Bracco: the Foundation has recognised 3,000 talented individuals through the ‘Diventerò’ project

“To make Italia a country for young people, we must first and foremost restore confidence and pride in the younger generations,” says Diana Bracco, President of the foundation that bears her name, which for years has been promoting the ‘Diventerò’ project, set up specifically to support young people. Since 2012, it has awarded grants to over 3,000 young people, with an investment of 5 million euros. The programme supports talented young men and women throughout their educational and professional journeys, creating opportunities to bridge the gap between the academic world and the world of work.

Tomorrow, in the Alessi Hall at Milan City Hall, the awards ceremony for the 2025–2026 edition will take place, an edition which has focused on the value of making mistakes as an essential stage in personal growth and on perseverance as the ability to turn challenges into opportunities. ‘We need to make young people feel that the country is investing in them, by creating a cultural climate in which meritocracy is a tangible principle, not just a stated one,’ explains Diana Bracco. ‘I am convinced that a concerted effort is needed from institutions, businesses and the non-profit sector. “We at the Bracco Foundation have long sought to make our contribution.” In recent years, the Foundation has offered scholarships, awards, training programmes and research grants. “Since the project began, we have reached more than three thousand young people, with an investment of over five million euros,” points out Bracco. In this regard, I would like to thank the Minister for Education, Giuseppe Valditara, who sent me a lovely letter of commendation in which he expresses the institutions’ appreciation and support for our Foundation.”

The project does not merely aim to promote Italian talent, but also looks beyond Italy’s borders: a total of 752 students attending Italian schools abroad and the Italian sections of international schools around the world took part in the first two editions of the ‘Diventerò’ competition. The countries involved include Albania, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Peru, the United States of America and Venezuela. This international dimension is also reflected in the experience of students at the IIS Giuseppe Luigi Lagrange in Milan with the ‘Timepix@school’ project, as part of the collaboration between the Bracco Foundation and the CERN & Society Foundation. The Bracco Foundation reaffirms its commitment to supporting young talent through its long-standing partnership with the Accademia del Teatro alla Scala, of which it is a Founding Member. As part of this partnership, the Foundation has for years supported projects of international significance, including concerts, performances by the Ballet School and travelling exhibitions, promoting the artistic excellence that has made Italia renowned worldwide. In the 2024–2025 academic year, 1,550 students were involved, 20 per cent of whom came from abroad.