A new approach to enhancing collaboration between universities in the North West and supporting high-impact strategic projects. Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo is launching a revamped support model aimed at fostering more targeted and integrated planning aligned with academic objectives.
In line with its 2025-2028 Multi-Year Plan, Fondazione Compagna di San Paolo has restructured its university agreements into strategic partnerships designed to align more closely with rectoral mandates, streamline resource management and enhance the impact of initiatives, promoting interdisciplinary collaborations among universities in the region.
The approach represents a significant shift: instead of a set of predefined activity areas for investment, each university can now propose one major project (or at most two). These collaborations are no longer limited to a fixed three-year period but are planned for the long term. Universities with new governance will receive funding for the entire six-year term, while those in transition will receive resources based on the remaining years of the current rector’s mandate.
The presentation of the new support model took place this morning during an event focused on the agreement signed between Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo and the University of Turin.
The agreement specifically targets the development of two high-impact projects for the region: the cultural and creative industries hub at the Cavallerizza Reale and the Butterfly Area, a new science and technology hub within the City of Science in Grugliasco. These two key initiatives reflect the Foundation’s dedication to supporting impactful projects in the cultural, scientific and technological sectors.
For these projects, the Turinese philanthropic body has allocated 5 million euros for the period from January 2025 to June 2026, with the possibility of an additional contribution of up to 2.5 million euros. This funding will benefit the University for strategic projects that build on previous initiatives, such as support for proof of concept, that have demonstrated significant impact.
“With this agreement, and more broadly with the new support model for the university system, we aim to provide more flexible tools to develop high-impact transformative projects, enhancing research, teaching innovation and the social role of the University” says Marco Gilli, Chair of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo. “The goal is to consolidate and accelerate the process of synergy between universities in the region, fostering collaboration and the sharing of expertise to make the knowledge produced in Turin a driver of growth for the area and a lever for attracting national and international talent and lecturers.”
The University and the Foundation are committed to strengthening their collaboration with a focus on targeted planning, investing in these major strategic hubs for the production and transfer if knowledge, and enhancing research in connection with the business world, fostering a development model driven by cultural and creative industries.