The initiative was discussed during the recent annual meeting of the international association, held in Gibraltar
Students of the University of the Republic of San Marino continue to take advantage of the opportunities to carry out semesters abroad, especially in countries such as Iceland, Cyprus and Malta, while on the administrative front the first experiences of international exchange have been recorded with the presence of a technician from the University of Andorra sul Titano, useful for facilitating a series of comparisons with San Marino colleagues.
These are some of the main effects recorded and explored in depth on 22 April at the headquarters of the University of Gibraltar, in the south of the Iberian peninsula, during the sixth annual meeting of the representatives of the twelve institutions included in the Network of Universities of Small States and Territories (NUSCT) , an international association that has involved Titano academics since its foundation.
“It is a now traditional appointment in which representatives from the realities that are part of the group are updated on the things done and what to do from a common perspective”, begins Elena D'Amelio, professor of the University of San Marino and delegate of the Rector for International Relations. “The University of San Marino – she underlines – was the first to put into practice, together with Andorra, the intentions for a profitable exchange between staff members. This materialized with the recent presence, in our offices, of an Andorran computer scientist to whom our routines and practices were illustrated and shown over the course of two weeks. In the framework of an exchange of know-how, he came into contact with the peculiarities and characteristics of our systems, as well as the training programs and services offered to students. In addition to the more technical aspects, some dynamics were also addressed involving offices such as the student secretariat, which accompanies the students from enrollment to graduation at every step, not just on a formal level".
In addition to taking stock of what has been achieved, the Network of Universities of Small States and Territories looked ahead by including in the calendar, for 2025, an initiative born from an idea of the Rector of the University of San Marino, Corrado Petrocelli, who had underlined the positive effects of an international seminar on the history of each academic reality in the context in which it developed: "It will take place between June and August in the Faroe Islands", explains D'Amelio, who participated in the meeting together with Michele Chiaruzzi, director of the Research Center for International Relations. “It will allow us to compare ourselves with the differences and similarities of our respective paths. For the University of San Marino, in particular, it will offer a moment to talk about how we were born and where we are headed as an institution and as a country, in our sector and in the activities we share with the territory".
Founded in 2018, the Network of Universities of Small States and Territories involves Andorra, Iceland, Malta, Cyprus, Greenland, Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, Aland (autonomous region of Finland) and San Marino.