On 27 March 2025, the international workshop The actual role of Academies in a changing world, organised by the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna in collaboration with the University of Bologna “Alma Mater Studiorum”, with the contribution of the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Bologna, was held in Bologna. The President of the Istituto Lombardo Accademia di Scienze e Lettere, Professor Stefano Maiorana, participated in the afternoon session with the speech that is published in this volume.