Two days packed with events, all about innovation. Nuoro will be a key player thanks to the "European Researchers' Night – Sharper 2025," co-organized by Sardegna Ricerche and featuring a packed, coordinated program. The capital of Barbagia will come alive on September 25th and 26th. The scientific community will engage with citizens, promoting the culture of research through accessible language, hands-on experiences, and opportunities for dialogue with the public.

All this is possible thanks to a well-established event, which sees Sardegna Ricerche as an active participant in the organization, along with the Municipality of Nuoro and the Europe Direct Center. On September 25th, workshops on health, wellness, and sports will begin, along with orientation and outreach sessions in schools, in collaboration with regional research institutions and universities, as well as a conference dedicated to gravitational waves and the Einstein Telescope project. The workshops in Nuoro schools will be organized by Sardegna Ricerche, in collaboration with the universities of Cagliari and Sassari and the regional research centers, Crs4, a single-member company controlled by Sardegna Ricerche, and the IMC Foundation, owned by Sardegna Ricerche and the CNR. Today at 10:30 a.m. in the Exmè conference room in Piazza Mameli, the event "Sport and Science in Schools – Conference on Health, Wellness, and Sports" (organized by Sardegna Ricerche, Biomedical Research Support Unit) will take place.

Next up are meetings in the "Researchers in the Classroom. Outreach and Guidance in High Schools" program, in collaboration with IMC, CRS4, and the Universities of Cagliari and Sassari. Among the various meetings, on Thursday morning, Marco Massa (CRS4) will present "From the Laboratory to Video Games: Inventing New Worlds" to students at the Ciusa Institute on Viale Costituzione. The presentation will explore the use of video game techniques to create virtual worlds for robots, museums, and travel. Fabrizio Murgia, also at the Ciusa Institute, will present "RIALE-EU: A Bridge Between School and Research." The RIALE educational platform allows teachers and students from Sardinian and European middle and high schools to connect remotely with researchers and their experiments conducted in technical and scientific laboratories at universities, research institutions, and schools across Europe. Also today, Jessica Milia will meet with students from the Asproni High School and talk about "DNA and next-generation sequencing: 48 hours as a researcher in the CRS4 genomics laboratory."

On the 25th, Riccardo Berutti will discuss "Genomics, Elementary Particles, and More: Hopping Around Without Getting (Too) Lost" with students from the Satta High School. Finally, "Live Science – Demonstration and Educational Workshops," where Andrea Mameli (Crs4) will lead educational workshops for preschool children (ages 4-5) at the Maccioni Comprehensive School on Via Aosta. In the evening, the European Run-Walk Night, a non-competitive run and walk towards Monte Ortobene, will take place at 7:30 pm in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. Tomorrow morning, Ruggero Pintus will meet with researchers to discuss "Digital Technologies for the Preservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage" with students from the Satta High School. The 26th will also feature numerous events open to the public. At the Teatro Eliseo, the conference "Sapiens and Other Disasters" will feature science communicator and senior researcher at the CNR, Mario Tozzi. At 11:00 a.m., the Asproni Archaeological Museum will host the 9th Festival of Nuragic Civilization, which will continue at 4:00 p.m. in the Sebastiano Satta Library. In the late afternoon, the science show "CircoScienza" with Pietro Olla will take place on Via Roma and Corso Garibaldi. At 6:30 p.m., again at the amphitheater on Via Roma, Mario Tozzi will return to the wider public with the conference "Sapiens on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." Furthermore, from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, the multipurpose center on Via Roma will host "Einstein Telescope at the Planetarium – screenings and dissemination of gravitational waves and ET" (organized by Sardegna Ricerche and the National Institute of Nuclear Physics). Finally, from 9:00 p.m. until midnight, the DJ set "The Sound of Research" will be held.

"Sardegna Ricerche shares with the Municipality of Nuoro the goal of spreading scientific culture and creating cooperation networks that enhance the talent and opportunities in our region," says Carmen Atzori, Director General of Sardegna Ricerche. "The 'Researchers' Night' that we are co-organizing is more than just an event: it is an invitation to trust the scientific method and an investment in the future of our young people, in the work of our researchers, and in the quality of life in Sardinia. This year, the 'Sharper Nuoro 2025' program offers a rich and multidisciplinary program, designed to bring the public closer to science in engaging and accessible ways. Nuoro plays a strategic role for us: here we operate with a headquarters dedicated to territorial development, a stable service platform for the business world and citizens. Not a symbolic presence, therefore, but an operational infrastructure that plans, coordinates, and evaluates interventions on an ongoing basis, in collaboration with institutional partners and the regional innovation network. For our organization, the event represents a coherent part of the mission entrusted to us by the Region: to support research, innovation, and technology transfer for the benefit of the productive fabric and the community."

Augusto Navone, president of the IMC Foundation, adds: "Research supports knowledge and understanding, without which humanity would remain in a primordial state. When science supports the growth of communities and fosters the development of sustainable businesses, it represents an extraordinary opportunity for the local communities. This is the mission of the IMC, which, with its work in Sardinia, contributes concretely to achieving these goals." Massimo Carpinelli, sole director of CRS4, emphasizes: "Sharper represents an incredibly important opportunity for CRS4 to publicize our activities and share our passion for scientific knowledge with students from schools in Nuoro. The researchers will explore a variety of topics, including the world of video games, genomics, digital technologies for the preservation of cultural heritage, and even healthcare technologies. Each presentation will share not only the researcher's direct experience, but also how science can concretely improve people's lives. Even the youngest children (4-5 years old) will be involved through educational and interactive workshops. After all, scientific curiosity knows no age, and a playful approach can be a powerful learning tool.

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