Global and intercultural dimension in curriculum development

Since 1999, Italian higher education institutions implement joint programmes in collaboration with both Italian and foreign higher education institutions and may also release joint qualifications.

Since 2004, Italian universities have participated in the Laurea magistrale) and third-cycle (Research Doctorate) programmes with foreign universities. Since 2014, the activities related to Laurea Magistrale have been included in the new European Erasmus+ Programme which, compared to the past, combines all activities dedicated to education, youth and sport in one only programme. 

From 2009, it is available a data base on joint programmes organised by Italian universities. The data base was created by the CIMEA (Information Centre on Academic Mobility and Equivalence) and includes 595 joint programmes involving Italian and foreign universities releasing double, multiple or joint qualifications.

Higher education institutions are also involved in the Capacity Building in Higher Education projects implemented within the framework of the Union’s external policies. Such transnational cooperation projects support modernisation and internationalisation of higher education systems in the Partner Countries, as defined in the Erasmus+ programme, according to the priorities established by the European Commission’s communications on “Increasing the impact of EU Development Policy: an Agenda for Change” (13.10.2011, COM, 2011, 637 final) and “European Higher Education in the World” (11.7.2013, COM, 2013, 499 final).

Partnerships and networks

Italian universities participate in several networks, among which: C.U.I.A. (Italian consortium for Argentina), CUM (Mediterranean universities community), UniAdrion (Consortium of the universities of the Adriatic and Ionic area), UNIMED (Mediterranean universities union), UNICA (Network of the universities from the capitals of Europe).