Collaborative research

The University of Florence is more than an educational institution — it is a strategic partner dedicated to transforming knowledge into value.

Unifi fosters structured collaborations in which academic expertise and industrial vision converge to pursue shared, ambitious scientific goals.

Working with Unifi entails establishing a collaborative framework grounded in:

• Shared objectives: scientific goals are jointly defined to address concrete market challenges.
• Equitable partnership: both parties engage actively and reciprocally throughout every phase of the project.
• Integrated expertise: the know‑how of our researchers is combined with the resources of your organisation or institution.
• Resource efficiency: cost management is conducted in a shared and transparent manner.
• Open knowledge: results remain accessible for future developments, ensuring transparency and safeguarding fair competition.

Collaborative Research Agreements   
“Strategic synergies for shared scientific challenges”   
More than a simple service, these agreements represent a true intellectual partnership. They are designed for companies or institutions wishing to tackle research and development challenges together with our researchers. Activities are carried out jointly to achieve results that address a shared scientific interest, ensuring a balanced framework in which each partner contributes to—and benefits from—the innovation generated, without one party prevailing over the other.

Joint Laboratories
“A cutting‑edge ecosystem for structured innovation”
This is the most advanced form of collaborative research, conceived for medium‑term partnerships that require a high‑level joint commitment. In a Joint Laboratory, the University and the company/institution pool strategic assets and significant infrastructures—from large facilities and scientific equipment to unique materials and prototypes. Through shared spaces, financial resources, and multidisciplinary teams, we establish a stable laboratory dedicated to achieving scientific and industrial objectives with deep and lasting impact.

Innovation Laboratories 
"The engine of high‑impact multidisciplinary research”   
These are strategic collaborations designed to address complex challenges requiring a cross‑disciplinary vision. In this model of collaborative research, the company/institution interacts simultaneously with multiple University structures, integrating human resources, scientific expertise, and diverse organisational capabilities. The goal is to generate innovations of significant technological, scientific, and social relevance, transforming academic knowledge into concrete solutions for global and local challenges.

Collaborating with Unifi is simple and straightforward:

• Share your challenge: tell Unifi about your idea or the technological need you aim to address.
• Connect with experts: Unifi immediately puts you in touch with the researchers best suited to your sector.
• Build the future together: Unifi jointly identifies the most suitable framework (agreement, joint laboratory, or innovation lab) to generate real value for your company or institution.

Every collaboration is grounded in shared scientific interest, exchange of expertise, and transparency, ensuring meaningful value for both the company/institution and the University.

Regolamento per la ricerca collaborativa con soggetti pubblici e privati (Regulation for collaborative research with public and private entities) in Statuto e normativa (Italian website).