Physical and mental health, environmental protection, territorial safety, and the quality of life in contemporary society: these are among the core themes of the fourth edition of Collega-menti, the outreach festival organized by the University of Udine and scheduled from Friday, October 2 to Sunday, October 4, 2026. The guiding thread will be the “Equilibri,” understood as a cross-cutting lens for understanding the connections between individual well-being, social transformations, sustainability, and public health.
The event, under the scientific curatorship of Barbara Gallavotti, a science communicator known to the general public, will transform the Friuli region into a distributed laboratory for three days. Alongside programs held in historic palaces, theaters, and open-air spaces in the center of Udine, the 2026 edition will also involve Gemona, Gorizia, and Pordenone, thereby expanding the festival’s reach.
Work-Related Stress and Digital Overload: Survey Data
The chosen theme addresses a growing concern in daily clinical practice as well. According to an exploratory survey promoted on social media by the Friulian university and presented in Rome, among 625 Italians aged 18 to 60, 46.6% identify professional stress as the main destabilizing factor, followed by digital overload, reported by 27.4% of respondents. The dimension perceived as most fragile is mental health, cited by 39.4% of the sample; followed by personal and professional relationships at 25%, and bodily well-being at 17.6%.
The most significant finding for general practitioners and specialists concerns the demand for scientific information: 57.3% of respondents say they would like more content on health, body, and mind. Among the strategies seen as most useful for regaining balance, contact with nature is cited by the 31.5%, and the rekindling of healthy human relationships is chosen by 29.3%.
Why the Topic Matters to Primary Care and Specialties
The concept of balance touches many domains of prevention and care: from hormonal balance to the relationship between physical activity and sedentary behavior, from sleep-wake rhythms to nutrition, up to mental health and the quality of relationships. In this light, the festival offers an interdisciplinary forum on topics that cross both community medicine and the various specialty areas.
The aim is to foster dialogue among researchers, professionals, institutions, and citizens, using accessible language grounded in scientific rigor.
From Research to the Community: The Role of the University of Udine
“Collega-menti” was launched with the goal of strengthening the University of Udine’s role as a driver of social and cultural development in the region. Faculty and researchers from the university, together with specialists from other national and international research centers, will meet the public to share knowledge and perspectives useful for addressing today’s challenges. As Barbara Gallavotti emphasizes, balance concerns the health of people, societies, and the planet: a dynamic dimension that engages medicine, biology, ecology, economics, social coexistence, and culture.
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