Over the past three years, the PhD Program in Experimental Medicine has further strengthened its international dimension through scientific collaborations, agreements with high-profile academic institutions and research centers, and initiatives aimed at promoting doctoral student mobility.
In 2025, the Honorary Doctorate was also awarded to Anlong Xu of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, further demonstrating the consolidation of scientific relations with internationally recognized academic institutions.
A Doctor Europaeus pathway (1) is currently underway, representing an additional indicator of the Program’s European outlook and the active participation of doctoral candidates in international training and research initiatives.
International Agreements 2025–2026 (International Host Institutions)
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F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland
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Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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Columbia University, New York, USA
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Industrial Farmacéutica Cantabria SA, Madrid, Spain
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Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), France
Main International Scientific Collaborations
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Department of Pathology, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, USA
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Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University, New York, USA
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University of Minho, Campus Gualtar, Portugal
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Centre for Experimental Medicine and Rheumatology, Queen Mary University of London, UK
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Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Laboratory of Immunology and Allergology, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona (IIBB-CSIC), Spain
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Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, USA
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Department of Virology, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
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Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
The PhD Program systematically pursues mobility and internationalization objectives, in line with the University Strategic Plan and the Three-Year Strategic Plan of the Department of Experimental Medicine, promoting doctoral student mobility and scientific exchange with national and international academic and research institutions. International mobility is further encouraged, where applicable, through programs supported by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which provide for mandatory periods spent at foreign institutions or within industrial settings.
The Program also promotes inbound mobility of international doctoral students and faculty members, who participate in training activities, seminars, and advanced courses. The presence of faculty members affiliated with foreign universities within the PhD Board, accounting for approximately 20% during cycles 39–41, represents a significant indicator of the Program’s integration into international scientific networks.
The Program also benefits from a well-established network of scientific collaborations with international universities and research centers, documented on the PhD website and presented in the informational materials during the Welcome Day. These collaborations foster scientific exchange, co-supervision opportunities, and mobility for doctoral students.
The international dimension of the Program is further demonstrated by the activation of joint doctoral supervision pathways (cotutelle) with foreign academic institutions (both outgoing and incoming), as well as by participation in the Doctor Europaeus program, with one pathway currently in progress.