Three research projects developed by the University of the Republic of San Marino are heading to Santa Sofia, in the Forlì area, for the International Forum on the Sustainability of Culture, scheduled for Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September. This marks the Titano university’s second consecutive appearance at the event, which this year is dedicated to the theme of “Culture Commons.”
At the heart of the Forum lies the idea of culture as a shared resource, managed collectively by communities: a set of material, informational and symbolic assets that, according to organisers, should be understood not as a commodity or a bureaucratic concession, but as an open, critical and cooperative social infrastructure.
The University of San Marino will take part with three projects curated by its Community Design Research Unit, developed within the university’s degree courses in Design. The research will be on display throughout October at the Vero Stoppioni Gallery in Santa Sofia.
The projects stem from distinct experiences united by a common thread: the relationship between design, community and territory. Two of the projects focused on the areas of Pesaro and San Leo, while a third emerged from a workshop held on Titan, dedicated to designing an editorial series linked precisely to the Santa Sofia Forums.
San Marino’s presence at the event has thus grown compared to last year. In 2025, Alice Cappelli and Riccardo Varini, representing the Design degree course, moderated a discussion on territorial collaboration alongside ten international guests. In 2026, the university’s contribution extends to the physical exhibition of research carried out directly in the field.
The Forum is curated by Institution, an organisation active in the fields of art, technology and the environment, and will once again carry a strong international dimension. Its hybrid format will connect Santa Sofia with New York, Shenzhen, Berlin, Guatemala City, Jakarta, Tokyo and Tanguiéta, in Benin.
The sessions can also be followed remotely via live streaming on the YouTube channel “Institution Under Construction.”
Members of the University of San Marino’s Community Design Research Unit include, among others, Riccardo Varini, Giorgio Dall’Osso, Elena Brigi, Alice Cappelli, Chiara Amatori, Francesco Mancuso, Massimo Brignoni and Noemi Biasetton.
