Enhancement of the institutions for higher education

The MERITA, the network for talent project is funded within the Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), Missione 4 – Istruzione e Ricerca, Componente 1, Investimento 3.4 "Didattica e competenze universitarie avanzate"- "Rafforzamento delle Scuole universitarie superiori". (National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4 – Education and Research, Component 1, Investment 3.4 "Advanced university teaching and competences" - "Enhancement of the institutions for higher education".)

MERITA is the result of a collaboration between five Italian academic institutions: the Scuola Normale Superiore, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, the Collegio Superiore dell’Università di Bologna, the Scuola Galileiana di Studi Superiori dell’Università di Padova and the Scuola Superiore di Studi Avanzati della Sapienza Università di Roma.

The Project – which has received a total funding of around 11 million euros for a duration of 24 months – aims to enhance the role of the Scuole Superiori in the higher education system, promoting merit, inclusion and the development of advanced skills. 

MERITA has five strategic goals for promoting social inclusion, the enhancement of talent and the removal of every possible barrier to its development, through five main activities:

• Orientation and social mobility  
  MERITA aims to increase the number of students of high merit coming from disadvantaged socio-economic contexts and internal areas able to access university studies. The orientation activities will also focus on the STEM disciplines, with particular attention to women students, promoting greater equality in access to higher education.
• Seasonal and Summer Schools for undergraduates and PhD students  
  MERITA involves the organisation of residential Schools open to first- and second-level university students and PhD students. The short courses will be characterised by an interdisciplinary and innovative approach and cutting-edge research topics, involving collaborations with national and international universities to offer the participants opportunities for academic and personal growth.
• Internationalisation and mobility  
  MERITA will encourage the international mobility of students and researchers thanks to collaborations with the Fulbright programme and exchange agreements with universities abroad, guaranteeing a global educational experience. Also envisaged are opportunities for international exchanges and internships, both outgoing and incoming, with programmes dedicated to incoming mobility.
• Digital ecosystem  
  MERITA will plan and create a Digital Ecosystem, a web platform that will facilitate the sharing of resources among the Scuole of the network. Particular attention will be given to the implementation of online courses (MOOC) on specific topics and transversal skills, accessible to a wide student audience.
• Infrastructures  
  MERITA envisages sizeable investments for the improvement of the teaching and residential infrastructures of the Scuole of the network, including the acquisition and equipping of technologically advanced classrooms, study rooms and residential structures to accommodate all those involved in the teaching activities.