My name is Alessandra Chirico and I am the founder of Chirico Consulting, a Brussels-based advisory firm focused on public affairs, strategic communication, European projects and institutional relations, particularly at the intersection of technology, innovation and policy. Through my work, I support organisations, associations and networks in building partnerships, developing European initiatives and creating projects with cultural and social impact.

Alongside this activity, I serve as Head of European & International Relations and EU Projects at INTRECCI, where I work to strengthen the association’s European dimension through institutional partnerships, EU-funded projects and collaborations connecting culture, innovation and public affairs.

INTRECCI was born from a simple conviction: culture is not a collection of isolated events or abstract knowledge, but a living fabric of relationships. In a fragmented world, we wanted to create a space able to reconnect people, disciplines, generations and experiences.

This project also carries a personal meaning for me. Through INTRECCI, life brought me back together with Massimo Montanile, President of INTRECCI. Massimo was a former colleague with whom I had shared important professional experiences years ago. Time allowed our paths to intertwine again around a common vision: culture as a space of dialogue, inclusion and transformation.

Together, we are building a cultural laboratory where humanities and technology, memory and innovation, local realities and European opportunities can meet and speak to one another. Through conferences, artistic initiatives, educational activities and public discussions on AI, digital transformation, ethics, inclusion, gender equality and intergenerational dialogue, INTRECCI seeks to create meaningful and lasting connections.

For me, fundraising is not simply about financing individual events. It is about helping build a sustainable community around ideas, values and projects capable of generating long-term cultural and social impact. Every contribution supports people — young generations, artists, scholars, women and men — who still believe in culture and dialogue as forces capable of bringing people closer rather than pushing them apart.

Because culture grows through relationships. And because, today more than ever, creating connections is itself a civic act.