On Saturday 31 January 2026, in the Aula Magna of the Department of Economics and Management of the University of Ferrara, the event “From the Margins to the Future: Vision, Voices and Values” took place, promoted by the UNESCO Chair “Education, Growth and Equality” of the University of Ferrara.

The meeting represented a public closing moment of the 2025 Summer School and, at the same time, an opportunity to present the 2026 programme, offering a space for shared reflection on issues related to marginality, fair development and sustainable futures.

The proceedings opened with institutional greetings from Dr Antonio Patuelli, President of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO and of the Italian Banking Association, Prof Andrea Lenzi, Spokesperson of the Network of Italian UNESCO Chairs and President of the National Research Council, Dr Salvatore Capasso, Director of the Department of Human and Social Sciences, Cultural Heritage of the CNR, and Dr Fernanda Moroni, Director of the Technical Sector “Water quality, biodiversity and sustainable development” of the Po River District Basin Authority. The introductory report, which briefly presented the results of the academic year, was delivered by Prof Patrizio Bianchi, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair “Education, Growth and Equality”.

Prof Valentina Mini, Coordinator of the UNESCO Chair, then illustrated the work carried out, framing future perspectives.

During the afternoon, the speakers retraced the main results of the 2025 Itinerant Summer School, dedicated to the theme “Inside the Marginal Areas in Developed Areas: understanding, stimulating and practising change”. The project crossed various areas of Italy – from Fabriano to Soverato, up to Udine – analysing processes of marginalisation and regeneration through case studies and empirical observations, from northern to southern Italy.

What characterised the programme was its transdisciplinary and participatory approach, combining research with expressive tools such as theatre, shared direction and music, involving in particular young people and local communities in imagining new sustainable development scenarios.

The event provided an opportunity to enhance the dialogue with the territories started in Fabriano (Marche) and continued in Udine (Friuli Venezia Giulia). The framework that emerged during the Udine session was presented by Graziano Lorenzon, who summarised the contributions from the stakeholders involved in the “Friulian” stage, organised by the Region with the support of Informest. The contribution not only provided an integrated reading of the positions that emerged but also highlighted priorities, criticalities and shared perspectives among the actors involved. In addition, it strengthened the role of stakeholders in the processes of reflection and knowledge-building on dynamics affecting MAiDAs areas.

The discussion clearly highlighted the need to strengthen the capacity to interpret territorial dynamics, particularly in marginal contexts where structural weaknesses intersect with long-term processes such as depopulation, service fragility and limited accessibility. In this context, the EPSON Programme emerges as a strategic tool to support evidence‑based analysis of such phenomena, encouraging the use of comparable data, advanced methodologies and interpretative frameworks able to capture local specificities within a European perspective.

It was therefore shared that the use of EPSON can help make policy choices more targeted and effective, overcoming uniform approaches that are not sensitive to territorial differences. In view of the next European programming cycle, it will be essential to adopt specific and differentiated policies capable of enhancing the potential of marginal areas and structurally addressing their challenges by integrating analysis, multilevel governance and adequate financial instruments.

The slides are available in the Italian version of the news.