From 28 to 30 October, Bologna hosted the Cities for Talent Meeting 2025, bringing together over 50 representatives from more than 30 European cities and organisations working on talent attraction, development and inclusion.
After previous editions in Barcelona and Utrecht, the meeting arrived in Bologna for three days of sessions, visits and workshops held in some of the city’s most symbolic locations including the DAMA Tecnopolo, Salaborsa and Filla.
Organised by the Metropolitan City of Bologna, the Municipality of Bologna and ART-ER, in collaboration with the Emilia-Romagna Region, the initiative offered an important moment of exchange and cooperation. It highlighted the ability of Bologna and the region to position themselves as a place where talent and innovation can grow and thrive.
The event also reaffirmed the central role of the regional law on talent attraction, retention and development, first approved in 2023 and showcased the actions undertaken at local level.
Bologna continues to play a key role in supporting this dialogue.
Through the Bologna Innovation Square project and the Bologna for Talent service, the city addresses the challenges of talent attraction and retention by strengthening collaboration with the business, research and education ecosystems.
The 2025 edition of the Cities for Talent Meeting also marked the launch of the International Talent Network, a voluntary network of European cities that will cooperate on joint projects for talent attraction and retention, sharing tools and best practices.