A Digital identity, social media and emotional wellbeing will all be discussed during two public workshops on 27 and 28 February, during the International Comic Art Festival in Lugano.
From 26 February to 1 March 2026, Lugano will be the comic art capital of Switzerland thanks to the international InnovaComiX festival, which will bring more than 50 Swiss and international creators to Villa Ciani this year.
The packed schedule includes workshops that are open to the public, along with meetings with creators, and slots for new talents. The highlight will be the presentation ceremony for the 30 Cygne d’Argent awards and the 2026 Cygne d’Or, in recognition of the artistic achievement, storytelling ability and cultural impact of the selected works.
At the 2026 event, IBSA Foundation for scientific research is running two hands-on workshops based on key topics for the younger generations.
HappyLabs: emotional wellbeing and digital identity workshops
For their InnovaComiX debut, the HappyLabs will look into emotional wellbeing and creating a digital identity. The focus will be on the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on personal growth, especially for teenagers.
The two events will take place in the Villa Ciani workshop area:
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Thursday 27 February, from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
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Friday 28 February, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
What are HappyLabs?
They are workshops run by experts from the fields of psychology and communication, during which participants play an active part in discussions. Combining scientific concepts with creative activities, the format encourages them to think about their relationships with the digital world and reflect on their personal growth in contemporary society.
There are three stages: a scientific introduction to the psychological mechanisms behind the digital experience, a masks workshop (the creative focal point), and the wellbeing pyramid, which sees participants thinking about their values and drawing parallels between the real and digital worlds.
The HappyLabs are part of the Happiness2.0 project, which promotes informed reflection on subjective happiness, personality development and social relationships in the digital era. Instead of looking for predetermined answers, it is all about debate and how people see everyday life, both online and offline.
Other IBSA Foundation events at InnovaComiX
As well as the HappyLabs, there will be two other significant IBSA Foundation initiatives at InnovaComiX 2026.
Scientific comics panel
At 3:30 pm on Friday 28 February, Silvia Misiti, Director of IBSA Foundation, will take part in a panel discussion about scientific comics with Dario Bressanini and Alessandro Tota. Pietro Scarnera will moderate. They will talk about the important role that popular science comics can play and the ties between science and visual storytelling. Click here to find out more.
Support for the Cygne d’Argent awards
A central role at the 2026 edition will go to the Cygne d’Argent awards: a new type of InnovaComiX accolade presented to 30 works selected by the International Curatorial Committee. IBSA Foundation is backing the recently introduced awards, which champion artistic excellence, powerful storytelling and the cultural impact of contemporary comic art.
IBSA Foundation and InnovaComiX
Behind the partnership is a belief that IBSA Foundation has held for some time: comic art is one of the most effective ways of telling people about science, encouraging them to ask questions and reaching different audiences. Comic art has always provided opportunities to experiment and bring people together, in everything from Let’s Science! and other outreach programmes over the years, to conversations with young people.
As an event where science, storytelling and visual culture are naturally intertwined, InnovaComiX is the ideal place to give this vision concrete form.
