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ERASMUS POLICY STATEMENT
In 2023, San Raffaele Roma University (UTSR) unveiled an ambitious Strategic Plan (https://www.uniroma5.it/docs) outlining the objectives that will guide the university's endeavours from 2023 to 2025.
The Governance has embraced a continuous improvement approach to develop the strategic directions of the University, conducting a scenario analysis for each primary institutional area to set coherent objectives that align with UTSR’s aspirations in the intricate domain of online education.
From both research and education standpoints, UTSR has identified internationalisation as a strategic and cross-cutting objective crucial for its developmental goals.
In light of the pandemic constraints and the establishment of a new normal, UTSR, which bases its learning and teaching process on digital platforms, has recognised an opportunity to enhance its focus on internationalisation and mobility. UTSR plans to participate in Erasmus + actions and adhere to the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021-2027, which underscores the importance of digital and blended teaching and learning mobility.
UTSR aims to transform past mobility barriers into substantial growth opportunities by leveraging its digital, physical, and relational infrastructure to foster virtuous internationalisation actions. The flexibility of UTSR’s framework and its e-learning platform could enable the implementation of a widespread diffusion strategy to reach a broader spectrum of students, including those in both developed and developing countries, thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".
Building on these foundations, UTSR plans to implement Key Action 1 (KA1) and Key Action 2 (KA2). From a student mobility standpoint, UTSR will implement three types of exchange, tailored to student needs. The university plans to offer in-person, blended, or virtual exchange programmes for study mobility, collaboratively determining the type of exchange that can be effectively implemented in partnerships with foreign universities.
Unlike student exchange programmes, traineeships will predominantly take place in-person. Given the scientific orientation of the degree courses offered by UTSR, a physical presence in companies and laboratories is deemed essential to ensure effective knowledge transfer.
For incoming students, UTSR offers a robust national network, providing them with valuable traineeship experiences in centres of excellence. Specifically, owing to the Framework Agreement of collaboration with IRCCS (Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) San Raffaele Pisana research institute, UTSR shares its pre-clinical research facilities with the IRCCS, both located within the same building. This synergistic collaboration, aligned with Key Action 2 (KA2), has facilitated interactions between highly specialised educational and scientific activities. Within this framework, researchers, and students are engaged in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research and teaching activities using a translational approach, from bench to bedside. This is particularly focused on fields such as biomedicine, biotechnology, neuromotor and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as nutrition, functional and nutraceutical nutrition, and food safety.
UTSR aspires to be an online university that promotes cross-cultural engagement through both study and traineeship mobility. In accordance with the ECHE principles, UTSR is committed to ensuring that students engaging in outbound and inbound mobility programmes are exposed to cutting-edge expertise in foreign nations, diverse cultures, varied thought processes, and innovative and sustainable ways of thinking. This is particularly relevant for PhD students, who may benefit from being jointly supervised by academic experts from different countries and the opportunity to conduct part of their research abroad, thereby effectively combining educational and research activities through mobility.
Since its inception, UTSR has been committed to establishing an international network, facilitated by personal contacts and collaborations initiated by our researchers.
In line with the guiding principles of KA1 and KA2, UTSR adheres to the European Charter for Researchers and is committed to promoting and supporting research activities. Each year, UTSR allocates a specific fund to each professor and researcher to encourage research activities abroad. Additionally, each year UTSR launches an internal call for proposals aimed at supporting significant scientific and technological research projects. This initiative is designed to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among different research groups within the university's scientific community.. Members from external international organisations may also be involved, to foster internationalisation and enhance cross-disciplinary integration.
Alongside European exchanges held under the E+ framework 2014-2020, UTSR has actively promoted worldwide exchanges and visiting professorships.
The University boasts a significant and well-established network of National and International collaborations with universities and research institutions, aimed at securing Italian and European funding to support its research initiatives.
Despite the extensive existing network, UTSR views Erasmus+ programme 2021-2027 as an opportunity to formalise and enhance its international collaborations, encourage network sharing, and foster synergistic growth within the University. Existing partnerships with universities demonstrate UTSR's commitment to expanding its European and international connections. With the objective of participating in KA1, UTSR conducted a survey among its researchers and lecturers to map their international research partnerships, both within and outside the EU, which could be formalised following ECHE accreditation, thus broadening our European and International networks.
Furthermore, UTSR is committed to maintaining high standards in all aspects of international mobility. This begins with a comprehensive evaluation of potential partner institutions and continues with a meticulous selection process for outgoing students, based on academic merit and language proficiency. ECTS procedures will provide a framework for developing and implementing various mobility programmes, including short-term study abroad, semester exchanges, double degrees, and joint degrees, also enhancing the transparency and clarity of student qualifications.
The satisfaction of both incoming and outgoing students is a paramount concern, with continuous monitoring facilitated through reports, surveys, and interviews conducted both during and following their exchange experiences. Accordingly, UTSR places considerable importance on student feedback, viewing it as vital for the continuous enhancement of the support provided. Moreover, this feedback serves as a crucial metric in assessing existing partnerships and is instrumental in guiding the development and management of the university's international network.
San Raffaele Roma University has been awarded the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education (ECHE) 2021-2027, which provides the general quality framework for European and international cooperation activities a higher education institution may carry out within Erasmus+.