The final report on the 19th edition is now online: the communication figures
Three days of competitions, prototypes, research, career guidance, meetings with companies, creative contests and intergenerational dialogue. RomeCup 2026 has come to a close, leaving a broad and shared legacy, which we now bring together in the final communications report, alongside the official video of the 19th edition.
From 28 to 30 April, the event, promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS, welcomed over 4,000 participants, including students, researchers, lecturers and innovators. The programme involved 100 teams in robotics competitions, 32 teams in creative contests, 11 universities, 17 university guidance talks and an exhibition area featuring prototypes from 53 organisations.
The report summarises the outcomes of a special edition, dedicated to the theme “What’s next? Intelligence and talent in dialogue”, which focused on the talent of the younger generation and their role in the convergence of artificial intelligence, robotics and the humanities. The fourth edition of the Research Award – Most Promising Researcher in Robotics and AI was also enriched by a new category on Cyber Humanities, in tribute to Tullio De Mauro, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale.
There was also extensive media coverage, thanks to the collaboration with Corriere della Sera, RaiNews.it, Rai Radio 3, Rai Scuola and TGR. Corriere della Sera’s live coverage of the opening conference, the awards ceremony at the Esedra di Marco Aurelio and the tribute to Tullio De Mauro totalled over 1.2 million video views. RaiNews.it covered the event with a veritable editorial marathon: 23 video interviews, 43 news items, a platform with 736,000 unique users per day and 11 million unique users per month according to Audiweb data from April 2026.
The overall press coverage totalled 135 publications, with an estimated audience of 26.7 million and an Equivalent Advertising Value for daily newspapers amounting to €319,000. In detail: 15 press agencies, 10 daily newspapers, 47 websites, 45 radio reports and 2 reports on Rai news programmes.
Digital coverage also accompanied the entire RomeCup journey, highlighting the competition, partners, key figures and opportunities for schools and young people. 136 posts were published on the Foundation’s social media channels, reaching over 100,000 people, with 320,000 total views and 8,000 interactions. Over 50 articles dedicated to the event were published on the institutional website, whilst a playlist featuring interviews, reports and official videos from RomeCup 2026 is available on the YouTube channel.
The report also highlights the contribution of companies and technology partners, who led workshops, challenges, hands-on labs and discussion sessions on artificial intelligence, robotics, digital skills and responsible innovation. Among the initiatives covered: Roll Cloud, Rising Youth, Ital.IA Lab, Experience AI, Vivi Internet, al meglio, Make It Real and Il Futuro della Cura.
Finally, the spotlight is on the stars of the challenges: the young researchers honoured by the Research Award, the teams from the creative robotics contests and the winners of the 19th International City of Rome Trophy.
From care robots to marine conservation, from unmanned systems to biomedical devices, RomeCup 2026 has confirmed the value of an interdisciplinary approach to innovation, evaluating projects on the basis of originality, functionality, complexity, usability, accessibility, sustainability and social impact.
The official video brings together images, voices and key moments from this edition: a visual summary of the energy that brings schools, universities, businesses, research organisations and institutions to Rome every year to build new paths for the future together.
