As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of Venice International University (VIU), we are proud to announce the Intensive Graduate Activities that have been selected for 2026 – a vibrant expression of our commitment to international, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and intercultural academic collaboration.
These programs are the result of collective deliberations by VIU’s Academic Council, composed of representatives from each of our esteemed member universities. Each activity was selected from proposals developed jointly by faculty from at least three member institutions, a requirement that reflects our mission to foster collaboration across borders and disciplines.
A Diverse and Inspiring Selection
In 2026, VIU will organize an exceptional array of PhD Academies, Graduate Seminars, and Winter, Spring and Summer Schools. These programs offer students and young researchers the opportunity to address some of the most pressing societal challenges of our time – environmental, social, cultural, and technological – while gaining new perspectives through cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary dialogue.
Opportunities for VIU Students and Scholars
Participation in these programs offers students and researchers an invaluable opportunity to deepen their knowledge, enhance their academic skills, and engage in critical dialogue related to their research. Each PhD Academy and Graduate Seminar includes 20 full-waiver scholarships and travel grants for students from VIU member universities. The Summer Schools welcome participants also from non-member universities.
Through active participation in these programs, students encounter and exchange diverse academic and cultural perspectives, expand their research networks, and cultivate the foresight and agility needed to meet the global challenges of tomorrow.
As we reflect on thirty years of international academic collaboration, VIU reaffirms its mission: to serve as a platform where innovation, diversity, and cooperation thrive. We look forward to a transformative year in 2026 and to welcoming the next generation of globally-minded scholars to San Servolo.
VIU Intensive Graduate Activities 2026
Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women – the Istanbul Convention After EU Accession
PhD Academy
Universities: UNIVE, UNIMIB, SUTR
Scientific Coordinators: Sara De Vido (UNIVE), Marina Calloni, Daniela Belliti (UNIMIB), Zeynep G. Goker, Ayşe B. Çelik, Cenk Özbay (SUTR), Sara Dal Monico (UNIVE)
Invited Speakers: Micaela Frulli (Univ. Florence), Olaf Koendgen (Council of Europe)
Dates: January 26–30, 2026
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Zero Hunger’s Goal: the Global Challenge of Sustainable and Quality Food for All
Graduate Seminar
Universities: UNIMIB, IUSS, CNR
Scientific Coordinators: Roberta Dameno (UNIMIB), Carola Ricci (IUSS), Paolo Leone (CNR)
Dates: April 2026
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Belief Change and Information Exchange: Current Trends in Epistemic Logic
Graduate Seminar
Universities: THU, LMU, UNIPD
Scientific Coordinators: Chenwei Shi (THU), Norbert Gratzl (LMU), Massimiliano Carrara, Ivano Ciardelli, Wei Zhu (UNIPD)
Guest: Hans Rott (Regensburg Uni.)
Dates: May 18–22, 2026
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Mediterranean History and National Historiographies
Graduate Seminar
Universities: SUTR, UNIVE, UOE
Scientific Coordinators: Abdurrahman Atçıl, Tommaso Stefini (SUTR), Vera Costantini (UNIVE), Maria Fusaro (UOE), Banu Turnaoğlu (SUTR)
Guest: Isabella Lazzarini (Turin Uni.)
Dates: June 22–26, 2026
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Advanced Wireless Technologies for Enhancing the Radio Interface from 5G towards 6G
Graduate Seminar
Universities: SUTR, KUL, UNIPD
Scientific Coordinators: Ibrahim Tekin, Ozgur Gurbuz, Korkut Kaan Tokgoz (SUTR), Sofie Pollin (KUL), Michele Zorzi, Marco Giordani (UNIPD)
Dates: September 7–11, 2026
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Glass: from Magma to the Windshield, Passing through Murano
PhD Academy
Universities: UNIPD, BC, DUKE, LMU
Scientific Coordinators: Bernardo Cesare (UNIPD), Ethan Baxter (BC), Dorian Canelas (DUKE), Donald Dingwell (LMU)
Dates: September 14–18, 2026
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International Law in the Age of AI and Cyber
Graduate Seminar
Universities: UNIPD, KUL, WU, UOE
Scientific Coordinators: Andrea Gattini (UNIPD), Gleider I. Hernández (KUL), Mariko Kawano (WU), Kubo Mačák (UOE)
Dates: October 2026
Winter, Spring and Summer Schools
Digital Rights: Theory and Practice
Winter School
Universities: UNIPD, UNIVE, UNIMIB, IUSS
Scientific Coordinators: Costanza Margiotta Broglio (UNIPD), Xenia Chiaramonte (UNIVE), Lorenzo Passerini Glazel (UNIMIB), Amedeo Santosuosso (IUSS)
Other Faculty: Damiano Canale (Bocconi), Devi Sacchetto, Mariavittoria Catanzariti, Elena Pariotti, Guido Gorgoni, Daniele Ruggiu, Federico Tomasello, Fedeirca Casarosa, and more
Dates: January 26–30, 2026
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Equipping Researchers with Skills for Science Communication – 3rd edition
Spring School
Universities: VIU, SU, LMU, UNIPD
Scientific Coordinators: A. Fornetti, I. Mannino (VIU), Marina Joubert (SU), Julia Serong, Lars Guenther (LMU), Eleonora Di Maria, Marco Bettiol (UNIPD)
Dates: March 2026
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Summer Institute on Ageing – 13th edition
Summer School
Universities: UNIVE, UNIPD, CNR, UNIL
Scientific Coordinators: Agar Brugiavini, Danilo Cavapozzi, Giacomo Pasini (UNIVE), Marco Bertoni, Guglielmo Weber (UNIPD), Stefania Maggi (CNR), Jürgen Maurer (UNIL)
Dates: June 2026
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Ethics and Health Care – 5th edition
Summer School
Universities: UNIVE, UNITOV, UNIL
Scientific Coordinators: Fabrizio Turoldo, Agar Brugiavini (UNIVE), Stefano Semplici (UNITOV), Juergen Maurer (UNIL)
Dates: June 2026
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Organizing for Sustainable Futures – 10th edition
Summer School
Universities: UNIVE, UNIL, UOE
Scientific Coordinators: Francesco Zirpoli, Enzo Rullani, Giovanni Favero (UNIVE), Guido Palazzo (UNIL), Ruth Sealy (UOE), Juliane Reinecke, Elisa Giuliani, Johanna Mair, Christine Vallaster
Dates: June 2026
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Linguistic Landscapes – 4th edition
Summer School
Universities: UOE, KUL, IUAV
Scientific Coordinators: Richard Toye, Eliana Maestri (UOE), Kurt Feyaerts, Paul Sambre (KUL), Matteo Basso (IUAV), Michela Maguolo
Dates: June–July 2026
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Multiple Migrations and Transnationalism - 1st edition
Summer School
Universities: UOE, UNIVE, WU
Scientific Coordinators: Francesco Goglia (UOE), Sara De Vido, Sara Dal Monico, Giulia Ferro (UNIVE), Gracia Liu-Farrer (WU)
Dates: June 2026
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Perverse Sheaves and Their Categorification - 1st edition
Summer School
Universities: UNIPD, UNITOV, THU
Scientific Coordinators: Giovanna Carnovale, Francesco Esposito (UNIPD), Martina Lanini (UNITOV), William Donovan (THU)
Suggested Lecturers: Andrea Appel, Agnieszka Bodzenta-Skibińska, Merlin Christ, Daniel Juteau, Mikhail Kapranov
Dates: July 2026
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Global Mental Health and Human Rights – 3rd edition
Summer School
Universities: UNIMIB, BC, SU
Scientific Coordinators: Guido Veronese (UNIMIB), Alex L. Pieterse (BC), Ashraf Kagee (SU)
Dates: July 2026
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Videographic Criticism: Media, Spaces, and Ecologies - 1st edition
Summer School
Universities: UOE, UNIVE, TAU
Scientific Coordinators: Danielle Hipkins (UOE), Miriam De Rosa, Enric Bou Maqueda (UNIVE), Ohad Landesman, Ariel Avissar (TAU)
Dates: August 2026
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Films in Venice and Filming Venice – 8th edition
Summer School
Universities: VIU, UNIVE, WU, TAU, IUAV, LMU
Scientific Coordinators: Luca Pes (VIU), Norimasa Morita (WU), Maria R. Novelli (UNIVE), Nitzan Ben Shaul (TAU), Angela Vettese (IUAV), Thomas Reinhardt (LMU)
Dates: August–September 2026
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Learning from Conflict and Post-conflict Situations
Summer School
Universities: KUL, IUAV
Scientific Coordinators: Martine De Maseneer (KUL), Jacopo Galli (IUAV)
Dates: September 2026
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Exploring Nucleic Acids: from Biophysics to Molecular Biology – 2nd edition
Summer School
Universities: UNIPD, UNIMIB, KUL
Scientific Coordinators: Claudia Sissi, Riccardo Rigo (UNIPD), Francesco Mentegazza (UNIMIB), Elisabetta Groaz (KUL)
Dates: September 2026
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The Arts of the Possible: Ecologies, Languages, and Cosmopolitics
Summer School
Universities: UNIPD, SU, DUKE
Scientific Coordinators: Francesca Helm (UNIPD), Marcelyn Oostendorp (SU), Gustavo Furtado (DUKE)
Other Faculty: Louise du Toit, Felwine Sarr, Alessio Surian, Lynn Mario Menezes de Souza, Juliana Martinez, Charles Burdett, Jamille Pinheiro Dias, Johanna Ennser-Kananen
Dates: July 2026
In the meantime, learn more about our Intensive Graduate Activities and subscribe to the What's New at VIU Newsletter to receive news and updates.
Professors interested in proposing activities for 2027 will find all the relevant information in the Call for Proposals. Next deadline: September 30, 2025.
There will also be an online info session on July 22, 2025.
