Digital autonomy through sharing: strong interest in the recently concluded GARR Conference
The annual conference on digital ethics, technological autonomy and the shared future of research took place in Pisa from 19 to 21 May 2026.
The GARR Conference 2026 was held in Pisa from 19 to 21 May at the University of Pisa, bringing some of the most pressing challenges facing European digital research to the centre of the debate: governing artificial intelligence, strengthening technological autonomy, ensuring interoperability, sustainability and open access to data, while maintaining a strong connection with memory and cultural heritage.
Over three days, experts from academia, science, culture and technology explored topics ranging from AI ethics to the quantum internet, from infrastructure resilience to Open Science, and from digital cultural heritage to data governance. The event brought together around 322 participants in person and 65 speakers from a wide range of disciplines, while the live stream attracted approximately 1,700 views per day.
As is customary, the Conference was preceded by a training day dedicated to the GARR community, featuring courses on cybersecurity, digital identities, programming languages and the quantum internet.
The Conference opened with welcome addresses from the Rector of the University of Pisa, Riccardo Zucchi, GARR Director Claudia Battista, and GARR President Maurizio Tira, who introduced the key themes of the event. In his speech, Zucchi recalled Pisa’s pioneering role in the history of the Internet in Italy: it was at CNUCE that the country’s first Internet connection was established forty years ago. He also emphasised how the University continues to be a place where “the future is shaped”, including through research on artificial intelligence and its scientific and ethical implications.
Maurizio Tira highlighted the strategic importance of digital infrastructures and research networks:
“Digital infrastructures are no longer merely tools supporting research; they have themselves become objects of research in terms of capacity, resilience and security,” he said. “In an international context marked by profound geopolitical and technological transformations, issues such as quantum computing, Open Science and European digital sovereignty represent central challenges for the future of research and society.”
The Conference opened with the session Digital infrastructures for research, chaired by Sabrina Tomassini (GARR), focusing on the technological and geopolitical transformations reshaping the digital infrastructure landscape. Edoardo Martelli (CERN) outlined the computational challenges posed by the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) and the evolution of CERN’s computing infrastructure to support large-scale scientific research. Massimo Carboni (GARR) reflected on European digital autonomy, addressing the risks associated with technological dependency, the opacity of digital systems, and the need to retain control, transparency and freedom of choice within research infrastructures.
This was followed by the round table The shape of change: digital autonomy, sustainability and sharing within the university and research community, moderated by journalist Patrizia Licata and featuring representatives of GARR member institutions. The discussion focused on the ongoing transformation of digital knowledge infrastructures, highlighting technological autonomy, sustainability, cooperation and resource sharing within the research community. Speakers included Maurizio Tira (GARR), Giovanni Ponti (ENEA), Andrea Passarella (CNR-IIT), Andrea Possenti (INAF) and Tommaso Boccali (INFN).
In the afternoon, the Conference continued with a session dedicated to the ethical, legal and social implications of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, chaired by Davide Vaghetti (GARR). Contributions addressed responsibility, governance, disinformation and the regulation of emerging technologies. Roberto Caso (University of Salento) examined the relationship between AI, concentration of power and intellectual property; Walter Quattrociocchi (Sapienza University of Rome) explored the dynamics of polarisation and disinformation in digital ecosystems, highlighting the epistemic limitations of generative language models; Adriano Fabris (University of Pisa) reflected on the relationship between ethics and AI and the need to integrate ethical principles into system design.
The first day concluded with the round table The roots of the future, moderated by Christian Cinetto (NAMEX), marking forty years of the Internet in Italy and the origins of GARR. The session retraced the key milestones in the development of research networks in Italy, linking historical memory with future perspectives for digital infrastructures.
The discussion opened with Luciano Lenzini (University of Pisa), one of the pioneers of the Internet in Italy, who traced the evolution of networking from the first Italian Internet connection on 30 April 1986 to emerging quantum internet scenarios. The subsequent discussion brought together several key figures in the development of Italian research networks: Enzo Valente (GARR), Joy Marino (MIX), Blasco Bonito (CNR, former CNUCE), Claudia Battista (GARR) and Stefano Suin (University of Pisa). Valente recalled the decisive role played in 1986 by Minister for Research Antonio Ruberti and his adviser Orio Carlini, who, on 13 March 1986, convened Italian universities and research organisations to harmonise existing networks into a single national TCP/IP-based infrastructure. GARR emerged from that initiative.
The round table highlighted a collective story of experimentation, collaboration and shared vision that helped lay the foundations of both the Internet and the Italian research network.
Wednesday, 20 May
The second day opened with a session chaired by Fabio Gadducci (University of Pisa), dedicated to the scientific and practical perspectives of quantum technologies and their impact on future research and communication infrastructures.
Paolo Cremonesi (Politecnico di Milano) introduced the main developments in quantum computing, a field in which Italy is steadily strengthening its position within Europe, while Carla Piazza (University of Udine) presented the key challenges and opportunities facing the Italian landscape, also highlighting the role of the CINI Quantum Information Technology Working Group in coordinating the national research community.
The session continued with two lightning talks focusing on the infrastructure and security aspects of quantum technologies. Luca Deri (ntop / University of Pisa) and Gabriele Deri (University of Pisa) presented tools and strategies for the transition towards post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, while Giuseppe Bisicchia (University of Pisa) addressed the orchestration and security of distributed quantum infrastructures in cloud environments.
The second morning session, Digital autonomy, geopolitics and alternatives to closed systems, chaired by Raffaele Conte (CNR), examined European digital sovereignty and technological dependencies within an increasingly complex geopolitical context. Paolo Passaglia (University of Pisa) offered a critical reflection on the concept of European digital sovereignty and the challenges involved in building open and interoperable models, while Roberto Di Cosmo (Software Heritage Foundation) highlighted the strategic role of the open Software Heritage infrastructure in preserving and tracing software to ensure the long-term operation of applications and strengthen European digital sovereignty.
The session continued with five lightning talks on Open Science, open-source software, data governance and distributed digital infrastructures. Eleonora Colangelo (Frontiers) addressed research data sovereignty and open infrastructures for scholarly communication; Gianmarco Schiesaro (ISTAT) discussed the limitations and impacts of AI detection tools; Chiara Montagna (INGV) presented the institute’s register and activities for managing and promoting open-source software; Arnaud Ceol (ICSC Foundation) described the ECHO-TWIN programme dedicated to edge-cloud-HPC digital ecosystems; and Donatella Sforzini (CINECA) presented the IT4LIA model for developing AI-ready data and advanced AI services.
The first afternoon session, Digital resilience, sustainability and system fragility, chaired by Massimo Carboni (GARR), focused on the robustness and sustainability of digital infrastructures, addressing systemic risks, operational continuity and adaptability within increasingly complex technological environments.
The session opened with Gianluca Mazzini (University of Ferrara), who analysed the factors that make networks and data centres resilient, discussing security, energy efficiency, redundancy and governance of complexity.
Subsequent lightning talks presented practical experiences in cybersecurity, HPC and distributed infrastructures. Leonardo Canello (FBK) described the Zero Trust model adopted by the Bruno Kessler Foundation to strengthen security governance; Mauro Sodani (ISTAT) explored awareness and individual behaviour in cybersecurity through the results of an online survey on perceptions of digital risks; Luca Stivali (University of Padua) presented the CONVECS project, aimed at creating a federated supercomputing community for the Veneto region; and Tomaso Esposti Ongaro (INGV) described the role of INGV’s new Centre for Computational Geosciences in developing HPC, AI and advanced data analysis for natural risk mitigation in connection with national and European initiatives and infrastructures.
The session concluded with a keynote by Stefano Epifani (Digital Sustainability Foundation) on the relationship between digital sovereignty and sustainability:
“Today the challenge concerns not only data and infrastructures, but also the ‘cognitive sovereignty’ linked to generative AI models.”
Epifani stressed the need to strengthen skills, awareness and open tools in order to govern increasingly pervasive technologies and align them with European values, while also highlighting efforts to establish a stable dialogue between technical experts and policymakers on digital sustainability.
The second day concluded with the session Identity and service federation, chaired by Simona Venuti (GARR), dedicated to authentication, authorisation and federation systems required to ensure secure and interoperable access to distributed services and infrastructures.
Klaas Wierenga (GÉANT) outlined the evolution of identity and trust services within the European context, covering eduroam, eduGAIN, EOSC and the future European Digital Identity Wallet, while Giorgia Dragoni (Politecnico di Milano) presented emerging scenarios for digital identity in Europe, increasingly based on wallets, integrated platforms, agentic AI and cybersecurity.
The following lightning talks showcased solutions for cloud infrastructures, service federation and access to HPC resources. Stefano Diciotti (University of Bologna) presented GARR EduStorage, a federated cloud storage project based on European Cubbit technology for managing big data in Italian universities and research centres. Alessio Raccis (University of Cagliari) illustrated a hybrid cloud infrastructure based on Microsoft Azure; Giacomo Nodjoumi (Italian Space Agency) presented SciComHub, a platform for the reproducible analysis of space data collected over the last seventy years; and Simone Giusepponi (ENEA) described HPCC, a workflow orchestrator enabling access to cloud-based HPC infrastructures.
Thursday, 21 May
The final day opened with the session Research data, chaired by Luisa Minghetti (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), focusing on governance, interoperability, accessibility and the valorisation of data in the context of Open Science and artificial intelligence.
Denise Amram (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa) outlined the European and Italian regulatory framework governing the use of data for AI training in healthcare and research, emphasising the importance of a compliance-by-design approach. Guido Gigante (Istituto Superiore di Sanità) examined the role of artificial intelligence in clinical trials, discussing both opportunities and limitations in the use of predictive models, digital twins, synthetic clinical trials and observational data in biomedical research.
The session continued with a series of lightning talks on data governance, FAIR data and research communities. Leonardo Gaetano Mezzina (IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca) presented a system for integrated management of university research project information supporting data management plans, data processing registers, data protection impact assessments (DPIAs) and AI governance; Ilaria Stura (University of Turin) reflected on the role of Open Science communities in sharing good practices and building skills; Michela Natilli (CNR-ISTI) presented the SoBigData RI pan-European infrastructure for FAIR social data; and Gaia Falorsi (IRCCS Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Florence) addressed data governance challenges in international multicentre biomedical research through the NeuroRehab4EU project.
The Conference concluded with the session Digital cultural heritage, roots and memory, chaired by Sara Di Giorgio (GARR), dedicated to the role of digital infrastructures, artificial intelligence and data in preserving, interpreting and enhancing cultural heritage.
The session opened with Alberto Bucciero (CNR Institute of Heritage Science), who presented E-RIHS, the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science, focusing on DIGILAB, E-RIHS’s digital service, and its use of knowledge graphs, semantic services, FAIR data and European infrastructures. He highlighted the strategic role of public and federated infrastructures such as those supported by the GARR network. Antonella Negri (Ministry of Culture – Central Institute for the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage) presented Ecomic, the digital ecosystem for culture developed under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), dedicated to interoperability and the enhancement of Italian digital cultural heritage. Marco Cavietti (Ministry of Culture – Directorate-General for Archives) described the evolution of the Antenati portal and the use of artificial intelligence to improve accessibility, indexing and the valorisation of archival sources.
The final lightning talks showcased practical applications of AI, FAIR data and digital infrastructures in research, cultural heritage and learning processes. Martina Naso (University of Pisa) presented AI-driven workflows for multisensor integration in archaeometry; Ikram Massaoudi (University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome) illustrated a distributed framework for multimodal psycholinguistic tasks; Michele Fiaschi (Scuola Normale Superiore) discussed active web archiving for preserving legacy research portals; Fabrizio Butini (Museo Galileo) presented the Italian Historical Documentary Centre for Seismology and Meteorology as an example of an interoperable infrastructure supporting the enhancement of historical scientific heritage; and Maria Chiara Liguori (CINECA) presented a project developed with the Ministry of Culture’s Department for the Enhancement of Cultural Heritage on the use of AI to create digital characters for museum storytelling.
Presentations from all Conference sessions are available on the event website.
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