Attracting future workforce from schools and universities: IUPAP satellite event at BSBF 2026

Tuesday 27 Oct 2026, 12:00 → 15:45 Europe/Zurich

The aim is to continue and strengthen the efforts made in 2024 at Trieste, where as a result of long-standing cooperation of PERIIA with S4SF project Youth@STEM4SF, new point has been added to PERIIA official programme 2026-2028: “attracting future workforce to big science business market”. This project and topic of growing importance is supported also by IUPAP WG on Physics and Industry (Physics outside of Academia), and served as a connecting point to start the collaboration between BSBF and IUPAP in 2024, organising pre-event for high schools and satellite event (Outreach - IUPAP: The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics).

We are proposing to co-organise the workshop, that would strengthen the conclusions from 2024, that our research-industry community should be more active in collaborating with education ecosystem, to inspire new generation. As we cannot organise event with schools as in Trieste at this stage, we would stick to strategic discussions in form of panel discussion and perhaps more interactive format of mini-Hackathon where participants could discuss on the different subjects and present their conclusions at the end

12:00 Welcome and registration

1 Opening address

Speakers: Paolo Acunzo (BSBF 2024 host organiser), Silvina Ponce Dawson (IUPAP President-Designate)

2 Introduction to IUPAP, its working group "Physics and Industry" and its educational activities "Youth@STEM4SF"

Speaker: Christophe Rossel (IUPAP WG "Physics and Industry" chair)

3 Big Science research infrastructures' point of view

Talk on "Big Science research infrastructures: industry partnerships, technology transfer to society and future workforce needs"

Speaker: Jochen Haucke

4 Industry's point of view

Talk: “Industry: why to invest in the education of future STEM employees?”

Speakers: Cristina Mattone (CAEN), Gianni Di Maio (CAEN)

13:15 Coffee break

5 Round table discussion "Role of industry and academia to inspire youth for sciences."

Panel discussion with representatives of (Big) Science research infrastructures, industries and the 'Industry Liaison Officers' (ILO) community.

Speakers: Amaia Rodriguez Sopeña (ENSA), Ana Belén Del Cerro (PERIIA), Marco Peloi (Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste), Dr Moderator: Barbora Bruant Gulejova (Universitaet Bern (CH) / IUPAP WG Physics and Industry), Paolo Guglia (Fincantieri), Ralf Kaiser (ICTP)

6 Award ceremony