Source: DIGITALmeet press office
Presented the programme of the Festival that will take place throughout Italy from 19 to 23 October. Hundreds of in-person and remote events. Focus on digital smart-land, female STEM
disciplines, telemedicine, online education, development of the culture of digitalisation. Change can really be made, with the extraordinary resources of the NRP.
Padova, 16 September 2021 – The ninth edition of DIGITALmeet, the most widespread Italian digital festival present in all Italian regions, with 150 events taking place from 19 to 23
October, was presented in the hall of the Ancient Archives of the University of Padua. The Rector of the University of Padua Rosario Rizzuto, the President of Comunica Foundation
Gianni Potti and Prof. Alessandro Sperduti, Professor of the Department of Mathematics at the University of Padua, were present.
The story of the Festival starts from the consideration that this edition takes place in a particular historical moment that sees an unexpected cultural evolution and the availability of important
resources for digitalisation thanks to the Pnrr. In short, the conditions for really putting into practice a structured programme of widespread digitalisation in various areas, especially in terms
of culture and infrastructure, are still weak.
It was with this in mind that the events of the ninth DigitalMeet were presented, events that will make it possible to identify the weak and strong points on which these resources must be
invested. This will be done through meetings, seminars and conventions attended by institutions and experts from the sectors involved in the digital development plan. The events will kick off
on 15 October, with the official presentation in the Senate and a debate to which Ministers Giorgetti and Colao have been invited, and will then continue throughout Italy.
They will discuss the theme of coding as a subject to be studied in schools; the union between city centres and suburbs through digital infrastructures capable of redressing inequalities; the
strategic role of women in digital development. With these key points, the new edition of Digitalmeet organised by Comunica Foundation and I-Center TAG is confirmed as the biggest digital literacy
event in the country. Born nine years ago in Padua as a grassroots event, organised by professionals and communities from different territories, DIGITALmeet is now the most widespread Italian
digital festival, present in all Italian regions.
The accelerated digital transition is one of the central themes of this edition, explains founder and president of Fondazione Comunica Gianni Potti: – As well as endangering our most
fragile fellow citizens, Covid has changed everyone’s lives, plunging us, willingly or unwillingly, into the middle of the digital transition. The pandemic has made it possible to broaden and
strengthen digital-related skills and, above all, for the first time, it has been decided to allocate a substantial slice of funding to digitalisation throughout the territory. Digital experts will
have the opportunity to discuss the most effective ways of using this funding.
Potti continues: – Each public has specific needs and experiences in digital technology: some, like businesses, associate digital technology with the efficiency of production,
administrative, bureaucratic and organisational processes, others with e-commerce, others with training and ‘Dad’, others with health, pension and welfare services, and so on. We wanted to
respond to these needs with quality events, offering content that was immediately useful to our audience. But where there is rapid evolution there is often also confusion, and the digital
transformation that the country experienced with extreme speed in the months of the lockdown has the disorder of a sudden acceleration around it.
The themes proposed by DIGITALmeet are, as always, very topical, – says the Rector of the University of Padua, Rosario Rizzuto. – The pandemic that we are still experiencing,
trying, where possible, to return to normality, will in any case change our future. For example, by emphasising the importance of digital infrastructures, their accessibility and inclusiveness. Or
by raising the issue of distance learning, which will certainly be at the heart of the debate in the coming months. I would also like to emphasise the focus on the Stem disciplines: courses of
study that are seeing an increase in the number of students enrolled in our university. We are encouraged by the fact that the number of female students is increasing, reaching over 30% of the
total and 40% in the area of science. This is a hopeful sign, and a path to be pursued in the coming years.
Luisella Altare, Head of UniCredit’s North East Region, said: – Digital transformation is central in all areas for the development and competitiveness of the Italian production system.
A centrality reaffirmed by the national NRP, with the important resources made available by the Transition 4.0 Plan. It is precisely for this reason that UniCredit intends to make a concrete
contribution to supporting the digital transformation process of Italy’s SMEs. Our support for DIGITALmeet is part of this framework and aims to stimulate debate on an issue that can no longer
be postponed for the Italian economy.
We will also address the issue of the digital smart-land, and the role of digital infrastructures, smartworking, and the strengthening of ultra-wideband connections. These are all
elements that, if we know how to invest properly, will enable us to relaunch entire areas of the country. One example: according to ISTAT data, between January and December 2020 retail sales fell
by 5.4%, while sales linked to online commerce rose by 34.6%. This is how a catastrophe opens up new market shares for those who have been able to invest in e-commerce, thus multiplying their
customer base.
In addition, the theme of the relationship between women and Stem subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In Italy, too few women still choose these types of study, which is
detrimental to the evolution and development of our communities and which the Festival wants to help remedy.
The red thread of the ninth edition is cultural literacy on issues related to the digital world. Also for this reason, together with some partners such as UniCredit, Despar, Fastweb Academy,
Umana, Caffé Diemme, MeglioQuesto, Abbott, Open Fiber, Considi, InfoCamere, Berto, Sea Milano Airports and the Italian National Union of Pro Loco (Unpli), a tight series of digital literacy pills
will be provided to serve everyone, young and old.
