The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Italian Republic (MAECI) offers foreign universities the opportunity to apply for grants for the creation and operation of Italian language chairs to support the promotion of the Italian language and culture abroad.
GRANTS
The grants for Italian language chairs are intended to partially cover the salaries of teachers directly hired by universities under local law contracts.
The term Italian language chairs (cattedre di italiano in Italian) refers to university chairs and/or courses wherein the Italian language is among the languages taught according to the regulations of the relevant institution, even if the chair or course has a different name.
Requests from universities intending to use the grants for purposes other than the salaries of teachers hired under local law contracts cannot be considered. This includes expenses such as the purchase of books, teaching or promotional materials, the organization of conferences, symposiums, or other events, the remuneration of speakers and conference guests, or travel expenses for faculty attending conferences and external meetings.
As a general rule, requests from universities where MAECI-appointed permanent lecturers from Italy are already in service cannot be considered.
The courses must consist of Italian-language instruction, must be conducted in Italian, and must take place at the requesting university, not in Italy.
TIMELINE FOR THE USE OF GRANTED CONTRIBUTIONS
The contributions granted to support the chairs must be used by the end of the relevant academic year (2025/2026).
In the event of a grant being awarded, any unused or improperly spent funds must be returned by September 30, 2025, as a prerequisite for the allocation of a new contribution.
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
Grant applications must be sent by 31 March 2025 to the email address canberra.culturale@esteri.it for the procedures of the Embassy.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLYING FOR A GRANT
Grant applications must include the following documentation in accordance with the instructions:
- REQUEST LETTER AND JUSTIFICATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTION (maximum one page): Written on university letterhead, signed by the academic representative, and stamped with the university seal, it must concisely and specifically state the justification for the request.
- FORM A – Grant Application, completed in its entirety without any modifications to the text, it must include the date, the stamp of the requesting institution, and the signature of the academic representative.
- FORM B – Final Report on the use of the last grant (if applicable).
