VIU News
The Hidden Venice app was co-developed by Fabrizio Nevola of the University of Exeter, who is teaching at VIU in Spring 2026, to bring historical research to the broader public through immersive media.
The three trails - set in 1572, 1639 and 1730 - combine storytelling, with fictional historical characters describing the places and people they encounter along the way - and short articles that introduce historical background and context for each site, along with suggestions for further reading.
It is not too late to sign up for an Intensive Graduate Activity at VIU this summer!
We have rolling admissions for the last places in several of our Summer Schools, and calls for applications are still open for some of our Graduate Seminars and PhD Academy.
The Intensive Graduate Activities encourage participants to experiment with interdisciplinary approaches, tackling complex and transversal topics that cannot be resolved from a single disciplinary perspective.
By bringing together doctoral students and young researchers from across the world, the programs foster vibrant collaboration and the exchange of ideas, while encouraging young scholars to engage with scientific challenges in creative and innovative ways. Equally important, they serve to build and strengthen scholarly networks within the consortium, creating lasting partnerships in areas of shared interest.
In this way, the Intensive Graduate Activities equip emerging researchers not only with skills for successful careers in academia and beyond, but also with the intellectual agility and collaborative mindset required to contribute meaningfully to global academic and societal debates.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
4.30 pm, Room 1G
Venice International University, San Servolo Island
Giovanni Pellegrini, Film Director
Starting on April 3, 2026, occasional visitors and day-trippers to the city of Venice will have to pay an "Access Fee" to the Municipality of Venice on selected dates.
Students and professors of VIU activities are exempt from the payment.
11.30 am - 5.30 pm
February 19, 2026
Venice International University, San Servolo Island
Registration for courses for the 2nd semester 2025-26 will open on January 22, 2026.
The full list of courses, with descriptions and syllabi, is already online.
Fourth release of DISCO’s newsletter!
We are delighted to bring you the latest updates from our groundbreaking project once again! As 2025 draws to a close, we are reflecting on what has been an extraordinary year. Join us as we look back at the milestones that have shaped our journey so far and discover what exciting developments lie ahead in DISCO’s final year.
26 November 2025 – 10 January 2026
Opening on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, at 6 pm
The Italian Cultural Institute in Berlin presents the exhibition From Lead to Paper, from Gutenberg to Manuzio: The Revolution of the Book, promoted by the Venice International University (VIU) with the support of the Centro per il Libro e la Lettura and the contribution of the BKM – Der Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien.
Designed as a traveling exhibition that will visit several German cities, the project retraces the symbolic passing of the torch between Germany and Italy, weaving a centuries-long dialogue between two great European cultural traditions.
DISCO will be present at the annual POLIS Conference 2025.
POLIS is the leading network of cities and regions, working together on sustainable mobility and innovation while advocating for greater involvement of local and regional authorities in national and international mobility policy.
The BUAS project partner will present "Using the agile methodology to fast-track innovation scale-up in multi-stakeholder urban logistics projects: The DISCO living labs case"
The FVH project partner will present "Enhancing urban logistics through data-driven loading zone planning in Helsinki"
October 8, 2025
At a ceremony celebrating contemporary Japanese literature, the President of Venice International University (VIU) highlighted the deep academic and cultural ties between Italy and Japan. Speaking also as President of the Fondazione Italia Giappone, he emphasized how initiatives such as this award embody the same spirit of dialogue and collaboration that guides VIU’s work in Venice, where universities from around the world meet to exchange knowledge and perspectives.
DISCO will be present with a dedicated session for the Twinning LLs organized in collaboration with PNO.
Since 2011, the Smart City EXPO World Congress has been the world’s biggest and most influential event for cities and urban innovation. Hosted annually in Barcelona, we bring together a powerful ecosystem of leaders from global companies, governments and strategic organizations driving real change.
By convening the brightest minds and the most cutting-edge technology, we are actively shaping a new urban paradigm: more sustainable, efficient and human-centered.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
4.30 pm CEST, Room 1G
Venice International University, San Servolo Island
Alexis Cukier, Associate Professor in Philosophy, University of Poitiers
We’re proud to share that Below the Clouds (Sotto le Nuvole in Italian) a film co-authored by Prof. Carmelo Marabello, Dean of Venice International University and professor of Film and Media Studies at Università Iuav di Venezia - received the Special Jury Prize at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
Venice International University, Sept. 7-8, 2025
What is the public perception of Artificial Intelligence? How can we build awareness of what AI agents are and how they work? And how can we communicate these complex topics to the broader public?
At Venice International University, N-ODES is an interactive installation of sound and light that invites the public to a shared dialogue with a swarm of “intelligent spheres.” Powered by evolutionary algorithms, the system generates an immersive, ever-evolving experience shaped by the dynamic interaction between the participant and the artificial entities. The installation functions as both an artistic expression and a living research environment, aligned with the art-and-science and human-centric artificial intelligence approach that has increasingly distinguished VIU’s work in this field.
A special project by Fondazione Venezia Capitale Mondiale della Sostenibilità / Venice Sustainability Foundation (VSF) for Biennale Architettura 2025
10 May - 23 November 2025
Tesa dell’Isolotto, Darsena Grande dell’Arsenale, Venice
Where: Palazzo Ca' Tron, Santa Croce 1957, Venice - Iuav University
When: Mondays to Fridays, from 8 am to 7 pm
The exhibition runs until Sunday November 23, 2025
Rome is a Comet offers an immersive experience that transforms the exhibition space into an enveloping representation of the Eternal City, explored in its urban and symbolic dimensions.
DISCO will be featured at the session “Workshop ‘Curbside Management – EU funded DISCO Project: Innovative Solutions to Reshape Urban Space’.
Organized by the European Parking Association (EPA) from its new base in Brussels, the 21st European Parking Conference & Exhibition is the next edition of the sector’s flagship biennial event.
The conference and exhibition are dedicated to showcasing innovation in smart parking management and how this innovation will help shape the future of sustainable urban mobility across Europe and beyond.
Policymakers, industry experts and public authorities will tackle pressing issues such as electromobility and its impact on parking (both on and off-street); kerbside management and urban logistics; and digitalization and data sharing as mandated by EU legislation and required commercially to ensure digital visibility.
The DISCO project will be presented at the Urban Mobility Days, in Vilnius, Lithuania. This event organized by the European Commission will provide the perfect opportunity for networking, debating, and exchanging views on European urban mobility policy issues.
Venice International University (VIU) is pleased to announce a calendar of info sessions dedicated to our key academic programs. These sessions are tailored for both students and professors, offering insights into unique opportunities for interdisciplinary learning, international collaboration, and innovative teaching at Venice International University.
Whether you're a student eager to broaden your academic horizons or a professor with a vision for collaborative teaching and research, these sessions will provide the guidance you need to engage with VIU's dynamic academic community.
