Roberto Rocca Project

MIT has entered into a partnership with Milan Politecnico, Italy's top engineering school, to foster collaboration between the two schools in the fields of materials science, bioengineering and mechanical engineering.

According to Dr. Serenella Sferza, co-director of the MIT-Italy Program, the project will provide $250,000 a year for a renewable five-year period. Funding will be available for Politecnico postdocs and visiting students at MIT, but also for research internships for MIT students at the Politecnico and for startup collaborations between MIT and Politecnico faculty. In the coming weeks, the project will solicit MIT faculty to submit proposals for seed funding.

The project is also major step in the consolidation of the MIT -Italy Program, which operates under the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) umbrella to promote international education at MIT. The project will be administered by the MIT-Italy Program in conjunction with the Project Advisory Board.

The Progetto Roberto Rocca is a new collaboration between the Fondazione Fratelli Agostino ed Enrico Rocca, the MIT-Italy Program and the Milan Politecnico. The Progetto honors Dr Roberto Rocca by furthering academic exchanges and collaborations between his almae matres-- MIT and the Milan Politecnico. In keeping with the interests of Dr. Roberto Rocca, a particular emphasis is given to the fields of Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Bioengineering.

Beginning in the Fall of 2005, the Progetto will promote student exchanges, and faculty collaborations between MIT and Politecnico. In particular, the Progetto will support:

(*) One year “Roberto Rocca post-doctoral fellowships” at MIT for recently minted Politecnico Ph.D.s

(*) 6-18 months “ Roberto Rocca doctoral Fellowships ” for Politecnico doctoral students who will come to MIT as visiting students

(*) 3-6 months study and research grants at the Politecnico for MIT doctoral students and advanced undergraduates

(*) seed funds (5,0000-15,000$) for collaborative MIT/Politecnico projects among MIT professors, researchers and advanced graduate students.

(*) lectures by MIT professors at the Politecnico, and vice versa.

(*) small MIT-Politecnico workshops on research topics of common interest

While MIT students are placed for internships in many companies and research institutions, the cooperation between the MIT-Italy Program and its sponsors is designed to go beyond the internship program.

Since MIT-Italy is part of MISTI (MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives) with similar programs in France, Germany, China, India, Japan, Mexico and Singapore, our sponsors become part of a larger group of international sponsors and gain access to the entire network of MISTI programs and their activities.

A sponsorship of the MIT-Italy Program shows a strong commitment to educating a new generation of “global” engineers, scientists, and managers who work across borders. At the same time, the partnership offers participating companies and institutions valuable benefits: Recruitment; Visibility on campus; Training for senior executives; Workshops; Access to Research; Free Participation in the European Career Fair. Those benefits are customized for each partner according to its specific needs.