UniSR at BergamoScienza 2026

BergamoScienza returns from 1 to 11 October 2026. UniSR is a founding member of the science festival, now in its 24th edition under the theme “Convergences”. The university takes part with a programme of activities for the public and for schools, sharing its research through interactive experiences, guidance sessions and meetings with academic staff and researchers.

What if, for a day, you could step into a doctor’s shoes and use artificial intelligence to help manage a patient? That is the experience offered by HumAIn Medicine, the interactive lab through which UniSR brings to BergamoScienza its research into the future of medicine.

At Spazio Viterbi in Bergamo, participants will explore clinical cases, analyse diagnostic data and images, and test AI tools first-hand to reach a patient assessment and identify the most appropriate care pathway.

But HumAIn Medicine is more than an AI lab: it turns scientific research into a hands-on experience. The project grew out of the work of the clinical and research team at the San Raffaele campus, putting AI tools developed by its researchers into the hands of the public to tackle some of the key challenges in contemporary medicine.

By analysing large volumes of data and diagnostic images, these tools can surface information the human eye might miss, helping to make prevention, diagnosis and treatment increasingly precise and personalised.

A practical way to discover how artificial intelligence and clinical expertise can work together: AI as a tool that supports clinicians, offering new information without replacing their judgement or responsibility.

The lab was developed in collaboration with Prof. Antonio Esposito and the Advanced Imaging for Personalized Medicine Unit.

UniSR’s participation in the BergamoScienza programme opens on Friday 25 September with the European Researchers’ Night, running from 6pm to midnight at the Kilometro Rosso Innovation District.

UniSR is among the event’s promoters. Fondazione BergamoScienza organises the evening as part of the international initiative promoted by the European Commission.

From 8.30pm, on the Faccia a faccia con la ricerca stage (Face to Face with Research), professors Sarah Songhorian, Davide Folloni and Davide Locatelli will talk with Radio Deejay hosts Chiara Galeazzi and Francesco Lancia, sharing first-hand what it means to work in research day to day.

At the same time, the Neurotech Hub stand will be running in the Kilometro Rosso spaces, staffed by UniSR researchers with the activity From Signal to Movement: Exploring the Brain and Nervous System. Through interactive demonstrations and real-time visualisations, visitors can get close to the technologies used to record and interpret biological signals, brain activity and movement, discovering some of the new frontiers in brain research and neurological rehabilitation.

On 26 and 27 September, UniSR will also take part in Scuola in Piazza, held at Bergamo’s Sentierone square, with activities dedicated to healthcare professions, research and innovation.

• Saturday 26 September: the stand for the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing introduces visitors to the world of nursing through a first-hand look at the skills and activities that define the profession.
• Sunday 27 September: the Cardiology unit presents the project Il Cuore a Ponte San Pietro (Heart at Ponte San Pietro), showing how prevention, research, innovation and care can converge in a model that stays close to the local community and to patients’ needs.

The Neurotech Hub will also be there on both 26 and 27 September, with outreach activities on the technologies used to study the nervous system.

UniSR’s academics and researchers also feature in the 24th edition’s conference programme.

Saturday 3 October, neuroscientist Gianvito Martino, UniSR’s Vice Rector for Research and Third Mission and a founding member of BergamoScienza, will talk with Andrea Serino about the relationship between mind, memory and the immune system, and the possible mechanisms behind the placebo and nocebo effects.

Sunday 4 October, Renato Ostuni will chair a discussion with Jacob Hanna on the new frontiers of bioengineering and synthetic embryo models, spanning therapeutic potential and ethical questions.

Tuesday 6 October, Anna Ogliari and Giacomo Petrarca, a psychologist and a philosopher at UniSR respectively, will talk with Federica Invernizzi of the IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital about the connections between food, body, mind and relationships.

Friday 9 October, Roberto Sitia will lead a discussion on the new perspectives opened up by the discovery of nerve growth factor, ranging from tissue regeneration and neurodegenerative disease to cancer therapies.

Discover BergamoScienza with UniSR

From biomedical research to neuroscience, from AI to the health professions, UniSR shares experience and expertise at BergamoScienza, bringing the public closer to research and its real-world applications.

Explore the full BergamoScienza 2026 programme and join UniSR’s events.