Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati

 

In 2024, the Sapienza’s School for Advanced Studies (SSAS) signed a three-year agreement with the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation (ISSNAF) to facilitate access for qualified students to universities and advanced research centers in North America for study and training opportunities.

Through this partnership, SSAS and ISSNAF aim to select a total of 11 SSAS students in their final year of a master’s degree program and doctoral candidates for 2024.

What is the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation (ISSNAF)?

ISSNAF is a non-profit organization with a mission to connect, empower, and celebrate the intellectual diaspora of Italians in North America while fostering a shared identity around a common cultural heritage.

Founded in 2007 by 36 founding members, including four Nobel laureates, ISSNAF today has a broad reach across the United States and Canada. It brings together thousands of scholars and researchers from all fields of research and technological development who are affiliated with prestigious research institutions in North America.

ISSNAF has long been instrumental in connecting young researchers from Italy with its network of scholars in North America. It organizes events to promote networking and facilitate academic, scientific, and technological cooperation between the two regions.

[Click here to visit the ISSNAF website.]

Enhancing International Mobility, Supported by the MUR

In 2023, the Internationalization Office of the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) approved ISSNAF’s proposal to fund, for two years, the development of a system to gather offers of study and research training mobility opportunities across North America. These opportunities are provided by ISSNAF members and affiliates.

The creation of a dedicated software infrastructure enables a systematic and more automated approach to developing a database of mobility offers and collaboration opportunities. It also allows for optimized matching between requests and offers.

Once operational, ISSNAF's digital system will provide a valuable service to Italian universities and schools, like SSAS, in support of international mobility.

This project particularly aims to support universities seeking to expand their collaboration networks in North America. It will focus on selecting students who propose projects of mutual interest to both their Italian supervisors and their American host collaborators.

The success of these projects will not only enhance the individual students training but, more importantly, will pave the way for further collaborations for entire research groups, increasing the visibility of the Italian institutions