University of Bologna and Tongji University renew their agreements

The week of 22 June marked a particularly significant moment in the partnership between the University of Bologna and ADA University, confirming the growth of a strategic relationship that continues to deliver tangible results in education, research and internationalisation.

The fourth edition of the Joint Certificate Programme organised by the two universities took place during the week. This year’s programme focused on Next-Gen Microbial Fermentation:  Advancing Sustainable Agriculture and Healthy Food. Four University of Bologna academics – Rosalba Lanciotti, Diana Di Gioia, Davide Gottardi and Daniele Alberoni – were involved in the programme, offering participants a valuable opportunity for international learning.

The week also provided an opportunity to celebrate an important milestone: the graduation of the first seventeen students from the Master in Agricultural and Food System Management, less than three years after the School of Agricultural and Food Science was established under the leadership of Matteo Vittuari. Since its second edition, launched in 2025, the Master has been run as a double degree programme with the University of Bologna. In September 2026, the first fourteen Azerbaijani students will arrive in Bologna, while in January 2027 the first two students from Bologna will spend a study period at ADA University.

The partnership has been further strengthened by the universities’ first joint success in securing European funding. Thanks to the work of Elena Baraldi and Claudio Ratti, ADA University will join the University of Bologna in the Horizon Europe project SUPPPORTVitis – Sustainable Strategies and Practices to Prevent Outbreaks and Reduce Threats of Hemipteran-Borne Diseases of Grapevine (Vitis spp.).

The partnership has also expanded through a recently concluded course in Italian language and culture, involving Valeria Baruzzo and the Department of Classical Philology and Italian Studies. The course supported students interested in international mobility while bringing more areas of the University into the collaboration.

By September 2026, more than 350 students will be enrolled at ADA University’s School of Agricultural and Food Science, across its three Bachelor’s degree programmes in Agricultural Technologies, Food Technologies and Animal Science and its Master in Agricultural and Food System Management. Achieved less than three years after the initiative was launched, this milestone is a testament to both the strength of the project and the value of the partnership between the University of Bologna and ADA University.

In the presence of Deputy Rector Simona Tondelli, the Memorandum of Understanding, in place since 2007, was renewed, together with the addendum on student exchanges. A new double degree PhD agreement was also signed, with the aim of strengthening the international dimension of doctoral education through PhD student exchanges, the development of joint research activities and the organisation of specialised lectures and seminars as part of PhD programmes.

During their two days at the University, the delegation also visited the Alma Labor laboratories with Professor Claudio Melchiorri, Rector’s Delegate for Relations with Companies and Industrial Research. The delegation also met Professor Antonino Rotolo, Director of the Alma AI interdisciplinary centre, at the Rectorate. He outlined the centre’s vision and organisation and its role in training the next generation of AI specialists. Professor Filippo Andreatta, Director of the University of Bologna Teaching and Learning Center, then shared the University’s experience in fostering innovation and nurturing talent.