Design at Poliba

The 18 November 2026 the Polytechnic University of Bari presents the range of educational and research activities that define the scope and characteristics of the “Design at Poliba”. A Design that builds a bridge between humanistic knowledge and technological change in order to interpret the complexity of the relationship between the words "territory and development". This is a condition that positions Design as an “agent of change” that views the urgencies of our time and the questions of tomorrow as opportunities for the present and the future. In other words, it promotes “design practice” which, acting as a “strategic enabler”, fosters the local-scale socio-economic innovations that also nourish the culture of Made in Italy, to which Puglia fully contributes through its wealth of skills and knowledge.

These topics will be discussed at a conference at the Attilio Alto Conference Hall at Poliba (09.15 – 13.30), entitled “Design at Poliba: practices, models, developments”. The following will take part in the discussion:

• Umberto Fratino - Rector of the Polytechnic University of Bari
• Antonio Decaro - President of the Apulia Region
• Eugenio Di Sciascio - Councillor for Economic Development and Employment of the Apulia Region
• Silvia Miglietta - Councillor for Culture and Knowledge of the Apulia Region
• Antonio Castorani - President of the Puglia Foundation
• Luigi De Luca - Coordinator of the Library and Museum Centres of the Apulia Region
• Cinzia Lagiola - Head of the creative industries sector of the Distretto Produttivo Puglia Creativa
• Mario Aprile - President of Confindustria Bari and Barletta Andria Trani
• Salvatore Toma - President of Confindustria Taranto
• Gianna Elisa Berlingiero - Director of the Economic Development Department of the Apulia Region.
• Messeni Petruzzelli - President Mediterranean Technopole Institute for Sustainable Development Research Foundation
• Guido Santilio - President ADI Association for Industrial Design Puglia and Basilicata

The conference is also crucial for:

• presenting the forthcoming “Design Observatory and Competence Centre for Design-Led Education, Research and Professions”, an operational hub at Poliba aimed at connecting the Apulian design network and raising its profile nationally and internationally. The aim is to establish a monitoring body e an incubator for shared initiatives — among institutions, companies, artisans, trade associations and design-oriented cultural initiatives — capable of generating models and practices to support regional growth.
• presenting “25madeinDaP”: a programme of initiatives to promote and celebrate the 25th anniversary of the launch of degree courses in design at the Polytechnic University of Bari (January–December 2027). The programme will conclude with a national conference on the relationship between “Design and the South”, which will also provide an opportunity to award the first honorary degree in Design to an Apulian figure who has witnessed and interpreted design culture.