(20 May 2016) New prospects for collaboration between the prestigious MIT-Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and the academic and research system of Friuli Venezia Giulia region. This has emerged, in fact, in recent days in the US, in the last stage of the economic-institutional mission of FVG. Leading the mission in the US, was president of the region Debora Serracchiani who was accompanied by the Consul General in Boston Nicola De Santis. The President was welcomed by Serenella Sferza, coordinator of MIT Italy – a program that has the purpose to integrate the institute and Italy – who explained the philosophy, structure and opportunities of what is considered to be one of the top research universities in the world, (founded by the geologist William Barton Rogers in 1861). Sferza, who is of Italian origin from her father’s side from Trieste and who has obtained the Order Knight of the Star conferred by the Italian President of the Republic for the promotion of national prestige abroad; recalls how Italy and MIT share “in addition to the year of their birth, they share the passion for innovation through rigorous research and intellectual creativity “: “More than 50 students receive research contracts or teaching internships each year in Italy through the MIT Italy program who already cooperates with technical universities in Milan and Turin and the University of Pisa” . Sferza then focused on the “Teaching internships” programme that allows MIT faculty to travel to Italy (last year even in schools of Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Grigoletti High School and Kennedy Institute among others) to teach science subjects in English. Serracchiani – illustrating some of the achievements of the university and research system of Friuli Venezia Giulia – called for the establishment of joint courses in strategic areas of research for the MIT and the universities of the region, which will also be detailed in the upcoming Economic Forum FVG-USA in July in Trieste. (PO / red)
