IN THE CITY OF PRATO
THE PROJECT
OPEN A CAMPUS IN PRATO
IN THE HEART OF TUSCANY
The aim of the project is to create a speed track for foreign Universities who might consider opening a satellite campus in Italy. The free services include bureaucracy, financial and educational studies aiming to define how much will take in term of costs and time to open a center in Italy.
These services, free of charge, are offered to foreign Universities from all over the world by the partners of the project, Municipality of Prato and PIN – Prato branch of the University of Florence, with the support of professionals and partner Universities already settled in Prato, Monash and UNH (also involved in creating OTHER FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES).
WHO WE ARE
This project is developed by the Prato Town Council, in collaboration with the University Network in Prato (PIN), a branch of the University of Florence.
Prato Town Council
Comune di PratoThe attraction of foreign Universities in Prato is one of the objectives of the Prato Town Council: the strong international demand for cultural, professional and industrial training – beyond the Fashion Industry for which the city is so famous, is a driver for the City’s development.
University of Florence
Università degli Studi di FirenzeThe University of Florence is an important and influential centre for research and higher training in Italy, with 1,800 lecturers and internal research staff, 1,600 technical and administrative staff, and over 1,600 research assistants and doctoral students.
PIN
Polo Universitario Città di PratoPIN s.c.r.l. Educational and Scientific Services for the University of Florence is a non-profit organization with majority public share.
WHY PRATO
Prato is a small but lively city
Prato is also a multi-cultural city. Without losing its original identity on which its entrepreneurial vocation is embedded, Prato, nowadays, can be seen as a global village, where different cultural approaches and lifestyles coexist.
Prato offers prestigious locations inside the old town surrounded by medieval walls, or in gentle hills of the neighboring countryside, or in former industrial plants reconverted to open space multi-purpose buildings. More advantages of choosing Prato are a direct relationships with many local institutions, and certainly lower Investment costs to settle down in the heart of Tuscany compared to the traditional tourist destinations of Florence, Pisa, Siena or Lucca.
The tradition in finest culinary products is another plus of our territory, with world-class wines, olive oil, pastry, bread and many other genuine products of the Tuscan Land.
A SATELLITE CAMPUS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO RAISE THE QUALITY OF THE STUDENT’S EXPERIENCE, WHILE ALSO GAINING IN PRESTIGE, REPUTATION AND VISIBILITY.
The students get the opportunity to engage with European and Italian culture, while still bene ting from the same high quality of teaching they would receive on their home campus. Moreover international academic experience increases job employability.
Standing incredibly close to Florence (20 minutes by metro) and with its position in the heart of Italy and Europe, Prato has easy and fast connections to every major Italian city, as Milan or Rome, both an hour and a half distance, as well as Florence Airport (half-an-hour by car) and Pisa International Airport (two hours). Both airports have daily connections with main European cities (Paris, London, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Bruxelles, just to name few, run by low cost airlines).
Prato has not been affected by the massive tourism of its neighbour, maintaining thus its authenticity and specificity unaltered. The city is famous for textile industry that made it renown worldwide. Prato has the advantages of a major city (of about 200,000 people), but it still retains the feel of a close-knit town. The city is already house of two major international universities, Monash University (Australia) and University of New Haven (USA).
Quality of life and cultural opportunities
The city has a very high quality of life, thanks to a focus on environmental sustainability and a cohesive local community, which on one side contribute to preserve some of the traditional way of Italian lifestyle, while on the other is friendly and open to new cultural traditions, as for example the Chinese one (Chinese community being very well represented in the town). Prato may well be seen as a global village, where di erent cultural approaches and lifestyles coexist: Total number of inhabitants: 191.000 Total number of foreign inhabitants: 34.000
Cultural diversity is not the only factor that makes Prato a unique scenario for a satellite campus.
The town hosts one of the major Contemporary Art Museum in Italy, the Center for Contemporary Art Luigi Pecci, and two major theatres: Teatro Metastasio, which hold most classical pieces, and Fabbricone Theater, which is house to more experimental performances.
Here are the impressions of students after living in Prato:
I like that Prato is a very nice small town, very Italian, not so many tourists, you can really experience the Italian culture as such… life in Prato is fun, it’s tranquil during the day, but you can have a lot of fun during the night and meet local people.
— Nadali, Student from Monash UniversityGoing to Study in Prato was my first time leaving the country. When I arrived, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. The streets are cobblestone, the roads are very narrow, and there is a slower pace of life. But that was the beauty of it – all the difference.
— Jack, Student from University of New HavenStudying at Prato was truly a remarkable exchange opportunity. Only 20 minutes away from Florence by train and less than 2 hours outside Rome, which ultimately made for some great weekend visits. The thing I loved most about living in Prato was my ability to merge into and partake in the “pratese” everyday life.
— Arianna, Student from Monash UniversityOUR SERVICES
The project will support foreign Universities interested in evaluating the opportunity to invest in a satellite campus in Prato through a set of dedicated and personalized services:
Location
We have selected a wide range of possible campus locations that would be possible to rent or buy.
Business plan
We have collected all the information to enable you to make a feasibility plan including location costs, staff costs (both managerial and teaching staff); travel and accommodation costs; administrative and general costs and an analysis of students expenses.
Exploratory missions
We can organize visits to Prato in order to get to know the city, to meet with the government officials and all other interested parties. In some cases, it will be possible to offer hospitality.
Support
During all phases of the settlement of the university branch in Prato, we will give full support, to help with the choice of staff, to speed up bureaucracy and to create a local network.
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION
We would like to give you a chance to examine in depth all the possible advantages of opening a campus in Prato.
We can off er a free consultancy to better analyse the feasibility of the project.
+39 0574 602501
pratocampus@pin.unifi.it
