Registration now open for the GARR Conference 2026
Registration is now open for the GARR Conference 2026, the annual event of the research and education community where experiences, projects and visions on the use of digital infrastructures and services are shared. It is an opportunity for discussion between those who use the GARR network and those who actively contribute to its development and improvement every day.
The 2026 edition will take place from May 19 to 21 at the University of Pisa and will bring together experts, researchers, technologists, and institutional representatives to discuss the ongoing transformations in the digital research landscape. In addition, 18 May will be dedicated to in-person training, with four courses covering cybersecurity, digital identities, programming languages and quantum internet.
The programme will develop as follows. The first day focuses on the role of digital infrastructures as a key enabler for research. The spotlight is on networks, services, platforms and organisational models that support scientific collaboration and the sharing of data and resources, alongside a reflection on European digital autonomy. Among the speakers are Edoardo Martelli (CERN) and Massimo Carboni (GARR).
This is followed by a panel discussion on the transformation of the academic and research community, addressing digital autonomy, sustainability and models of sharing.
In the afternoon, attention shifts to the ethical, legal and social implications of artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous systems. Contributions from Rita Cucchiara (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), Walter Quattrociocchi (Sapienza University of Rome), Adriano Fabris (University of Pisa) and Roberto Caso (University of Salento) will explore issues such as responsibility, transparency and governance.
The day concludes with “The roots of the future”, a dialogue with pioneers of the Internet in Italy, marking forty years since the first connection and the birth of the name GARR. The session opens with Luciano Lenzini, who will reflect on future scenarios, including Quantum Internet.
The second day opens with a look at the new frontiers of quantum computing and quantum internet, fields set to reshape the future of communication and computation, with Paolo Cremonesi (Politecnico di Milano) and Carla Piazza (University of Udine).
This is followed by a session exploring digital autonomy from a geopolitical perspective, focusing on technological dependencies and alternatives to closed systems, with contributions from Paolo Passaglia (University of Pisa) and Roberto Di Cosmo (Software Heritage Foundation).
In the afternoon, the focus moves to digital resilience and sustainability, addressing the robustness of infrastructures and their ability to adapt to complex and rapidly evolving contexts, with Gianluca Mazzini (University of Ferrara). The day concludes with a session on digital identity and service federation, key elements for ensuring secure and seamless access to distributed resources, featuring Klaas Wierenga (GÉANT) and Giorgia Dragoni (Politecnico di Milano).
The third day is dedicated to research data, with particular attention to management, sharing and valorisation, key aspects of advancing open science. Speakers include Denise Amram (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) and Guido Gigante (Istituto Superiore di Sanità).
This is followed by a session on digital cultural heritage, focusing on the preservation, interpretation and transmission of collective memory through archives, data and innovative technologies, with Alberto Bucciero (CNR), Antonella Negri (Ministry of Culture – Central Institute for the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage) and Marco Cavietti (Ministry of Culture – Directorate-General for Archives).
The programme will be further enriched by contributions selected through the call for proposals, which received a large number of submissions this year. The GARR Conference continues to be an open space for dialogue and cross-disciplinary exchange, where infrastructures, data, security and innovation intersect with the needs of the scientific community.
The event will be streamed live on GARR.tv and on GARR’s YouTube and Facebook channels (@retegarr).
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