On 22 July 2026, the University of Salerno, in collaboration with the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio Salernitana (Carisal) and BIMED (Biennial of Mediterranean Arts and Sciences), within the framework of the European NEOLAiA Alliance, organised a day of discussion and dialogue involving university, local administrations, and citizens, hosted by the Municipality of Tramonti (SA).
UNISA’s participation was both extensive and highly qualified: ten full professors, ten associate professors, and five researchers/adjunct lecturers were actively involved in “An Alliance for the Territory”, a day of discussion between university, administrations, and citizens hosted by the Municipality of Tramonti (SA). The initiative is part of a broader co-design process launched in March 2026 with the aim of developing a shared vision for the sustainable development of inland areas. UNISA’s contribution was also characterised by a multidisciplinary approach, essential for analysing such complex issues, as demonstrated by the participation of professors and researchers from more than fourteen Scientific Disciplinary Sectors representing five different Departments: the Department of Political and Communication Sciences, the Department of Political and Social Studies, the Department of Business Sciences – Management & Innovation Systems, the Department of Economics and Statistics, and the Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”.
The day opened with a plenary session dedicated to institutional greetings and the presentation of the initiative’s objectives. Participants included the Mayor of Tramonti, Domenico Amatruda, the Rector of the University of Salerno, Virgilio D’Antonio, the President of BIMED, Andrea Iovino, the Vice President of the Carisal Foundation, Michele Buonomo, Director of the Federation of Community Banks and Cooperative Credit, Dr. Franco Vildacci and the Headteacher of the “G. Pascoli” Comprehensive School in Tramonti, Maria Anna Formisano. The session was moderated by Valerio Salvatore, advisor to the Carisal Foundation. All speakers highlighted the importance of creating opportunities for dialogue among local administrations, universities, and communities in order to build more inclusive realities capable of generating meaningful opportunities. At the end of the plenary session, Professor Vittorio Scarano, UNISA coordinator for the NEOLAiA Alliance, introduced the working groups and explained the co-design methodology, placing the day within the framework of the past and future activities carried out by UNISA, the Carisal Foundation, and BIMED.
After the plenary session, all participants moved to the “G. Pascoli” Comprehensive School and began working together in seven thematic working groups. The groups, made up of university professors, representatives of the administrations of Tramonti and neighbouring municipalities, teachers, and representatives of local associations, addressed some of the main challenges currently affecting local communities: strengthening local services, demographic trends and youth retention, the regeneration of infrastructure and unused resources, the integration of new residents, the right to health and access to healthcare, strategies to encourage younger generations to put down roots, and the improvement of local governance. Through guiding questions and open discussion among participants with different areas of expertise, each group identified critical issues, existing experiences, and possible intervention strategies. The work of each group was summarised through the use of an online tool, Padlet, a platform that allows users to create and share interactive virtual boards.
During the final feedback session, a representative from each group presented the Padlet created by their team to the audience, highlighting in particular the description of the problems and issues identified by representatives of local administrations and citizens, as well as the proposals and contributions that emerged from the dialogue with university representatives.
The Tramonti meeting represents a further step in the dialogue between research and local communities promoted by the University of Salerno, the Carisal Foundation, BIMED, and NEOLAiA. The reflections gathered during the working groups will provide the basis for a shared report and for subsequent activities involving dialogue with the administrations concerned, in the belief that social innovation and sustainable development stem from listening to communities and from collaboration among institutions, academia, and citizens.
All photos of the event are available in our gallery.
