The impact of technologies and Artificial Intelligence on democracy, institutions and decision-making processes is increasingly entering the center of international debate. It is on this focus that the 2026 edition of the GovTech Summitscheduled at WMF – We Make Future from 24 to 26 June at BolognaFiere, with the patronage of the Municipality of Bologna, the Emilia-Romagna Region and the European Commission.
WMF – We Make Future is conceived, organized and produced by Search On Media Group. The event takes place with the support of the MAECI – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, of ICE – Agency for the promotion abroad and the internationalization of Italian companies and the Emilia-Romagna Region. With the collaboration of BolognaFiere, Cineca and ESA – European Space Agency.
The Summit, now in its 4th edition, marks an evolution of the discussion on tech policy and innovation diplomacy by broadening the focus from the digitalisation of Public Administration to the systemic effects of technologies on governance, democratic balances and the relationship between institutions, citizens and information.
“Technologies have redefined and continue to redefine the functioning of institutions and decision-making processes on a daily basis, making innovation diplomacy increasingly relevant,” comments Cosmano Lombardo, Founder and CEO of Search On Media Group and creator of the WMF. “It is therefore essential to build spaces for discussion capable of bringing institutions, businesses, research and civil society into dialogue on new models and processes born from the integration of digital and artificial intelligence in particular. The GovTech Summit has been carrying out this function for four years, and today it is a point of reference at a national and international level” and concludes “This year too will therefore be a concrete discussion table, useful for the development of innovative policies, valorising skills and experiences coming from different contexts”.
The themes of comparison: from the agentic state to the geopolitical scenario
Among the themes at the center of the Summit programme, between the dedicated Stage and the Mainstage: the role of AI in building consensus and transforming information; the impact on security and justice activities, including with respect to the concepts of evidence and investigation; transformations in research and training systems; the positioning of Europe in the geopolitical scenario of innovation and technological regulation; up to the dynamics of development of internal areas and urban attractiveness, transformation of work and production models.
One of the focuses of the 2026 edition will also be the theme of the “agentic state”, which opens a reflection on how Artificial Intelligence is redefining the functioning of institutions and the relationship between public decision-making and automation, posing new questions in terms of responsibility, control and governance.
The Mainstage of the WMF will then feature leading representatives of the international, as well as European and national institutional panorama, Lucilla Sioli and Michiel Scheffer for the European Commission, the Minister of Health Orazio Schillaci, the Vice President of the Chamber Anna Ascani and the General Secretary of the UIL Pierpaolo Bombardieri, Bruno Frattasi, Director General of the National Cybersecurity Agency, Burak Dağlıoğlu, President of the Investment and Finance Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye.
Alongside the institutional interventions, the Summit will involve over 70 panelists on the dedicated stage, the expression of a broad ecosystem that includes institutions, public administrations, universities, research centers and actors from the economic and social world. Territorial delegations from various Italian cities will also be present, with the participation of councilors and institutional representatives from Bologna, Milan, Palermo, Padua, Piacenza, Cesena and Ancona, together with representatives of Regions such as Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia, Piedmont and Tuscany.
The discussion will also extend to an international level, with the participation of foreign delegations and institutional representatives, among the first confirmations also Turkey, Greece, Estonia, Slovakia, Palestine, Albania and Serbia, contributing to strengthening the global character of the Summit.
The program will also be enriched by the contribution of institutions, research bodies and entities involved in the public debate on innovation, including the European Parliament, the Ministry of Justice and the Carabinieri. These are supported by universities and centers of excellence such as Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, Federico II University of Naples, Polytechnic of Milan, Bocconi University and CINECA, together with organizations and networks active at European level such as EUMANS. The panorama is completed by entities involved in dissemination and public discussion, including Festival del Sara, Pandora Rivista, Fondazione Pensiero Solido, Fondazione Italia Digitale and AWARE.
Within the WMF, the certified B2B fair of international reference for AI, technological innovation and digital, the GovTech Summit is therefore proposed as a space for discussion on the most critical issues of the ongoing transformation: from the regulation of AI to security, up to the redefinition of decision-making models and public services.
Interested parties can propose initiatives and collaborations through the official form available on the page dedicated to the event.