Inauguration Ceremony of the Academic Year 2025/2026

IULM University Inaugurates the 57th Academic Year

Milan, 10 December 2025 – IULM University officially inaugurated its 57th Academic Year during the ceremony held in the Auditorium in the presence of political, civil, academic and religious authorities. The event was chaired by the Rector, Professor Valentina Garavaglia, who, in her address, outlined the University’s strategic directions, focusing on research, innovation, international development and civic engagement.

Among the speakers were the President of the Milan City Council, Elena Buscemi, and the Regional Councillor for University, Research and Innovation of Lombardy, Alessandro Fermi, who both highlighted the strategic role of higher education in the cultural and economic growth of the region.
The new President of the IULM Board of Directors, Massimo Beduschi, delivered his first inaugural address, underlining the University’s commitment in a rapidly changing global context. The students’ representatives, Ludovico Caprioli and Matteo Niccolò Leone, gave voice to the student community, reaffirming the importance of active participation in university life.

The Rector’s Address: Research, International Outlook and Social Responsibility

In her speech, Rector Valentina Garavaglia highlighted the strong growth of research activities, with investments increasing by over 40% since 2021, and the University’s interdisciplinary approach, increasingly oriented towards innovation and ethical reflection on new technologies and artificial intelligence.

She also emphasized the importance of the international dimension, with an increase of more than 60% in international students, over 700 students involved in mobility programmes in the past year, 10 double-degree programmes and 300 active agreements in more than 50 countries.

A significant part of her address was devoted to IULM’s civic and social commitment, including support for populations affected by conflicts, the welcoming of refugee students, participation in the InZone project in the Azraq and Kakuma refugee camps, and membership in the Italian Network of Universities for Peace, alongside the launch of new solidarity-based educational initiatives.

Among the new developments announced were IULM’s role as a torchbearer at the Milano–Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games and the further strengthening of collaboration with the University of Milan, including new programmes in Science Communication and Science Diplomacy, as well as the establishment of the Ravello Tourism, Culture and Music Lab, in partnership with the Ravello Foundation and Impresa Cultura Italia.

Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus on Display at IULM

The ceremony also marked the launch of two prestigious cultural collaborations. Thanks to the partnership with the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, IULM University will, for the first time in an academic institution, host three original sheets from Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus, on display free of charge until 10 March 2026 at the Exhibition Hall of IULM 6.

Alongside these, thanks to the collaboration with the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo, the University will display for one year the 15th-century sculpture “Saint with Book” (Santa con libro), a symbol of Milan’s cultural identity.

The three sheets of the Codex Atlanticus on display, belonging to Leonardo’s studies on technology and mechanics, are:

• Sheet 30 v – Studies for a two-wheel hoist and other drawings for water movement (1478–1480), renowned for its extraordinary level of detail and the exploded view of a lifting machine;
• Sheet 705 r – Drawing and notes on the behaviour of solar “rays” (1497–1500), dedicated to the study of light and optics;
• Sheet 755 r – Studies on the functioning of the flying machine (1487–1490), bearing witness to Leonardo’s aspiration to give form to humanity’s dream of flight.

As the Rector stated, the arrival of Leonardo’s drawings at IULM represents “an invitation to cultivate a curious, critical and visionary outlook on reality, because every innovation arises from an intuition, a question, a line of inquiry that is transformed into knowledge”.

The Awarding of the University Seals

The ceremony concluded with the awarding of the IULM University Seals to Professor Andrea Canova, President of the Congregation of the Conservators of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, and to Dr Fedele Confalonieri, President of the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo of Milan, in recognition of the collaboration that made the exhibition possible and of their outstanding commitment to the preservation and transmission of knowledge.

The exhibitions and the programme of related initiatives confirm IULM’s vocation as a cultural hub open to the city, a place where knowledge becomes movement, connection and shared responsibility.

Download here the programme

Watch here the ceremony