On June 5th, Tongji University, General Consulate of Italy in Shanghai and Italian National Center for Sustainable Mobility jointly host the Italian Research Day & China-Italy Forum on Sustainable Mobility at Sino-Italian Campus of Tongji University. Over 40 Chinese and Italian scholars and students from institutions including Tongji University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, and the University of Palermo, along with representatives from enterprises such as Iveco, Pirelli, and Brembo, engaged in academic in-depth discussions on the theme of "sustainable mobility."

Ms. Tiziana D’Angelo, Consul General of the General Consulate of Italy in Shanghai, expressed gratitude to Tongji University for co-organizing the event in her opening remarks. She noted that Italy, as Europe’s second-largest manufacturing country, has established close partnerships with China in science and technology, and that Chinese and Italian universities have developed excellent collaboration models over the past 20 years. When it comes to global challenges, mobility is particularly important. She emphasized the expectation that both sides would jointly find innovative solutions for public transportation, logistics, and other sectors.

Prof. Li Xiangning, Vice President of Tongji University, responded that launching the "Italian Research Day" in the Yunchou Building—a green landmark that symbolizes Sino-Italian friendship and embodies cutting-edge sustainable technologies—carried special meaning. He highlighted Tongji’s long-standing cooperation with Italy, which has become a model for China-EU collaboration in higher education. With distinctive strengths in electric vehicle technology, intelligent transportation systems, and low-carbon urban planning, the university aims to leverage the forum to explore integrated mobility solutions that balance environmental needs and technological innovation, striving for a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable mobility future.

Dr, Vojko Bratina, Science and Technology Counsellor of the General Consulate of Italy in Shanghai, praised the collaboration between Tongji University and Italian universities like Politecnico di Milano and Politecnico di Torino, which has strengthened cooperation between Italy and Shanghai in addressing global challenges across multiple fields. Dr. Li Chenhao, consultant of Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, introduced Shanghai stands out as a global innovation hub and cradle of international technology industries, with notable strengths particularly in key sectors such as electronic information, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine.

Ms. Katarzyna Zelichoeska, Research and Innovation Counsellor of the EU Delegation to China, noted that 2025 marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and China and the 50th anniversary of EU-China relations. The EU plans to organize multiple "academic dialogues" for Chinese and European scholars, promoting scientific cooperation through joint committee meetings and funding mechanisms, with a focus on advancing the next research framework program to underscore the importance of sustained dialogue and global collaboration. Eng. Gianmarco Montanari, General Director of the Italian National Center for Sustainable Mobility (MOST), introduced the center’s five core technical domains and application scenarios, expressing hope that through national-level platforms, industry-academia-research collaboration and achievement transformation could be accelerated, enabling a shared promising future between China and Italy.

The China-Italy Forum on Sustainable Mobility was moderated by Prof. Francesca Valsecchi, an Italian associate professor at Tongji University and an alumna of Politecnico di Milano. 13 experts from China and Italy including Prof. Daniele Rocchi, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Pierangelo Masarati, Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Prof. Pierluigi Coppola, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Maria Marcello, Department of Electronics, Information, and Bioengineering at Politecnico di Milano; Prof. Andrea Tonoli of Machine Design and Construction at Politecnico di Torino; Prof. Rosario Miceli of Electronic Engineering at University of Palermo; Prof. Ni Ying and Prof. Luo Xiao of College of Transportation, Tongji University; Prof. Hu Chuan of School of Mechanical and Power Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Prof. Xu Shen of School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering at Shanghai University of Engineering Science and industry representatives Mr. Guido Perricone, Project Manager of Brembo, Mr. Guido Amati R&D Specialist of Pirelli, and Mr. Federico Cartasegna, Global Partnerships Manager of Iveco shared cutting-edge technologies and case studies on topics such as advanced air mobility, smart vehicles, autonomous driving, hybrid system design, low-carbon mobility solutions, green energy empowerment, and sustainable railway systems, discussing future visions for innovative sustainable mobility.

Prof. Daniele Rocchi, Vice Rector of Politecnico di Milano, emphasized that sustainable mobility is a global challenge requiring collaboration among industry, academia, and research sectors worldwide. Cross-disciplinary cooperation and technological integration, he noted, will accelerate the implementation of solutions.

Tongji University has a solid foundation of cooperation with Italy in sustainable development and engineering innovation. This event aimed to build a China-Italy industry-academia-research collaboration platform, facilitating the sharing of academic frontiers and unlocking potential for future scientific and technological cooperation between the two nations.