MUSA and the One-Health Challenge: “A Legacy That Goes Beyond the PNRR” – Interview with the Director of Bocconi’s SUR Lab, Edoardo Croci

Just days away from the appointment on December 3–4, MUSA prepares to share the results of three years of work dedicated to sustainability, innovation, and urban transformation. Among the protagonists of this journey is Edoardo Croci, Director of the SUR Lab at Bocconi University and a key figure in developing the One-Health approach and circular economy pathways within the project.ù

Director Croci, over these three years of MUSA, we have seen the centrality of the One-Health approach and the circular economy grow. Which concrete results do you consider most significant, and why do they represent a turning point for the territory?

The One Health approach constitutes an essential methodological framework within MUSA, because it allows for the integrated analysis of nature, human systems, and artificial systems. Considering dynamics, interactions, and impacts together makes it possible to orient policies towards a comprehensive assessment of well-being. In this sense, One Health has become a cross-cutting reference point for the project, especially in relation to the themes of circularity: all of MUSA’s spokes incorporate a circular dimension within their respective areas of intervention. It is precisely this integration that represents a turning point for the territory, as it provides a replicable model of sustainable and interconnected policies.

Looking beyond the PNRR funding, which areas of public-private collaboration do you consider most strategic to ensure continuity and new investments?

The issue of continuity is crucial, not only for MUSA but for all projects funded by the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan). The theme concerns the entire country: how to maintain an economic and social impulse, structurally involving the research system even after the program ends. In this phase, we are working with MUSA partners to identify the most promising areas, starting with the interests of businesses in terms of innovation and the development of solutions that can have a concrete market response. Simultaneously, we are engaging with institutional actors – the Municipality, the Metropolitan City, and the Region – to understand how to leverage and carry forward the most significant tools and results of the project. This is the challenge for the coming months.

How can the One-Health approach become a driver for attracting businesses and innovation in the coming years?

One Health must not be considered only a theoretical framework that guides public policies. The real challenge is to directly involve businesses so that it becomes a motor for innovation and competitive development. MUSA, on this front, has already produced numerous results in the fields of health, the environment, and other related areas, with clear industrial potential. This knowledge can translate into innovative technologies, services, and solutions, helping to make One Health a concrete driver for attracting investments and new entrepreneurial initiatives.

What do you believe is the role of universities today in transforming research into measurable impact for the community?

The role of universities is twofold and fundamental. On one hand, there is the scientific mission: producing quality research, publishing results, and contributing to the national and international debate. MUSA has generated numerous valuable scientific outputs. On the other hand, the project was created precisely with the goal of putting the four Milanese universities at the service of the territory, using Milan and its metropolitan area as a laboratory for experimentation. The possibility of rigorously measuring the impact of policies is therefore central. The tools developed by MUSA – which concern energy management, water resources, the waste cycle, planning nature-based solutions, urban resilience, and evaluating the sustainability of regeneration interventions – allow for ex ante and ex post qualitative and quantitative analyses. It is this capacity for measurement that makes research truly useful to the community.

December 3–4 represents a step of “accountability but also of future vision.” What message do you wish to convey to the stakeholders who will decide to support the next phase of MUSA?

The message is that MUSA has generated a legacy that goes far beyond the duration of the project. The integrated activities carried out by the universities and the spokes have produced tools, analyses, and policy indications that constitute a concrete and usable inheritance. These results can represent a solid basis for local sustainability policies and deserve to be leveraged and strengthened in the next phase. Supporting MUSA means investing in an innovation model that has already proven its ability to generate real impacts on the territory.