Sapienza University has signed an agreement with the CNR (National Research Council of Italy ), the Polytechnic of Turin, the University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, the University of Naples "Federico II" and the University of Pisa to establish the first Italian National PhD Programme in Artificial Intelligence (PhD-AI.it). The Ministry of University and Research has set up a Committee at the CNR to develop a joint strategy and implement national coordination.

The PhD-AI.it will be starting from the 2021/22 academic year,194 grants are already available. The new PhD will be strategic to train professionals in a field that is expanding enormously. It is estimated that the AI sector will lead to a 16% growth in global GDP by 2030 and will impact 70% of companies. The market in Italy is in its initial stages, but we are number 10 worldwide in terms of number of publications and 5th in terms of scientific impact.

"One of the great challenges of our future is at stake here - says the Rector of Sapienza Eugenio Gaudio - and for this reason, we must invest in the training and specialisation of young people starting from those sectors, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, which are the excellence of our country. In these subjects, since 2009, Sapienza has been offering a study path in English, and the launch of a national PhD in Artificial Intelligence could be the springboard for projects of great scientific impact".