A university that develops like a four-leaf clover, a widespread but rational campus in the awareness that the increase in students can mitigate a demographic winter that does not even spare Padua and that to follow this path an ad hoc vision is needed, as underlined by the general director of Bo, Alberto Scuttari.
Doctor Scuttari, it seems that the University is destined to be increasingly central to the city.
«For some years the Bo has been growing in all numbers. After having stood at 63-64 thousand enrolled students for 40 years with 2% international students, we have now reached a stable number of 74 thousand with 10% international students and 20% in decentralized locations. This impact is also felt on the city in terms of the number of employees including teachers, administrative technicians, research assistants and so on. We are talking about 10-11 thousand people whose presence is reflected in the budget which in three years has gone from 650 to 900 million also with the contribution of the Pnrr projects which increased the staff by 10%. Will we keep them? I think so. Investments have been made to last over time.”
How do you feel about the city?
«The University is rooted in the territory. In Padua alone we have 170 buildings and in the master plan we have foreseen interventions that will take us from 695 thousand square meters to 750 thousand between offices, laboratories and residences. An effort worth 600 million of which 250 spent in the last 5 years. Today, students are no longer willing to settle, which is why quality is important, as is logistics: researchers want laboratories. We want to move away from small spaces to focus on 4 homogeneous poles. The territory, for its part, asks us for sustainable interventions. Since 2017 we have minimized land consumption and tried to be more autonomous from an energy point of view.”
So has the idea of the widespread campus gone?
«The idea is that of a four-leaf clover: the Engineering and Sciences north and south of Piovego; the human sciences in the Maldura, Beato Pellegrino, Liviano and Campagnola areas; the economic and social sciences in the spaces of the Piave and the life sciences in the area of the present and future hospital: at the center of this “flower” are the services with the Bo and the administration. Even though it remains a widespread campus, we would like it to be seen more and be more accessible. Furthermore, greater rationality allows us to reduce rents.”
How is the Fair positioned?
«It gravitates towards the area north of Piovego. Here we are building a sustainable structure with 3,500 places in classrooms to which a program agreement is added to understand if we can acquire other spaces always in the logic of adjacency and of the Hub as a flexible space. Modern research infrastructures are not compatible with development in traditional buildings, we need laboratories for the studies that we are going to win with European projects and for researchers arriving from abroad. As a public university we have no margin for maneuver on salaries, but we can have them on research facilities and related logistical support. They are long processes but the results can be seen in the very strong ability to attract funds and researchers.”
Speaking of logistics, we cannot help but focus on the topic of accommodation.
«We have recovered Fusinato with 200 beds; we will start shortly with the Meneghetti with another 100 places in the hospital area; there are 60 planned in Agripolis; we decided to start with the works in via Campagnola, regardless of ministerial funding, for another 100 places and transformed the structure in via Minio into a residence with a further 40. As a University we are providing 500 new places in addition to the approximately 300 new ones from the ESU . Studies say that Padua is among the most interesting cities for investing in university residences, this is attracting private individuals also with international funds which we look favorably on. We should facilitate in terms of general costs inputs of this type that restore a living city. Students are the citizens of tomorrow but also the customers of today.”
You are also trying to expand into the hospital area.
«There is a public notice for 5 thousand square meters in which to build studies and offices and the renovation of the former Morgagni college is underway: these are investments that have the aim of consolidating the medical and life sciences areas».
In your opinion, what still remains to be achieved in this vision of a university city?
«We need large infrastructure projects to carry out research of international importance. We are already working on the 7 tesla MRI facility, one of the most important imaging instruments in Europe, and we plan to build the high-performance computing infrastructure that will insert us into an international network. We don’t just invest in men but also in the infrastructure to carry out frontier research.”
The event on Tuesday 7th at the Botanical Garden
The event on Tuesday 7 May is held at 5pm at the Botanical Garden of Padua. The opening is entrusted to Roberto Busso (Gabetti), the mayor Sergio Giordani and Paolo Possamai, editorial director of Nem. Diego Vitiello (Gabetti) presents the research. Then there were two panels of the day, the first entitled “Word to the Stakeholders” and the second “Word to the protagonists of change”, with two focuses dedicated to the PP1 project and the redevelopment of Piazzale Boschetti. The journalist Claudio Malfitano moderates and the deputy director of Nem Luca Piana hosts.
Here is the complete program
Tuesday 7 May / 5-7pm — Padua Botanical Garden
Opening greetings
Roberto Busso, CEO of Gabetti Property Solutions
Sergio Giordani, mayor of Padua
Paolo Possamai, Editorial Director of the NEM Group
Research presentation
Diego Vitiello, Gabetti Property Solutions
Word to the Stakeholders
They intervene
Antonio Santocono, president of the Chamber of Commerce
Alberto Scuttari, general director of the University of Padua
Roberto Tosetto, general director of Interporto Padova
Monica Soranzo, president of Federalberghi Padova Hotels
Mauro Sbroggiò, CEO and general manager of Finint Investments SGR
Moderate
Claudio Malfitano, Journalist of the Nem Group
Word to the protagonists of change
The “PP1” Project
Flavio Pedron, president of the Pedron Stabile Consortium
Cino Zucchi, chief architect studio CZA
The redevelopment of Piazzale Boschetti
Franco Ferraro, CEO of Liberty Srl
Lorenzo Attolico, architect
Moderate
Claudio Malfitano, Journalist of the Nem Group
Conclusions
Roberto Busso, CEO of Gabetti Property Solutions
Luca Piana, deputy director of the Nem Group
He leads
Luca Piana, deputy director of the Nem Group
You can participate by joining via the website www.eventinem.it.
