2022 edition of Siena International School on Sustainable Development

February 1, 2022

Applications to the Siena International School on Sustainable Development 2022 are now open till March 2, 2022. The School, now on its fourth edition, focuses on the process of decarbonization, examining its solutions and implications for our society and businesses. It will be carried out in three phases (from 14 March to 18 June 2022), combining didactic and scientific interactions, online and on-campus courses.

The School, powered by Enel Foundation, is organized by the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), Santa Chiara Lab – University of Siena, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN), and supported by the Italian University Network for Sustainable Development (RUS) and SDSN Europe.

This year’s edition targets a wider public, European and not only, aiming to provide high-level training and qualification with professors and experts from internationally renowned bodies and institutions. With the objective of contributing to bring forth solutions to the climate crisis, the School will focus on the process of reduction of climate-changing emissions, discussing opportunities, solutions and implications of the decarbonization process for our society and businesses, in particular in the sectors of energy production, agri-food and industry.

Founded in 2018, the Siena International School on Sustainable Development was the first training initiative ever launched in Italy to explore topics related to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This year, it focuses on the topic of decarbonization, and it is supported by a Scientific Advisory Committee chaired by Jeffrey Sachs (UN SDSN), and co-chaired by Phoebe Koundouri (Athens University) and Carlo Papa (Enel Foundation). The Director of the School is Angelo Riccaboni, President of Santa Chiara Lab and Professor at the University of Siena.

“SDSN is a global network of Universities and research Centers that fosters new skills and solutions to meet the greatest challenge of sustainable development” – declares Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN SDSN, Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. “One of the key transformations is decarbonization of the global energy system. The Siena International School on Sustainable Development will contribute significantly to new pathways and partnerships towards decarbonization and climate safety."

According to Angelo Riccaboni, President of Santa Chiara Lab – University of Siena, Co-Chair SDSN Europe, “the process of decarbonization is central for the future of the Planet, as emerged from the recent COP26. The private sector is a primary actor to reach carbon neutrality. Through the Siena International School on Sustainable Development, we want to create bridges and connections between the research and innovation sector and the business world, a fundamental step to find the necessary solutions to put in place such transformation.”

“Since the first edition, we strongly support this initiative, because we believe that training is indispensable to face the ecological and climate crisis.” – states Marcella Mallen, ASviS President. “This way, ASviS contributes to increasingly better qualify the professionals needed to guide the energy transition. Specialized professionals who, combining technical competences and management skills, have the transdisciplinary overview, needed today to make the productive, social and institutional systems concretely sustainable, helping first-hand to create a new prosperous, fair, equitable and inclusive world.”

“Building and exchanging cross-cutting knowledge are essential elements of the transition, which is why we are so glad to have accompanied the creation and growth of the Siena International School on Sustainable Development over these years,” underlines Carlo Papa, Managing Director of Enel Foundation.

The Siena International School on Sustainable Development 2022 is open to researchers, managers, officers at private and public institutions, and entrepreneurs, to create a network of game changers, able to develop and implement effective and inclusive solutions in the field of decarbonization. The School is open to a maximum of 250 participants to the online phases and up to 30 participants to the on-campus phase, carried out in Siena in June 2022.

In the three previous editions, more than fifty scholars and internationally renowned experts conveyed research, scientific knowledge, and best practice to more than 100 young researchers, professionals, and public servants.

This year, the training activities are held entirely in English and carried out in three phases: self-learning phase to strengthen individual competences through online courses (14-23 March); 12 webinars with internationally renowned experts and scholars on the challenges and solutions of decarbonization (23 March – 20 May); 5-day on-campus classes and interactive workshops on implications and future solutions, held by international experts and high-profile professors, carried out at Santa Chiara Lab – University of Siena from 13 to 18 June 2022.

At the end of this third phase, students will present the projects carried out with their working groups throughout the collaborative workshops.

Applications are open until 4 March 2022, the procedure and all the information are available online here.