The University of Pisa (Italy) (Italian: Universita di Pisa, UNIPI) is a public institution with a long tradition, deeply rooted in its territory and fully integrated into the international scientific community. It has twenty departments, covering all main areas of teaching and research. It ranks high internationally and has high level research centres. It is amongst the top institutions in the majority of international rankings.

According to the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2018, published by the Shanghai JaoTong University, the University of Pisa ranked one of the first in Italy for Mathematics and second for Physics and Astronomy. UNIPI has an international, national, regional and local role and leads important international research and educational networks. It is engaged in projects that link its teaching and research activities and enterprise not only in local incubators but also in the key world regions which it considers strategic, especially China, Central Asia and Latin America.

Moreover, it has taken an important role in developing ECTS and the Bologna Process; it is a key Tuning partner in Europe, Latin America, Central Asia and elsewhere. UNIPI coordinates or is a partner in numerous EU projects, especially Horizon 2020 and Erasmus+.

Courses offered and Key Staff at the University of Pisa (UNIPI)

At the University of Pisa (Italy), the courses will be offered for Track 2 “Biomaterials for pharmaceutical applications” (1^st and 3^rd semesters) and Track 3 “Molecular biophysics of pharmaceutical (1^st semester) of the BIOPHAM programme. Research activities in Pisa span a wide range of areas, including glass transition, polymer physics and engineering, nanoscience, and biophysics. These activities are supported by the University of Pisa's Centre for Instrumentation Sharing (CISUP), directed by Prof. Simone Capaccioli. CISUP provides access to state-of-the-art experimental facilities, including HR-TEM, high-resolution solid-state NMR spectrometers, solution NMR spectrometers, field-effect SEM, confocal optical and fluorescent microscopies, X-ray single-crystal diffractometers, infrared, Raman, and THz spectrometers, mass spectrometers, molecular deposition facilities, sub-micrometer 3D plotters, fast-scan DSC calorimeters, and broadband dielectric spectroscopy under high pressure, among others. The pharmaceutical industry in the Pisa region is represented by companies with a long-standing tradition and strong expertise in production and marketing. A dense network of relationships exists between large corporate entities and smaller companies, as well as close collaborations with universities and research centres. This interconnected system includes notable companies such as Abiogen Pharma, Farmigea, Baldacci Laboratories, Lusochimica (Menarini), Takeda, Kedrion, Akern, and PharmaNutra, all of which have a keen interest in graduates of the BIOPHAM Master's Degree. The program in Pisa, as part of the BIOPHAM mobility plan, offers a comprehensive scientific foundation in topics such as the chemical physics of amorphous and crystalline solids, spectroscopic techniques for material analysis, and material engineering and manipulation at the nanoscale. These areas aim to pave the way for innovative pharmaceutical and bio-related applications.

The University of Pisa (Italy) offers a Master's Degree in Materials and Nanotechnology which was established in 2017. The program involves 4 Departments of UNIPI: Physics, Chemistry, Information Engineering and Civil & Industrial Engineering, and a second university, the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, through the NEST Research Center. All these institutions rank in the top 10% of research evaluations in Italy. Research activities in Pisa cover a broad spectrum, ranging from glass transition and polymer physics and engineering to nanoscience, biophysics and biomaterials science. Both the Materials Engineering group and the Soft Matter Physics Group have a long-lasting experience of research dedicated to health applications, e.g. concerning amorphous pharmaceuticals, biophysical tools for oncological research, smart biomaterial approaches for pathology resolution. Within Materials Engineering, UNIPI has a strong tradition in Biomaterials, due to the proximity with large recognized hospitals in a relatively small town. CISUP, the core facility centre for instrumentation provides free access to the students to 20 specialized laboratories for materials and life sciences. UNIPI has members dedicated to administrative duties and communication of the Master’s programme (Dr. Francesca Nannelli) and the specific support for students (Dr. Beata Matungano). Additionally, the key staff will also involve Dr. Tommaso Salamone, the Head of the International Programmes for Cooperation, Education and Mobility Unit of the University of Pisa for Promotion of the Programme.