GRANTS TO FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES FOR THE PROMOTION OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE ABROAD (2619/2 E.F. 2026)

GRANTS, ASSIGNMENT CRITERIA, AND TIMELINES FOR USE

The aforementioned grants are awarded for the creation and operation of Italian chairs at foreign universities and are intended to partially cover the salaries of teachers hired directly by the universities under local law contracts. For the purpose of identifying eligible beneficiary institutions, the term “Italian chairs” refers to university-level chairs and/or teaching courses where the Italian language is included among the languages taught according to the regulations of the institution concerned, even if the chair or course has a different name.

In the allocation of available financial resources, the following criteria and parameters will be adopted:

a) Correct use of any grants received in previous years or the return of unused or improperly used funds;

b) Abolition of permanent faculty positions (lettorati di ruolo) and/or absence of mother-tongue teachers;

c) Number of students and courses;

d) Cost of living and teaching in the host country;

e) The Faculty where the course is held, prioritizing courses integrated into strategic sectors (e.g., Science / Architecture / Design / Economics / Food and Wine);

f) Support for innovative projects aimed at utilizing new technologies (e-books, distance learning, etc.);

g) Level of bilateral relations;

h) Order of priority assigned to the request by the competent Embassy.

The appropriateness (congruità) of the submitted request will also be taken into account.

As a general rule, requests from universities where MAECI permanent faculty (lettori di ruolo) sent from Italy are already in service cannot be considered. Exceptions include specific grants provided by, for example, bilateral cultural agreements ratified by the Italian Parliament, which must be appropriately highlighted in the request.

Furthermore, requests from universities intending to use the grants for purposes other than the remuneration of teachers hired under local law contracts cannot be considered. This includes, but is not limited to: the purchase of books, educational or promotional material, the organization of conferences or events, the remuneration of speakers and guests, and travel expenses for teachers attending external meetings.

It is further specified that the courses must consist of Italian language teaching, must be conducted in Italian, and must take place at the requesting university and not in Italy.

Please pay close attention to the appropriateness of the requested amount. Pursuant to Art. 2, paragraph 1 of Decree No. 50 of March 5, 2009, the amount of grants for the creation and operation of Italian language chairs cannot exceed, in any financial year, 50 percent of the gross annual local allowance that would be due to a permanent faculty member (lettore) serving in the same location on January 1st of the year to which the grant refers.

It is reiterated that the sums awarded are “grants” (contributi) and not “funding” (finanziamento). Therefore, universities are informed that there is no obligation to accept the application, nor to grant the full amount requested. Assigned amounts may be equal to or lower than the figures proposed by the universities. Additionally, the university institutions are informed that the educational projects submitted for the grant must be feasible regardless of the final amount awarded.

Regarding the timeline for using the grants awarded within a financial year, funds disbursed for chair support must be used by the conclusion of the activities of the reference Academic Year. For example, grants awarded in E.F. 2026 must be used by the universities by the conclusion of the 2026-27 Academic Year.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR GRANT APPLICATIONS

Grant requests under Chap. 2619/2 must consist of the following documentation:

Request letter and justification from the university institution;
Form A (Grant Request), containing the Embassy’s opinion and the declaration of conformity of the document to the original kept in the Embassy’s records;
Form B (Final Report) on the use of the last grant received (if applicable), containing the Embassy’s opinion and the declaration of conformity to the original records.

Regarding the aforementioned documentation, please note:

Each file size must not exceed 4MB.
UNIVERSITY LETTER (Maximum one page): Must summarize the reasons for the request in a concise yet detailed manner. It must be on the university’s letterhead, signed by the Academic Head, and bear the university stamp.
FORM A: The request for the support of Italian chairs/courses must be drafted using the attached model. All sections must be completed, both the part for the university and the part reserved for the Embassy.
FORM B: Universities that received grants in E.F. 2025 or in the previous five-year period (F.Y. 2020-2024) must prepare the final report on the use of the last grant received using Form B. This form must also be completed in full by both the university and the Embassy.

The submission of the final report is an indispensable condition for the granting and disbursement of the new contribution. Therefore, please send it along with the new grant request, even if it has been previously sent to this Office.

If it is not possible to produce the report for the E.F. 2025 grant by the deadline for the new request, the submission may be postponed until the end of the Academic Year (i.e., by Summer 2026).

Finally, the final report is a mandatory requirement for all universities that received grants, even if they are not applying for a grant in the current Financial Year. Universities must use exclusively the forms attached to this message, which have been updated. Forms must be completed digitally without modifying the prepared text, ensuring the inclusion of the date, university stamp, and the signature of the Academic Head.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION (MARCH 31, 2026)

The final deadline for this Embassy to send grant requests is March 31, 2026. To allow these Offices to correctly complete the preliminary procedures and ensure compliance with the deadline, interested institutions are invited to submit their applications at least one week in advance of the indicated date.