A New Chapter in Academic Mobility: ISSNAF Connects Italian Talent with Leading North American Institutions

Following a cooperation agreement between ISSNAF and four University Schools participating in the MERITA project (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Scuola Normale Superiore, Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori dell'Università di Padova, and Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati di Sapienza Università di Roma) two of these institutions have taken a further step forward.

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA) and Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati di Sapienza (SSAS) Università di Roma have jointly launched a new mobility initiative to support outstanding students in pursuing research and academic experiences in North America.

Thanks to the commitment of both Schools, the initiative was further strengthened through the availability of dedicated scholarships supporting students’ mobility projects, funded through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) within the framework of the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme.

Notably, Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati di Sapienza Università di Roma chose to extend the opportunity to students from the entire Sapienza University community, broadening the initiative’s reach and impact.

Following the calls issued by the two institutions, ISSNAF received 13 applications across a wide range of academic disciplines. All candidates were successfully matched with professors and institutions of exceptional standing in the United States and Canada, reflecting both the strength of the ISSNAF network and the high caliber of the selected students.

Mobility placements include prestigious institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard Medical School, University of California San Diego, and New York University, École de technologie supérieure (Montréal), offering students the opportunity to engage with highly stimulating international academic environments. These institutions are among the top-ranked universities worldwide and have long been positioned at the highest levels of international academic rankings, providing participants with an exceptional opportunity to engage with world-leading research and teaching environments.

The selected students come from highly diverse academic backgrounds, spanning the humanities and social sciences, including communication, marketing, history, and anthropology, as well as STEM fields such as computer science, engineering, biophysics, and life sciences.  The cohort also reflects a strong participation of women students, with seven women among the selected candidates, further underscoring the importance of fostering broad and inclusive access to international academic mobility opportunities.

Their mobility periods, which have just begun or are about to start, will range from a minimum of three months to a maximum of one year.

ISSNAF would like to warmly thank the entire community, not only those who directly offered to host students, but also all the members who contributed their time and expertise to identifying the best possible academic match for each candidate.

A special acknowledgment goes to Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati Sapienza and Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna for their valuable collaboration, for embracing the shared vision behind this mobility initiative, and for actively supporting it through dedicated funding opportunities that will help students fully benefit from these international experiences.