A bridge between Europe and the Università Mediterranea: the decree for the new Reggio Calabria university campus has been signed.
The project, supported by the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) with an investment of 4 million euros, will create the city's first true campus: modern, inclusive, and open to the world.
The decree defining the implementation methods and terms of completion of the “ Università Mediterranea Campus ” project of the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria was signed by the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, together with the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti .
The measure, enshrined in the 2025-2027 Budget Law, allocates the University €4 million—€1 million for 2025, €2 million for 2026, and €1 million for 2027—for investments in the acquisition and renovation of properties for the construction of the new campus.
The initiative was made possible by an amendment to the 2025 Budget Law, presented by the Honorable Francesco Cannizzaro, which allowed the necessary resources to be allocated to the project's implementation.
The decree, now subject to prior review by the Court of Auditors, regulates the University's submission of its intervention program and the related implementation timelines. The University will be required to submit a property acquisition and renovation program, accompanied by a technical and economic feasibility study and a timeline for the interventions. The assessment of appropriateness and functionality will be entrusted to a commission appointed by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR).
The project will create the first true university campus in Reggio Calabria, conceived as a place for interdisciplinary and multifunctional exchange between students, faculty, researchers, and citizens, with academic buildings, study, research, and social spaces, sports facilities, libraries, and green spaces. A modern, inclusive, and sustainable environment with university housing for deserving Italian and international students, with a particular focus on those from the Mediterranean basin and areas affected by humanitarian crises.
Minister Anna Maria Bernini: Transforming Reggio Calabria into a meeting place and a place of knowledge that looks to the future and the world
"The Università Mediterranea Campus," declared Anna Maria Bernini, Minister of Universities and Research, " is a project embodying a vision: to transform Reggio Calabria into a place of encounter and knowledge that looks to the future and the world. A modern, open, and welcoming campus, where Italian and international students can share their education and life experiences, with a particular focus on those from the Mediterranean basin and areas affected by humanitarian crises. It is a concrete sign of the Government and the Ministry's commitment to strengthening Southern Italy's universities and building, through education and research, a stable bridge of cooperation and peace between peoples."
With this measure, the Ministry of Universities and Research confirms its commitment to enhancing the university system in Southern Italy and to the international projection of the University of Reggio, strengthening Italy's role as a cultural and educational bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean.
The rector of the Università Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria, Giuseppe Zimbalatti, expressed his satisfaction with the decree that defines the implementation methods and terms of completion of the “Università Mediterranea Campus” project of Università degli Studi Mediterranea di Reggio Calabria.
Expressing their thanks to the Minister of Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and the Honorable Francesco Cannizzaro, for their active commitment to supporting the growth of the University of Reggio Calabria and the wider region, with a view to making Reggio Calabria "a university city, increasingly attractive for the entire Mediterranean region."
Rector Zimbalatti concludes: "Institutional teamwork has once again proven to be a winning strategy in addressing the significant challenges facing the growth and development goals of the Mediterranean University, placing our academic community in the best position to pursue its goals of excellence with a concrete prospect of achieving them."