This paper follows the presentation of the conference "The BRICS Group in the spotlight. An interdisciplinary approach" held in Parma on 6-7 November 2014. In the first part it underlines the massive importance of BRICS countries in different milieus, as they now represent the 40% of the inhabitants of our planet; therefore we have not only an opportunity but also an obligation to study such entity.Subsequently, the article explains the "road map" of the BRICS conference held in Parma. Starting in 2011, Professor Scaffardi started to observe the BRICS more closely; creating a research group, Professor Scaffardi (together with the members of the aforementioned research group), the results have been transcript into four panels, creating four macro themes on which the conference was based.The conclusion leaves us with a semi-open question, on which the BRICS are de facto something new, bashed with perfection and innovation, or a growing creature with impressive capabilities but yet far from perfection.