The Next Generation Molecular Modeling (NGMM2026) Summer School, organized by CRS4 in collaboration with the University of Cagliari, concluded today at the Sardegna Ricerche headquarters in the Science and Technology Park of Sardinia.
The school brought together 40 participants, selected from more than 100 applications received from 26 countries, confirming the strong international interest in the topics addressed and the high scientific profile of the initiative.
Over five intensive days, early-career researchers and scientists from universities and research institutions around the world attended lectures, tutorials and hands-on sessions covering the latest advances in molecular modeling. The program explored topics ranging from multiscale simulations and molecular dynamics to artificial intelligence applications, advanced materials, and complex biomolecular systems.
The final day focused on molecular dynamics in electronically excited states, the electronic and optical properties of materials, hybrid methods for drug discovery, polymer-grafted nanoparticles, and the structural modeling of melanin.
The Summer School provided an outstanding opportunity for advanced training and scientific exchange, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and encouraging new collaborations in the field of molecular modeling and computational simulations.
The initiative was organized by CRS4 and the University of Cagliari within the Hybrid Hub (H2UB) project, funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, and was hosted at the Sardegna Ricerche headquarters in the Science and Technology Park of Sardinia.
At the end of the Summer School, the organizers Maria Valentini and Enrico Pieroni (CRS4) and Francesca Mocci (University of Cagliari) expressed their sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the initiative: the lecturers and participants, the administrative staff who managed the organizational and administrative aspects of the event, the secretarial staff who supported procurement activities, quotations and the day-to-day management of the school, the information systems, networking and internal services teams for their technical and logistical support throughout the week, and Sardegna Ricerche for hosting the event and for its valuable collaboration.