The University of Palermo - ITALY

The University of Palermo (PU) is an acknowledged public academic institution in central-western Sicily. Its 5 schools (Medicine and Surgery; Polytechnic; Law, Social and economic Sciences; Applied Sciences; Humanities and Cultural Heritage) and 20 Departments cover the most important domains of scientific and technological knowledge. About 122 courses (first and second cycle) are yearly offered as well as 44 master and specialization and 23 PhD courses, targeted to the training of specific professional profiles, attracting 11,085 first-year students in 2013/2014 academic year. Successful technological transfer is promoted through a network of University labs (UniNetLab) and, more recently, through the Mediterranean Centre for Human Health Advanced Biotecnologies (Med-CHHAB), for enhancing synergies among the different areas of expertise of the academic technology offer, testing and transferring new technologies to SME, whereas the Industrial Liaison Office fosters the relationships between academia and industry and ARCA university business incubator, located within the campus, supports the generation and development of innovative start-ups.  There are 125 active international research collaborations with European, African, USA, Canadian, and Eastern universities. The University of Palermo currently awards 5 double degrees (1st and 2nd cycle) and 7 joint Phd titles. It is engaged in inter-institutional Erasmus+ agreements with 24 European Union Countries. The University of Palermo has achieved a significant expertise in the design and management of EU funded projects; it currently manages nr. 16 Industrial Research Projects funded under the Structural Funds – ERDF National Operative Plan 2007-2013, nr. 11 Industrial district projects, nr. 26 industrial research projects funded under the Structural Funds – ERDF Regional Operative Plan 2007-2013; nr. 7 ERDFF Rural Development Plan projects; nr. 9 projects of Mediterranean Cross-border cooperation (5 Italy-Malta; 3 Italy-Tunisia; 1 ENPI CBC MED), nr. 32 projects funded under the 7th Framework Programme for R&D and n. 2 projects funded under the Erasmus+ Programme.