Iannantuoni: “MUSA must expand its network internationally”

The “Ricerca e Sviluppo per la città del futuro” event, organized by MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action in collaboration with Assolombarda and A2A, has recently concluded. Participants met at the Assolombarda headquarters in a dialogue between the academic, institutional, and business worlds, exploring the role of innovation and research in transforming cities to shape a more sustainable, technological, and inclusive urban future.

Among those present was Giovanna Iannantuoni, President of MUSA and Rector of the University of Milano-Bicocca, who reiterated the importance of MUSA and the results achieved since its inception two and a half years ago. “MUSA is a project that brings together Milanese universities; we have recently become five thanks to the recent inclusion of the Catholic University of Milan, and soon we will also see the LIUC of Castellanza join,” states Iannantuoni. “It is an expanding project, a very positive thing because it indicates two things: first, that it has done very well in this period of work, but above all, that we have the foundations to build an even more solid future.”

When asked about the themes MUSA has focused on most, the Rector states, “Certainly, the actions that have made the most impact are the urban regeneration events. I think of Piazza della Scienza in Bicocca, which has been completed; I think of geothermal energy, therefore renewable energy; I think of sustainable mobility, regarding which we have taken many actions with the Municipality of Milan; and I think of entrepreneurship. Today, we particularly discussed this at Assolombarda, presenting all the actions and potentials that these thousand young researchers can offer and the impact they can have on Lombard small and medium-sized enterprises. This meeting is truly strategic for thinking together with the private sector and entrepreneurs about what our path can be together for the future. Because innovation means growth, it means improving the competitiveness of businesses, but also frontier research made available to the territory.”

Regarding the future of MUSA, Giovanna Iannantuoni states, “First of all, we need to consolidate ourselves. In this sense, our members joined MUSA in a second phase that goes beyond the PNRR funds. And then we need to expand our network internationally; for this reason, at the end of May, we will go to the Osaka Expo to present MUSA and some of our projects to the network of universities and countries that will be present. In short, the future lies in making MUSA an ever-wider network of partnerships of universities, businesses, the private world, but above all, expanding internationally. This is the key to achieving a true green revolution,” she concludes.