HacTe participated in the event. Investing in Art-Driven Innovation for Europe’s Future. S+T+ARTS as a catalyst of transformation in challenging times. organized on June 23rd, 2025 at the European Parliament.
Hosted by the Vice-President of the European Parliament Antonella Sberna, the meeting brought together leading figures from the political, research, innovation and arts fields to discuss how the hybridization of science, arts and technology can catalyze social, economic and technological transformation. A key question for the European ACTS ecosystem, at a time when the next funding frameworks are being discussed and in which it is necessary to emphasize the lessons learned from initiatives such as S+T+ARTS, with 10 years of trajectory in the drive for increased fertility. The event will gather these learnings and the need to continue with a specific support program for transdisciplinary practice at a time when S+T+ARTS seems destined to disappear.
In his opening speech, Sberna emphasized the strategic importance of integrating artistic thinking into the European innovation markers. In this same line, Pierluiggi Sacco, (University of Chieti Pescara), in his inaugural lecture “Setting the Scene. Art, Science and Tech to Tackle Europe’s Current Challenges”, stressed the urgency of rethinking the idea of innovation in a multipolar context, tracing an overview of the current geopolitical and cultural situation.
The first round table of the day, “S+T+ARTS as a Value Proposition”, was moderated by Simona De Rosa (T6 Ecosystems), and explored how models such as the S+T+ARTS initiative can generate tangible value across sectors and disciplines. Participants included Florian Schneider, (Trondheim Academy of Fine Art); Matthias Hauser (Media Solution Center Baden-Württemberg); Magdalena Van den Broeck Liskova (Bozar) and Tere Badia (HacTe). Badia will address the importance of regional hubs in translating European standards to the local level, highlighting how Barcelona and Catalonia have become a living laboratory for the convergence between arts, sciences and technologies.
The second round table, moderated by Veronika Liebl (Ars Electronica), was attended by Ambra Trotto (EIT Culture and Creativity); Caterina Benincasa (Joint Research Centre SciArt); Barbara Stacher (EU-Commission, DG EAC). All of them addressed the need for a greater political commitment to these practices in the future, the need for programs and brands of support, and to demonstrate the impact and value of these practices to address contemporary challenges, strengthen democracy and promote innovation.
The event was organized by T6 Ecosystemswithin the framework of the project S+T+ARTS Ec(h)o.
Access to the report.