It is the first school of excellence between an Italian University and a Chinese University officially approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education. Every year will give the opportunity to 30 students - Chinese and Italian - to participate in their respective joint paths. The Pisa Marine Graduate School is born from an agreement between the University of Pisa and the Zhejiang Ocean University and offers joint academic training in Master's Degree Programmes in Marine Biology and Biosafety and Food Quality.
«The Zhejiang Ocean University, founded in 1958, is one of the most important Chinese Universities in the field of Marine Sciences and Food Science and Technology - says the rector Paolo Mancarella - Since the academic year 2015/2016, our University has an agreement with the ZJOU for the awarding of a double degree in Marine Biology. From then on, a fruitful collaboration between the two Universities has been developed in other scientific disciplinary areas as well, getting to the launch of a joint programme in Biosafety and Food Quality and, today, also to this school of excellence, a flagship in the scenery of our educational offer».
The school is located on the campus of Zhejiang Ocean University and will give Chinese students the opportunity to learn about the Italian University System and Italian students to spend a study period in China and obtain both the Italian Degree and the Chinese. For the moment, the Master's Degrees involved in the project are in Marine Biology and Food Safety and Biosecurity; however, in the future, it may extend to other scientific areas and degree programmes. The school's statute also provides for the possibility of activating joint doctorates, carrying out joint research and exchanges of teachers and academic staff.
Professor Francesco Marcelloni, Pro-Rector of Cooperation and International relations at the University of Pisa joins: "This school will be a great new opportunity to bring the two nations and their cultures together. I want to thank Professor Alessandra Guidi, who preceded me in this role. We owe to her most of the work that led to the approval of the school. Let me also thank: the International Cooperation Unit with its manager, Paola Cappellini, for the supervision of the whole process; Professor Alberto Castelli, who was the president of the Master's Degree Programme in Marine Biology at the time of the activation of the double title and now Director of the Department of Biology; Professor Luciana Dente current president of the Master's Degree Programme in Marine Biology; Professor Annamaria Ranieri and Professor Andrea Serra, respectively former and current president of the Master's Degree Programme in Biosafety and Food Quality; Professor Alberto Pardossi, Director of the Department of Agricultural, Food and Agri-Environmental Sciences. Last but not least, a sincere thank goes to all the teachers of the Departments of Biology, Agricultural, Food and Agro-Environmental Sciences, and Veterinary Sciences that with great enthusiasm and participation have contributed with their commitment to start this school. I am sure they will continue and contribute to its success."