Inaugural Workshop on Active Inference in Italy: Free-Energy across engineering, complex systems and neurosciences
23 – 24 June 2026 – Scuola Superiore Meridionale (Via Mezzocannone 4, Napoli)
Originating in computational neuroscience, the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference have emerged as a unifying framework spanning artificial intelligence, decision-making, and increasingly, engineering applications. This interdisciplinary workshop provides a forum for researchers and students to explore these ideas from multiple perspectives. It features tutorial sessions designed for those seeking an accessible introduction to the Free Energy Principle and Active Inference, alongside talks that highlight contemporary challenges, emerging research directions, and cross-disciplinary opportunities. In addition to invited presentations and roundtables, the workshop includes a spotlight presentation session to offer students and early-career researchers the opportunity to present and discuss their work.
🎓 Spotlight Presentations Opportunity! 🌟
Do you want to share your research? Submit an abstract for a spotlight (5 minutes) presentations
Note: registration is free but spots are limited. Make sure to register on time!
Invited Speakers
Rory Bufacchi
EMBL Rome
Francesco Bullo
University of California Santa Barbara
Antonella Maselli
University of Messina
Domenico Maisto
CNR, Inst. Cognitive Sciences & Technologies
Giuseppe Pagnoni
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Matteo Torzoni
Politecnico Milano
Pierluigi Sacco
University of Chieti
Day 1
10.00: Institutional Greetings and Workshop Introduction
10.30: Sequential Planning and Spatial Navigation Through Active Inference (G. Pezzulo)
11.00: Normative Models of Ethological Behaviour: from zebrafish, through mice to humans (R. Bufacchi)
11.30: Coffee Break
12.00: An active inference account of intentional and unintentional motor behavior (A. Maselli)
12.30: Collective Cognition Emerging from the Free Energy Principle (D. Maisto)
13.00: Coffee Break
15.00: Biologically Plausible Computing: Navigating Energy Landscapes (F. Bullo)
15.30: A Control-Theoretical Approach to the Free Energy Principle (G. Russo)
16.00: Coffee Break
16.30: Decision-Making and Learning in Mechanical Systems via Free Energy Minimization (M. Torzoni)
17.00: Spotlight Presentations
Day 2
09.30: Collective Intelligence as Distributed Precision Optimization: an active inference approach to metabolically efficient social cognition (P. Sacco)
10.00: Probing Intentional Engagement of Mental Effort With Active Inference (G. Pagnoni)
10.30: Coffee Break
11.00: Fireside chat with Karl Friston [joining remotely]
11.30: Roundtable
Organizers
Giovanni Pezzulo
National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies
Giovanni Russo
University of Salerno & Board Member PhD Program in Modelling & Engineering Risk and Complexity (MERC)
Call for Spotlight Presentations
We invite graduate students and early-career researchers to submit abstracts for spotlight presentations during the concluding session of the workshop. This is an excellent opportunity to present your work on topics related to the Free Energy Principle, active inference, and their applications to complex systems.
Submission format: Extended abstract (1–2 pages) describing the contribution, including preliminary results where applicable.
Topics of interest include: Variational inference, active inference for planning, FEP-based control, neural circuit models, distributionally robust control, reinforcement learning, collective behaviors and intelligence, complexity science
Submission deadline: TBA — Please check back or contact the organizers for updates.
Register Here
Note: Reservations are confirmed by email from the organizers