26. 10. 2026
In March 2026, Villa Vigoni, Heidelberg University and the 4EU+ European University Alliance agreed on a five-year collaboration aimed at strengthening European academic exchange, extending institutional links and developing joint activities in research and teaching.
As part of the ‘Dialog Europa – Science in Exchange’ series, the project began with a multi-day working meeting at Villa Vigoni, subsequently formalised with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
The collaboration will provide educational programmes and coordinate the development of research projects and academic events, such as conferences, workshops and summer and winter schools. Furthermore, it will create internship opportunities for Italian and German students and promote joint publications, as well as the exchange of Italian and German language and culture. Thus, the partnership establishes a new framework for interdisciplinary and international academic interchange within the European higher education network.
Villa Vigoni e.V. is the German-Italian Centre for European Dialogue on Lake Como. Its mission is to foster and deepen the German-Italian relations in a European perspective. Villa Vigoni was founded in 1986 by the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Italy.
One of the first joint initiatives will be the doctoral colloquium ‘The Future of Corporate Sustainability’, taking place from 23 to 26 November 2026 and bringing together early-career researchers from the 4EU+ partner universities and the “Young Villa Vigoni” for an interdisciplinary exchange on sustainability.