(7 March 2016) Fincantieri and the University of Rhode Island, through its International Engineering Program (IEP), signed an agreement establishing the beginning of mutual collaboration to develop academic and cultural interchange. The agreement, of an initial duration of three years with renewal possibility, will begin in the first half of 2017 and will be dedicated to undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Rhode Island. In particular, Fincantieri will consider the insertion of some of the most skilled students from the Departments of Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic Engineering of the American university, in an internship program in Italy. After a training period, the American students will be given the chance to increase and upgrade their systemic and transversal skills within the Italian company, integrating the specialist know-how acquired in the academic world with the concreteness and professionalism of the business world. The agreement also features the possibility of activating further collaboration projects related to research and innovation via the American subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group (FMG). The agreement is part of the Group’s global strategy, aimed at undertaking continuous collaboration projects with top international universities and institutes so as to increase Fincantieri’s presence worldwide and attract talents and professionals from all over the world. “Fincantieri, which has always given fundamental importance to the training and development of its employees – reads a note by the group – intends to give a further response with this initiative to an increasingly more complex, global and competitive market.” (Red)