USI: a key player in the dialogue between science and society with three new SNSF Agora projects

Università della Svizzera italiana is strengthening its commitment to science outreach thanks to three new projects funded under the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) Agora programme, for a total of around 600,000 Swiss francs. The Agora call for proposals supports initiatives that foster dialogue between research and society. It encourages researchers to share their knowledge and insights with a broader audience through engaging and inclusive communication. The selected projects at USI tackle important current issues with social impact—ranging from the history of the Web to artificial intelligence and self-driving cars. The goal is to make science more accessible, understandable, and relevant to people's daily lives.

The first project, Once Upon a Time in the Web, is coordinated by Professor Gabriele Balbi from the Faculty of Communication, Culture, and Society. This initiative aims to highlight the history of the Web in the 1990s through a diverse program of activities, including interactive workshops, games, digital experiences, podcasts, and videos. These activities will engage the public in significant cultural events in the Swiss Italian-speaking region, such as Media in Piazza, the LongLake Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. The goal is to help the public reconnect with the early years of the Web, including its key figures and applications. This initiative aims to stimulate intergenerational dialogue and evoke memories that will enhance our understanding of the historical significance of the technologies that have transformed how we communicate, work, and live. As a result of the collaboration between USI and SUPSI, the project is aimed mainly at families in Southern Switzerland. The content will also be available in English to reach a wider audience, including the many tourists visiting Ticino annually.

The second project, Self-Driving Cars on Interactive Dynamic Tracks, is promoted by Professor Paolo Tonella and Roberto Minelli, from USI Software Institute. The initiative will be part of the national exhibition Phänomena 2026 and will allow visitors to explore the future of mobility thanks to an interactive exhibition dedicated to self-driving cars. Small autonomous vehicles, equipped with sensors and algorithms similar to those used in real self-driving cars, will navigate dynamic tracks projected on the floor. These tracks can be modified by the public in real-time. Attendees will have the opportunity to observe the data collected by the vehicles' sensors, ask researchers questions, and participate in workshops and panel discussions tailored to various age groups. This will provide a hands-on and engaging opportunity to understand better how these technologies function, their potential benefits, and the ethical and social challenges they may present.

The third project, Noi & l'IA (Us & AI), is the result of a collaboration between L'ideatorio USI/Science et Cité and the Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IDSIA USI SUPSI) and is carried out in dialogue with the Schools of the City of Lugano and the DECS. The project is coordinated by Alessandro Giusti, a full professor of autonomous robotics at SUPSI and the head of the corresponding research area at IDSIA USI-SUPSI, in collaboration with Giovanni Pellegri and Janos Cont, who are the head and a staff member of L'ideatorio, respectively. The primary goal of this project is to enhance awareness of artificial intelligence, a topic that is increasingly relevant in public discussions and in the daily lives of students, teachers, families, and citizens. The initiative involves creating an educational laboratory for schools, starting from the second cycle of primary education. It will also include a series of public encounters with IDSIA researchers to tackle topics such as algorithmic transparency, fairness, and the social impact of artificial intelligence. These activities will take place at L'ideatorio, which will host an exhibition on robots from 2025 to 2027. This setting will provide an engaging environment for critical and informed discussions about the use of intelligent technologies.

Through these three projects, USI demonstrates its commitment to fostering an open and participatory scientific culture. The goal is to make research more accessible, create opportunities for dialogue between science and society, and engage diverse audiences.

More information about the Agora programme is available on the official SNSF page.