What on Earth is FRS?
Fostering Research Synergies (FRS) is what happens when you give a bunch of complex systems nerds from CREF Rome, IMT Lucca, and CSH Vienna the freedom to self-organize a workshop. Spoiler alert: it actually works!
Born from the collective wisdom (and mild chaos) of PhD students and young researchers, FRS is an informal-yet-rigorous gathering where networks meet neuroscience, urban systems shake hands with economic complexity, and everyone argues about the best null models over espresso.
After a successful debut (v1.0) in Lucca and a bonus round (v1.X) in Vienna, version 2.0 landed at CREF in Rome. Think of it as academic speed-dating, but with more Laplacian matrices and fewer awkward silences.
🎯 The Mission
- Connect emerging scientists across institutions
- Share research without the conference pressure
- Discover collaborations hiding in plain sight
- Discuss career stuff that matters (but nobody talks about)
- Prove that young researchers can organize cool things
🔬 The Science
- Network theory & applications
- Economic complexity & production networks
- Social dynamics & innovation
- Urban systems & mobility
- Neuroscience & brain networks
- Maximum entropy models (obviously)
The Numbers Game
3
Days of intense discussion (and strategic coffee consumption)
5
Senior talks from brilliant minds
30+
Young researcher presentations spanning the complexity universe
1
Complexity Quiz (yes, it got competitive)
∞
Potential collaborations sparked
0
Regrets (except maybe that last espresso at 9 PM)
The Full Program
Three days packed with science, debates, and the occasional existential crisis about p-values:
Wednesday, November 20
• Giulio Iannelli - Topological Symmetry Breaking in signed networks
• Lorenzo Grimaldi - Heat capacity and spectral dimension of networks
• Alessio Catanzaro - Renormalization as a reconstruction tool
• Francesca Giuffrida - E-values for Maximum Entropy Models
• Mattia Marzi - Solving non-linear Exponential Random Graphs
• Lorenzo Lucarini - Critical Properties of Small-World Networks
• Margherita Bertè - Fibration Symmetries with Higher-Order Interactions
• Giovanni Palermo - Network topology effects on social circle polls
• Riccardo Basilone - Using road width to plan realistic protected lanes
• Emanuele Calò - Multidimensional Territorial Attractiveness
• Gabriele Poidomani - Renormalizing the human connectome
• Liber Dorizzi - Multi-Scale Structural Analysis of Ego Networks
• Francesca Santucci - Diffusion processes for edge classification
• Nicola Alborè - Multi resolution hierarchical reservoir computing
• Lavinia Rossi Mori - Unequal Cities and service accessibility
• Arianna Armanetti - Hide and seek with variables in psychometrics
• Federica Fanelli - Core-Periphery Structure through Urban Mobility
• Andrea Vismara - Climate change and migrations via ML
Thursday, November 21
• Leonardo Ialongo - Challenges in network reconstruction for economic systems
• Giacomo Zelbi - Mitigating systemic risk in production networks
• Massimiliano Fessina - The trophic structure of products' I/O network
• Maddalena Mula - How product complexity explains firm growth
• Enrico Fenoaltea - Following the money: AI exposure across sectors
• Valeria Secchini - Incoherence between trade and corporate structures
• Matteo Straccamore - Geographic Proximity and Network Similarity
• Lorenzo Buffa - Optimal Transport to measure suboptimality
• Daniele Cirulli - Evolution of Reddit-Verse in Political Discourse
• Giordano De Marzo - Simulating LLMs Societies
• Gabriele Braghelli - Polya's urns, innovation & obsolescence
• Alessandro Bellina - Discovery processes: modelling and applications
• Filippo Santoro - Avalanches Size Statistics in Innovation Processes
• Gabriele Di Bona - Measuring Scientific Novelty in Research Outputs
Friday, November 22
The Survival Guide
🏛️ Getting Inside CREF
The Situation: CREF is inside the Italian Ministry of Interior (yes, really).
The Solution: Meet at Piazza del Viminale, 1 by 8:45 AM. A CREF member will escort you through security.
Running Late? Text Giulio (+39 3333948770) with your ETA and name.
🍽️ Social Dinner Details
Where: Osteria A piedi pari, Via dei Volsci, 82 (San Lorenzo)
When: 20:45 (Thursday)
Pro Tip: Arrive 15 mins early. It's 15-20 min walk from Viminale/Termini.
Why: Because networks are better discussed over wine and carbonara.
The Aftermath
What People Actually Said
"Grazie mille per aver partecipato così numerosi alla seconda edizione del Fostering! [...] Ci rende felici vedere che già dal secondo anno siete stati molti di più rispetto all'anno scorso, con la partecipazione anche di ricercatori dal CSH."
— The FRS Organizing Committee
The committee's call for new organizers was met with enthusiastic responses from researchers wanting to join the team. Because apparently, when you create something good, people actually want to be part of it. Who knew?
The Plot Twist
Museum Drama 🎭
Friday's museum visit hit an unexpected snag due to events involving the Amaldi Family, leading to interviews at the museum. The visit was postponed, but hey, that's research life – adaptable and full of surprises!
The organizing committee promised a better museum experience for future visits. We hold them to it.
Why FRS Matters
In a world of formal conferences and polished presentations, FRS is a breath of fresh air. It's where:
- ✅ Young researchers can present half-baked ideas without judgment
- ✅ "Stupid questions" are celebrated (because they're never actually stupid)
- ✅ Collaborations start over espresso, not through formal emails
- ✅ You can admit you don't understand something without feeling inadequate
- ✅ The people who actually do the research organize the event
- ✅ Science meets real talk about academic well-being and career paths
The Legacy Continues
From Lucca (v1.0) to Vienna (v1.X) to Rome (v2.0), FRS is building something special. The organizing committee is actively recruiting new members to keep the momentum going.
"Non vediamo l'ora di rivedervi alla prossima edizione del workshop (chissà, magari a Vienna! 😊)"
🎉 Fun Fact
FRS stands for "Fostering Research Synergies," but participants joke it also means "Free Research Spirit," "Finding Research Soulmates," or "Finally, Real Science (discussions)".