A very successful fifth edition for Biennale Tecnologia

The 5th edition of Biennale Tecnologia came to a close on Sunday, April 19th with the lectio "Ethics for the Future of Digital Democracies" by Mariarosaria Taddeo and the performance "Automavie. La vita a rendere", the 5th edition of Biennale Tecnologia, the cultural festival organized by Politecnico with the support and collaboration of local institutions, organizations, businesses, and partners who believe in the value of the project. This year too, Biennale invited the public to reflect on how technology can be put at the service of the collective interest, exploring a theme – Solutions – developed through a cross-disciplinary approach, with the aim of bridging the technological and human sciences, in keeping with the festival's motto: "Tech Cultures".

With over 60,000 attendees, Biennale Tecnologia confirms its success, within a context of excellence for Politecnico, just recognized by ANVUR as the top university in Italy for Third Mission and social impact in the VQR (Research Quality Assessment) 2020–2024, confirming the university's ability to translate scientific knowledge into concrete innovation, with meaningful effects on the fabric of society not only in business and economic terms, but also socially and culturally.

The 5th edition of Biennale Tecnologia also stood out for its widespread presence in the urban space: for the first time, beyond Politecnico's academic venues, which remained the central hub, the festival spread throughout the city across more than 20 locations.

Among the other new features of this edition was the introduction of co-curators, working alongside scientific director Guido Saracco. Saracco oversaw the entire program, focusing in particular on the impact of AI and the transformations it brings to society and to the relationship with humanity; Simone Arcagni on the relationship between culture and technology; the collective Frame - Divagazioni scientifiche curated a series of cross-cutting events touching on multiple topics, from space to health; Federico Bomba (Sineglossa) was responsible for two exhibitions in the program, Framing Problems and Dati Sensibili.

"The success of Biennale Tecnologia confirms that Italian universities must play an ever greater role in public cultural debate, engaging with a wide range of topics of collective interest and moving increasingly away from self-referentiality: that is why the voices at Biennale were many and varied, offering the large audiences who followed us fresh angles and frameworks for thinking through pressing issues that have technology at their core – comments Stefano Corgnati, Rector of Politecnico and President of Biennale Tecnologia – In this edition we also experimented with significant innovation in our communicative approaches, with new expressive formats that allowed us to broaden the range of guests and audiences we reached. Added to this were Biennale's new spaces, in direct dialogue with the city and the surrounding area. This drive for continuous innovation is part of the culture of the Politecnico di Torino community, and we will continue to carry it forward with enthusiasm starting today, as we already begin looking ahead to the next edition of Biennale Tecnologia."

"The main innovations introduced at Biennale Tecnologia 2026 proved to be a genuine success. The guest curators, selected through a rigorous evaluation process, broadened the cultural disciplines brought into the conversation on technology and society, enriching the program with fresh perspectives. The collaboration with the city's cultural institutions opened up memorable spaces to Biennale Tecnologia audiences, often through joint productions with each organization. The success of the exhibitions and performances produced or co-produced by Politecnico di Torino through its Prometeo Tech Cultures initiative finally demonstrated how citizens can be reached in ever-growing numbers by combining multiple communication channels. This points the way towards a renewed commitment for Biennale Tecnologia 2028", declares Guido Saracco, curator of Biennale Tecnologia.