representative network of the entire public knowledge system. The shared hope is that an ever-increasing number of research institutions will choose to join, consolidating an alliance that enhances the role of public research as a driver of dialogue, inclusion and social innovation.

On the second day of the event, the projects financed by the PNRR were presented as real laboratories where Public Engagement practices were put to the test on a large scale. These experiences have unequivocally demonstrated the crucial role of the EP in connecting research, innovation and concrete community needs, acting as a powerful catalyst for building trust.

The analyzes of the case studies of the MUSA, Restart and EcosistER projects, through the testimonies of Elisabetta Biffi, Adele Del Bello and Marco Bresadola,  they highlighted a complex picture. On the one hand, Public Engagement has proven to be a powerful tool. The experience of MUSA, for example, has demonstrated how the bidirectionality of the process can lead PE initiatives to themselves become "objects of study for researchers", modifying research agendas. On the other hand, these experiences have exposed the fragility of this approach. Trust, "painstakingly built" through co-planning, risks being eroded due to the structural misalignment between the long timescales required by the EP and the short-term financing cycles imposed by the projects. 

This, combined with a heavy bureaucratic burden that complicates the management of relationships with non-academic partners, undermines the sustainability of the initiatives. The challenges that emerged from the PNRR thus highlighted the urgency of the institutional reforms discussed in the first session.

The two days organized by APEnet ended with the conviction of being able to open the season of consolidation, a phase made concrete by the commitment of the CRUI to establish a permanent dialogue table with APEnet to translate the shared principles into regulations and operational practices, guaranteeing sustainability and recognition for a commitment that can no longer be delegated. 

APEnet Association

APEnet is the “Italian Network of Universities and Research Institutions for Public Engagement – ​​APEnet”. Active since 2018, it formed an Association in 2022 to consolidate and make visible the role of Public Engagement in Italy.

Public Engagement is a set of values ​​and institutional actions of universities and research institutions with the aim of generating social, cultural and economic growth, in collaboration with all social actors. A dynamic process of interaction that leads to the progressive overcoming of the distance between research and society to fuel new challenges, which take into account territorial identities and know how to recognize the contribution of the different protagonists who operate there, amplifying their impact.

APEnet is a space for discussion, study and planning of tools and actions, for sharing and strengthening the knowledge and skills necessary to promote the important cultural change that today sees Universities and Research Institutions as protagonists for an "inclusive growth" of the country through listening, dialogue and collaboration with society.