Promotion of International Activities

The University of Florence is a partner of the New European Bauhaus (NEB), an initiative of the European Commission inspired by the art school founded in Germany between the two wars and led by the architect, designer and urban planner Walter Gropius. 

NEB aims to revive the Bauhaus experience in Europe, which combined artistic form with functional design, with the aim of studying solutions for the creation of virtuous and sustainable living spaces, in line with the European Green Deal.

NEB promotes - through a series of initiatives for the exchange of ideas and research - the dialogue between designers, architects, engineers, scientists, students and creative minds from all disciplines, with the involvement of citizens, businesses, public administrations, trade associations and any other stakeholder or final user.

The University of Florence intends to make a contribution in particular to the "Mediterranean" dimension of the New European Bauhaus.

The University of Florence has joined the SAR Network – Scholars at Risk - a global network of over 530 universities in 41 countries committed to defending academic freedom and research in countries governed by illiberal regimes.

The primary goal of the network is to offer temporary refuge to “at-risk” scholars and researchers from countries where academic freedom is not guaranteed and where their personal safety is under threat.

In addition to providing sanctuary, the SAR Network promotes advocacy activities through the organization of seminars and the production of specific reports on issues related to violations of freedom of thought and the dissemination of critical knowledge. These initiatives often involve at-risk scholars hosted by member universities in Italy and abroad.

Academic contact person: Maria Paola Monaco, Delegate for Inclusion and Diversity

Administrative contact: Silvia Villa, Office for Internationalization Promotion and Development, Internationalization Unit

The Tuscany University Network (TUNE) is the network of Tuscan universities for the promotion abroad of teaching and research activities carried out in Tuscany. 

It is made up of the University of Florence, the University of Pisa, the University of Siena, the University for Foreigners of Siena, the Scuola Normale Superiore and the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, with the aim of promoting the internationalization of Tuscan universities.

TUNE aims to promote and increase the study and research opportunities offered by Tuscan Universities and Research Institutes and Centres, but also to develop international relations with public and private foreign universities and other institutions, thanks to collaboration agreements and international student mobility. 

The network represents a fundamental point of reference for transnational mobility and cooperation policies in support of qualified university training and research programs.

The Confucius Institute is the official body for the teaching of Chinese in the world, recognized and funded by the Ministry of Education of China.

The Confucius Institute of Florence was born in March 2014 as a result of the collaboration between the University of Florence and Tongji University (Shanghai). 

It offers Chinese language courses at all levels.

In addition to the spread of Chinese language and culture, the Institute organizes meetings and seminars with experts from the Chinese world; events about Chinese culture; specialized courses (Chinese for business; for tourism; for children).

Since 2015 the University of Florence benefits from the services offered by the Centre for the Academic Promotion of Orientation of Study in Italy (Uni-Italia) thanks to a specific convention, renewed in 2020, in a partnership with the Tuscan universities network for the abroad promotion of study and research activities held in the Region.

Uni-Italia, which was founded on 30 July 2010 jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of University and Research, the Ministry of Interior and the Italy China Foundation, has the aim of favouring the attraction of foreign students and researchers towards Italian universities, through the promotion of the Italian educational offer and to encourage the university cooperation and cultural exchanges among Italy and the other countries. The Association is present in several countries including China, India, Indonesia, Iran and Vietnam.

The Uni-Italia centres at the Italian embassies abroad deal with providing information about the educational offer to those students interested in continuing their studies in Italy, they offer support in the pre-enrolment procedures and assistance to foreign universities interested in collaborations with the Italian universities.

Moreover, the Uni-Italia centres, together with the Italian Cultural Institutes and the Italian Consulates abroad, promote the spread of Italian culture and language.

In 2021, the University of Florence joined the Italian Interuniversity Consortium for Argentina (CUIA).

The Consortium was created in 2002 as an internationalization project for the Italian university system, initially involving 14 Italian public universities.

Under the coordination of the University of Camerino (UniCam), in 2004 the project became a “Consortium” with the aim of promoting Italian culture in Argentina through the development, promotion, and implementation of international academic cooperation programs between the two countries.

The Consortium has about 30 member universities and is chaired by Flavio Corradini of the University of Camerino.

The Consortium operates in Italy and Argentina, promoting and supporting specialized training and information activities, joint research projects, and the mobility of students, teachers, and researchers, particularly PhD students. The promotion and support of mobility for Italian and Argentine PhD students has been recognized in the “Executive Protocol of Cultural and Educational Collaboration between the Italian and the Argentine Governments for the years 2014-2018.”