Venice International University is an international center of higher education and research which was founded in 1995. On its campus on the Island of San Servolo in Venice, Italy, a community of international professors, researchers and students come together in a young and dynamic environment where they engage in topics common to the undergraduate, graduate and research programs.
VIU members are:
Boston College (USA)
Duke University (USA)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
Ludwig Maximilians Universität (Germany)
Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia (Italy)
Università Iuav di Venezia (Italy)
Tel Aviv University (Israel)
Tilburg University (Netherlands
Tsinghua University (China)
Waseda University (Japan)
Fondazione di Venezia
Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea
Italian National Research Council
Provincia di Venezia
The shared aims of the members focus VIU’s activities on the themes of competitiveness, the environment and subsidiarity through innovative forms of education and applied research. These topics are developed in all of the academic programs.
The approach of the research and academic community engaged in VIU activities to the different topics guarantees the exchange and circulation of knowledge and experience.
Each year the campus accommodates approximately 150 students in the semester program of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, 70 students in the graduate programs and 20 researchers.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Semester Programs, Intensive Seminars and Summer Programs
Today's globalized world needs flexible minds, able to move across disciplines, capable of tackling contemporary challenges with innovative humanistic approaches, respecting diversity, understanding, communicating and working with people from other cultures. VIU’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences provides a response in this direction.
The School's academic program offers a high-level integrative multi-cultural experience to all students of the universities associated to VIU. Every semester, professors from different continents teach courses in the fields of Humanities and Social Sciences, i.e. human creativity, imagination and beliefs, and the analysis of human interaction, organization and institutions. The activities of the School include Semester Programs, Intensive Seminars and Summer Programs.
In the Semester Program students will find a blend of cross-disciplinary and disciplinary courses, many of which are on contemporary issues or adopting new approaches, comparing or studying cultures, dealing with issues on which VIU has Research Centers, such as Sustainability and Technological Innovation, and including courses on Venetian Art and Architecture, History of Ancient and Modern Venice, Italian Contemporary History and Culture and Italian for Foreigners.
Courses are taught by professors selected from the member universities. All students registered for degree programs in the member Universities are eligible to apply for and participate in the School's activities. Students usually participate in one or two semesters and receive credit towards their degrees in their university of origin.
Graduate
PhD Programs
VIU offers a campus environment and a scientific community characteristic of the best graduate schools. Thus, in 2003 when the Italian Ministry for Education and Research chose Venice for a new School of Excellence, VIU was a logical choice for the founding members: Università Ca’ Foscari di Venezia, Università Iuav di Venezia and Fondazione di Venezia.
The School for Advanced Studies in Venice (SSAV) offers the following PhD Programs: Analysis and Governance of Sustainable Development Economics and Organization Network Economy and Knowledge Management Theories and History of Arts
Research
TeDIS Center - Innovation and Competitiveness in the Global Economy
TeDIS carries out applied research on themes of innovation and competitiveness of enterprises and SMEs in the industrial districts.
Specifically, the Center’s activities investigate four main topics: innovation and technology internationalization creativity and design logistics
The Center is:
- a place of research that cultivates partnerships with industry. The studies and research of the center are supported and supervised by a committee of international researchers.
- a place of education and culture that offers a series of seminars during the year.
Ten – Environmental Management and Sustainable Development
The center promotes education and advanced training programs on environmental management and sustainable development and develops research on the main areas of enviornmental protection, with spcefic focus on developing countries.
The training programs are devised for director generals and managers of public administrations, researchers and private sector experts from the People’s Republic of China and Eastern European countries. The aim is to augment and improve the capabilities of policy-makers and to facilitate knowledge transfer in order to promote sustainable environmental, social and economic policies.
The intensive training programs involve approximately 500 participants each year. The program is organized in collaboration with the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory, and Agroinnova – University of Turin.
ICeSD – Subsidiarity and Development
The center promotes and develops educational activities on topics related to the application of the principle of subsidiarity and human capital enhancement. The principle of subsidiarity is a way to respond to the crisis of the traditonal governance model. The unexplored potential is worth of being developed in order to establish the capacity of founding on social, political and economic grounds, the structures and tools necessary to address the challenges of the postmodern era.
Activities of the center focus on educational and exchange programs for profit and non-profit operators of the Mediterranean and Eastern European area, as well as training and tutoring programs in support of intrenational cooperation.
