On Tuesday, 27 August 2024, Uni-Italia, the Association for the Promotion of Higher Studies in Italy, organised “Milano Meravigliosa” to showcase study opportunities for Indian prospective students in Milan. The event was organised in collaboration with the Italian Embassy and the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre in New Delhi. It was followed by an Italian Aperitivo and meet & greet.

H.E. Antonio Bartoli, Ambassador of Italy to India said in his welcome remark “Students’ exchange and mobility are an essential part of the growing bilateral partnership, as they contribute to creating long-term connections between our two countries.”

The event was attended by prospective Indian students interested in choosing Milan as their destination of choice for higher studies. Moreover, there were faculty and representatives of prestigious Indian academic institutions and government. International organisations including the Association of Indian Universities and Raj Bhavan Kolkata also attended.

The Director of the Italian Embassy Cultural Centre in New Delhi, Dr. Andrea Anastasio, pointed out “Students' mobility is a great contribution to the dialogue between different cultures. Caring for a profitable exchange between Indian and Italian students means to build a deeper reciprocal understanding in a world that needs a greater awareness of the relevance of togetherness”.

An engaging discussion about studying, living and opportunities for Indian students in Milan was chaired by Prof. Rajendra Kumar, architect, curator, author and Director of School of Architecture and Design, Lovely Professional University, India. As a former Alumnus of the Politecnico of Milan, Prof. Rajendra Kumar said “Milano Meravigliosa is great initiative by Uni-Italia India towards creating a greater awareness for future students about study opportunities in Italy, more particularly in Milan city. I graduated from Politecnico Di Milano in 2008. Such effort by Uni-Italia,

India of engaging alumni and faculties from Milan Universities paves the way for greater relations between India and Italy in academic collaborations and talent mobility between two nations.”

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Milan has the highest per capita income in Italy (23.200 euro in 2023), one of the highest occupation rates (75,37% in 2023) and with almost 19% of its population coming from abroad (2023) . Milan is located in a region, Lombardy, that hosts about 50.000 Indian citizens. Moreover, Milan itself is home to about 20.000 international students.

Branches of approximately two-thousand multinationals, among the top five financial markets in its continent, are also located in Milan. World-famous for fashion, design, and its business environment, as well as for manufacture, Milan is also the home of media and publishing, of high-tech, pharmaceutics and biotech, food and hospitality, culture and nightlife, but also of world-class academic institutions and of more than ten-thousands active NGOs.

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Università commerciale Luigi Bocconi is consistently ranking among the best fifteen in the world and the best five in Europe in the areas of Social Sciences, Economics, Finance, Business and Management. There is also a SDA Bocconi Asia Center in Mumbai that delivers Executive Education and Postgraduate Programs

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore is ranked among the world’s best 150 universities overall, as an excellence in the field of the humanities.

Università IULM, one of the first universities ever in Italy to focus on communication, media, tourism, and cultural heritage, is nowadays one of the country’s best in these sectors.

Istituto Marangoni is the best school in Italy among accredited institutions in the fashion area, and with one of the best in international rankings in the Art & Design sector. The Institute also has various campuses around the world, one of them being in Mumbai.