Seasonal Schools, the intensive courses “of excellence”: from circular economy to innovative solutions for environmental and industrial applications, the various topics covered in Autumn 2026. How to apply, all the reduction in the enrolment fee
The various topics covered by the six Seasonal Schools that will take place from September to November 2026 include: sea and space exploration, medical simulations techniques, water resources management and much more. Applications are already open on the Seasonal Schools' website, where you can also consult the description of each Seasonal School: CESM - Circular Economy and Sustainability Management (on site classes from October 12th to 16th), ESEAS - Exploring sea and space: technologies, opportunities and challenges (on site classes from October 19th to 23rd); Quali-Research - Qualitative Methods and Research Design (on site classes from October 26th to 30st ), WAT-CHANGE - Water-related ecosystem services for adapting societies to climate change (on site classes from November 9th to 13th)
A reduction in the enrolment fee is available based on the applicant’s income certification. A 450€ scholarship provided by Il Talento all’Opera Foundation and EY Foundation will be assigned to the three best performing participants of each course. Students coming from universities or institutions with specific agreements with Sant’Anna School are entitled to reserved places and to a 10% reduction in the enrolment costs. The partner Institutions are: Università di Catania; Università della Tuscia; Università di Trento; Fondazione Onaosi; Università di Messina; Università di Camerino; Università della Calabria; Conferenza dei Collegi Universitari di Merito; Università di Palermo; Università Della Valle D'Aosta; Università Politecnica delle Marche, Università di Siena; e Università degli Studi di Firenze. Students enrolled in Università di Pisa who do not require accommodation will be granted a 40% discount on the tuition fee.
Applications for the Seasonal CESM - Circular Economy and Sustainability Management will be open until September 6th and classes will take place in presence from October 12th to 16th.
The main target of the of the Circular Economy and Sustainability Management (CESM) seasonal school is represented by students from different backgrounds interested in the field of efficient resource management and circular economy. The CESM course explores organizational aspects and innovation facets related to all phases of the product life cycle; moreover, it provides practical overview of how processes, decisions and business models should change in light of the new circular economy paradigm. In more detail, the CESM seasonal school consists of 7 training modules lasting half day each on issues such as: circular design, strategy development & business models, communication. Finally, a half-day laboratory is scheduled to apply what students have learned in all previous lessons. Therefore, the learning objectives of CESM encompass: helping participants to acquire a framework of useful skills to seize the opportunities in the economic shift; managing the challenges and transformation processes in a circular logic in order to encourage the practical application of the knowledge gained.
Applications for the Seasonal School ESEAS - Exploring sea and space: technologies, opportunities and challenges will be open until September 14thand classes will take place in presence from September 19th to 23rd.
In the last centuries, humanity has fully explored and mapped the emerged fraction of Earth surface; today it has growing interest in exploring and exploiting the submerged fraction of the Earth as well as the nearby space regions, intensively. To this aim, engineers provide new powerful means (robots, underwater and space communication systems, new nano-satellite solutions); the exploration and exploitation of resources also pose problems relating to the biology of living beings. Moreover a wide range of new issues arise, about the economic implications and legal implications. The School aims to provide a concise overview of the relevant scientific challenges and development prospects in a unitary framework where issues of economic and environmental impact, potential conflicts and regulatory assessments are also addressed. The Seasonal School will take an holistic approach and will introduce participants to the key technologies in a unitary framework, where the engineering role is viewed together with biological and medical issues, economic aspects and legal problems. At the end of the Seasonal School, the participants will have a comprehensive overview of the future trends in the challenging topics of space and sea exploration.
Quali-Research - Qualitative Methods and Research Design will be open until September 7th and classes will take place in presence from October 26th to 30th.
The Seasonal School aims to provide participants with advanced methodological training in qualitative research, with a specific focus on inductive and abductive approaches to theory building. The School is designed to address the growing demand among MSc and PhD students for rigorous methodological competences in the design, execution, and publication of qualitative research in the social sciences.
The Seasonal School focuses in particular on the development of research projects based on qualitative data, the formulation of research puzzles and qualitative research questions, and the construction of theoretical contributions from empirical evidence. Special emphasis is placed on the Gioia Methodology as a widely adopted template for inductive qualitative research, and on the use of qualitative methods in top-tier international journals. In addition, the School addresses the challenges of transforming qualitative findings into publishable contributions, guiding participants through the main stages of the academic publishing process, including journal positioning, submission strategies, and interaction with reviewers. Attention is also given to the emerging role of generative artificial intelligence as a support tool for qualitative data coding and analysis, fostering a critical reflection on its opportunities and limitations.
Applications for the Seasonal School WAT-CHANGE - Water-related ecosystem services for adapting societies to climate change will be open until October 5th and classes will take place in presence from November 9th to 13th.
While climate change is posing at risk traditional water resources management, there is the urgent need to devise low-energy and low-impact solutions to adapt the environment, societies and economies to this threat. The WAT-CHANGE Seasonal School aims at introducing the participants to the new growing area of solutions provided by water-related ecosystem services. In particular, we will deal with nature-based solutions for water supply, treatment of polluted water, and flood risk mitigation such as managed aquifer recharge, river restoration, constructed wetlands, sustainable drainage systems, and remediation of contaminated sites using phytoremediation techniques. At the end of the course the students will have acquired the knowledge and skills that will allow them to understand impact and functions of the main nature-based solutions for solving the most common water resources management problems and start their design.
