Public Engagement and Public Knowledge: The Sant’Anna School contributes to the APEnet Manifesto presented in Turin

Integrating Public Engagement as a structural part of the mission of Italian universities and research institutions, promoting public participation as a tool to build shared value, and recognizing the social impact of knowledge as a founding element of scientific work: these are the cornerstones of the new Public Engagement Manifesto promoted by APEnet, the Italian network of Universities and Research Institutions. The Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies actively contributed to the initiative through its Internal and External Communication Group and events team.

The Manifesto, officially presented in Turin, at the Sala Allara of the Rectorate Building of the University of Turin, is the result of a collective effort involving 57 Italian institutions, including universities, schools for advanced studies, polytechnics, and research bodies. It reflects a shared and updated vision of the social role of public research, deeply rooted in dialogue with society, co-creation of knowledge, and the enhancement of active citizen participation.

The Public Engagement Unit and the Institutional Communication Unit of the Sant’Anna School took part in the drafting process, helping to define goals, strategies, and actions aimed at making Public Engagement a concrete lever for cultural and institutional transformation within academia. This participation is grounded in the conviction that knowledge does not end with its production, but must be continuously related, made accessible, shared, and questioned by the many actors of society.

Public Engagement as a Cross-Cutting Approach

In the Manifesto, it is clearly stated that Public Engagement is not an accessory activity, but a cross-cutting approach that permeates the traditional missions of research and teaching. For this reason, the document invites institutions to include it in their strategic and programmatic documents, to identify specific monitoring indicators, to provide for recognition and valorization paths for the personnel involved, and to promote collaboration and co-design actions with stakeholders.

Among the key points, the Manifesto promotes:

• the building of lasting and meaningful relationships with civil society;

• active listening and public consultation, to respond to emerging needs with co-created solutions;

• the opening of science, through the dissemination of scientific culture, the promotion of open science, and the valorization of widespread knowledge;

• the inclusion of Public Engagement in research evaluation processes and academic career paths.

The document is inspired by the most recent European recommendations, which call for broader citizen participation in research and innovation. This is an essential step to make science more relevant, more understandable, and closer to society, at a historical moment in which trust, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge are key factors in facing global challenges.

Through its contribution to the Manifesto, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies renews its commitment to building a strong and transparent alliance between scientific institutions and civil society, promoting Public Engagement not only as an ethical dimension but also as a driver of change.

The Manifesto also broadens the scope of Public Engagement by including a variety of actions related to the enhancement of cultural and scientific heritage, policies for inclusion and territorial development, public health and environmental sustainability, international cooperation, and the culture of sustainability.

This shapes a commitment that spans all areas of knowledge and aims to make the world of research increasingly connected to the needs of the present, capable of producing not only knowledge but also responsibility, cohesion, and social innovation.