Psiquadro is a social enterprise active in the field of science and research communication for general audiences, established in 2002 by scientists and communicators who have been working in the science communication field since the 1990s.

Due to its achievements over the last 15 years and introduction of innovative public engagement methods into the Italian context, Psiquadro was awarded the Italian National Prize Romeo Bassoli for outreach by the Italian Physical Society in September 2015.

Psiquadro aims at making science a cultural event through festivals, outreach activities and creative science communication formats for general audiences of all ages.

With its events, Psiquadro also contributes to making science museums, science centers and research centers lively cultural environments engaging a wide range of audiences in processes of constant dialogue.

Psiquadro organises cultural events, such as the Einstein Island, and other science-oriented weeks and weekends all year-long in Italian cities and towns. The company manages both the scientific content and practical aspects of the cultural events. Psiquadro activities also include workshops for students from 3 to 18 years of age, and special projects for secondary school students.

With its longstanding experience in organising science events, Psiquadro has been involved in a diverse set of European projects for science communication, where it gained proficiency and practical skills. Recent projects include: PLACES (the Platform for Local Authorities and Communicators Engaged with Science), aimed at developing policy strategies to profile Cities of Scientific Culture in Europe; Wonders 2007, the European Science Festival in which Psiquadro was awarded first prize by the audience; 2WAYS, a science communication project on synthetic biology;and Inprofood and Nanopinion, each presenting scientific achievements and open issues on food and nanotechnologies, respectively.

Besides the organisation of science events, Psiquadro is an experienced partner in training of science communicators and researchers in the field of science communication. Having repeatedly proved its ability, the company is capable of designing and developing effective training strategies for researchers.

Moreover, Psiquadro is actively involved in the promotion and communication of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). Being involved in a strategic process of university development at the University of Perugia, over the last three years Psiquadro has been working on triggering effective institutional processes to set up a new department for Responsible Research Communication. The company is adept in setting structural goals in institutional environments and in assessing what is achievable.

As part of its actions in research communication during 2012, Psiquadro introduced in Italy the InternationalFameLab Competition in collaboration with British Council Italy. To date, the competition has involved four editions, 12 cities in Italy, more than 400 researchers as contestants and over 50 national partners including research centres and research institutions.

Psiquadro has also coordinated the SHARPER project for the development of the European Researchers’ Night in Perugia, L’Aquila and Ancona. SHARPER was one of the five projects supported by the European Commission through the Marie Curie Actions of Horizon 2020 in Italy in 2014 and 2015. A new project has been approved by the European Commission to develop a European Researchers’ Night in five cities, adding to the previous ones Palermo and Cascina (where the European Gravitational Observatory is based). SHARPER 2016 and 2017 will SHAre Researchers’Passions for Engagement and Responsibility.