Smart Week Sustainability Management: a week of transition, business and international exchange
14 May 2026Five days dedicated to the major challenges of contemporary sustainability, combining academic lectures, company visits and international exchange.
The Smart Week of the Executive Master in Sustainability Management and Professional Master programs in Sustainability Management at Bologna Business School brought together students, Faculty and companies in an immersive journey exploring the different dimensions of sustainable transition.
Making the experience even more international was the presence of students from the Master in Management and Sustainability at the University of Galway, involved in an exchange program that encouraged dialogue, collaboration and the sharing of perspectives among participants from different backgrounds.
The week opened with a day dedicated to Urban Transition, featuring a lecture by Professor Valentina Gianfrate from the Department of Architecture at the University of Bologna and a visit to Fondazione Innovazione Urbana, an organisation committed to participatory processes and urban innovation in the Bologna area.
The second day focused on Agricultural Transition together with Professor Francesco Orsini from the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Bologna. Visits to Salus Space and the university department offered participants a concrete perspective on urban agriculture, food sustainability and social inclusion.
The day dedicated to Energy Transition also involved Executive participants in a team-building and interdisciplinary exchange activity. Following the lecture by Professor Maria Alessandra Ancona from the Department of Industrial Engineering, students visited Hera’s waste-to-energy plant, gaining deeper insight into the role of energy infrastructures in ecological transition pathways.
At the centre of the fourth day, dedicated to Industrial Transition, was the sustainable transformation of production processes. The visit to Coprob, guided by Professor Marco Bortolini from the Department of Industrial Engineering, allowed participants to engage with an industrial model focused on innovation and circular economy principles.
The week concluded with a reflection on Mobility Transition. The visit to Schneider Electric provided the opportunity to explore strategies and technologies related to sustainable mobility and energy efficiency. In the afternoon, the keynote speech by Andrea Bottazzi, Asset Manager at TPER, enriched the discussion with a concrete perspective on the challenges of public mobility and urban infrastructure management.
Through initiatives such as the Smart Week, Bologna Business School continues to promote a practical and interdisciplinary approach to sustainability, creating connections between universities, companies and international institutions. A learning experience that allows participants to engage directly with organisations committed to building more responsible and innovative development models.
