Promoting the study of the Italian language at foreign universities plays an essential role in Italy’s cultural diplomacy. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation promotes Italian at foreign universities mainly through Italian language lecturers’ posts, as well as grants to Italian Chairs.
Grants for the creation and operation of Italian Chairs at foreign university institutions
Desk IV of the Directorate General for Public and Cultural Diplomacy provides grants for the creation and operation of Italian Chairs at foreign universities, intended to cover part of the salaries of lecturers and professors employed directly by the universities under local law contracts. In particular, support is provided for innovative projects aimed at the use of new technologies, as well as courses in strategic sectors (architecture, design, economics, food and wine) and, more generally, courses designed to have a large-scale impact in terms of increasing the number of the Italian language students.
In addition to supporting and maintaining Italian Chairs, and similarly to what is done in schools, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation also provides grants for training courses for Italian language teachers currently working at local universities.
In the 2024 financial year, the Office awarded 289 grants for the creation and maintenance of Italian Chairs in 66 countries worldwide and 28 grants for the organization of training and refresher courses for Italian language university teachers in 20 countries worldwide.