Leaders and managers of digital and sustainable innovation, capable of acting in national and international ecosystems and companies. Qualified professionals able to contribute to the full development of the potential of nursing and midwifery, in its technical-scientific, relational and educational expressions. These are the figures that will be trained by the two doctoral courses started with the academic year 2024-2025 by the University of Milano-Bicocca, also thanks to the funds of the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (PNRR).
The two new doctoral courses (which expand the Milanese university's total offer to 22 courses) are characterised by a strong multidisciplinary connotation and a distinct international vocation: they are both delivered in English. Their fields of study and research are, as their respective names indicate, " Strategic Innovation for Sustainable and Smart Ecosystems", in a programme designed together with some of Italy's leading companies, and " Nursing and Midwifery", in a course that Milano-Bicocca has developed in agreement with the University of Milan and the Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS.
The PhD in 'Strategic Innovation for Sustainable and Smart Ecosystems' (SIS2E), coordinated by Professor Paul Marc Matthyssens, is an industrial PhD programme, designed and structured in agreement with companies, in which each scholarship is linked to a company project, to encourage university-company collaboration and technology transfer. It is a transdisciplinary course that includes representatives from companies and members of all the departments of the University of Milan-Bicocca on the teaching board. The course offers 21 scholarships (8 financed by the university, 7 by partner companies and 6 co-financed by the PNRR to companies) and 2 'executive' positions (i.e. reserved for company employees) and proposes four areas of specialisation: Process Innovation; Product Innovation; Innovation in Society and Organisation; Innovation in Welfare Systems. SIS2E will train researchers competent in the areas of digital innovation (from Data Science to Artificial Intelligence), sustainability (from circular economy to energy transition), the social area (from the fight against social and economic inequalities to the management of innovation in welfare systems) and the medical area (from drug design to the innovation of digital devices in the medical field). Researchers able to take on managerial responsibilities within national and international companies and to share the results of their research with members of the business world and social institutions, actively participating in the political debate. Registration for the call for applications starts on 20 June and runs until 19 July inclusive.
The PhD course in "Nursing and Midwifery", the first specific course for the Nursing and Midwifery Sciences in English in Italy, coordinated by Professor Davide Ausili, is divided into two scientific areas, nursing and midwifery, and aims to train highly qualified professional figures capable of contributing to the full development of the potential of the two disciplinary sectors, in their technical-scientific, relational and educational expressions. The course envisages 6 scholarships (2 from Milano-Bicocca, 1 from Università degli Studi di Milano, 1 from Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS and 2 co-financed by the PNRR to companies) and makes use of a board of national and international lecturers and offers a strong training network through collaboration with numerous healthcare facilities in Lombardy. The programme aims to provide advanced, disciplinary and interdisciplinary skills to contribute to the development of nursing and midwifery research in all its fields of application, with the aim of promoting the continuous improvement of nursing and midwifery care to meet the health needs of individuals, families and communities, in accordance with the World Health Organisation's Global Strategic Directions for Nursing and Midwifery. Future PhDs will be able to take on leadership roles in health care and academia. Applications for the call for applications start today, 18 June, and will run until 9 July inclusive.
"The offer of our doctoral school is based on two fundamental pillars: the training of human capital in line with the skills required by a constantly evolving labour market and the development of cutting-edge scientific and technological research," says the Rector of the University of Milano-Bicocca, Giovanna Iannantuoni . The first specific course for the Nursing and Midwifery Sciences in English in Italy, and the industrial PhD course that looks at innovation and sustainability reflect both needs and will train professionals who will become the future leaders in the social, political and health spheres. Not only in a national context, but also in an international context, as shown by the decision to offer both programmes in English".
"Research and innovation are fundamental in a knowledge-based economy," says Maria Luce Frezzotti, President of the Doctoral School of the University of Milano-Bicocca. "With the Industrial Doctorate and the Nursing and Midwifery Doctorate, we are expanding our educational offer with the aim of training professionals who develop solutions for disciplinary research and are aware of the potential of interdisciplinarity. Professionals who are able to deal with complex issues and move within regional innovation ecosystems. It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome the new doctoral students to our university, to support and guide them as they develop their skills in health, technology and social research.
The first three years of the new PhD courses will start on 1 November.