The program is open to all students enrolled in the 2019–2020 academic year in the first year of a Master's degree program in the Departments of Economics and Finance or Political Science, or in the third year of the Single-Cycle Master's degree program in Law.

The activity takes place entirely during the second semester (February–May 2020)

I. The context of the new EU programming period

On January 1, 2014, the new EU programming for Economic and Social Cohesion kicked off. This program will support the development plans of European regions through 2020 by allocating and disbursing the EU's new structural funds. At the same time, new directly managed European programs were launched for the 2014–2020 programming period, including Horizon 2020, Life, and Creative Europe. Meanwhile, initiatives funded under the previous 2007–2013 programming period are still being fully implemented. The Sixth Report on Economic, Social, and Territorial Cohesion, presented by the EU Commission at the end of July 2014, shows that Italy, in particular, has significant room for improvement, both in terms of its ability to plan measures and manage resources and in terms of designing individual initiatives.
The process involves political decision-makers, public administrations at various levels, economic operators, social workers, and the professional world at every stage. There are new rules and opportunities for both EU member state governments and all public and private entities looking to submit proposals for calls related to these funds and funding programs.
The Cantieri d'Europa are temporary workshops held at workplaces or locations where goods and services are used. They bring together a variety of professionals involved in the design, fundraising, management, evaluation, reporting, and oversight of a project financed with EU funds.
Therefore, there are Cantieri within national and local public administrations, agencies, third-sector organizations, schools, research centers, and companies that have benefited or could benefit from European Union funding, either directly or indirectly.

Through hands-on work and direct engagement with key stakeholders involved in real projects, the educational and workshop-based program aims to provide first-hand knowledge and experience of the complex dynamics of a community project's life cycle. This spans from the initial concept of the measure to the actual implementation of an initiative financed by European funds, including direct experience on a Europrogramming or Europrojecting site.

The workshop aims to help participants acquire skills that will be valuable, marketable, and applicable should they choose to work in the future on planning, designing, and managing initiatives funded by EU programs, whether in companies, public administrations, non-profit organizations, trade associations, or trade unions.
The role of a European programming/project planning expert is an emerging profession that is increasingly in demand within national and local public administration offices. These experts are responsible for planning, managing, monitoring, and evaluating initiatives co-financed with EU funds.

• Instructor-led activities designed to provide foundational knowledge and tools for European programming and project design.
• On-site activities at the administrations and organizations selected for the academic year in question
• Research, discussion, and evaluation through interviews, field visits, and the preparation of a final report to be discussed with the partner organization and in a plenary session.

The initiative is structured as follows: the first part involves classroom training that is common to both tracks. The second part is specific to each track and includes both lectures (seminars) and meetings and visits to the various project sites. In the third part, students work in small groups under the supervision of a tutor and present their completed projects at the end. 

For this initiative, project sites will be established in collaboration with prestigious public administrations. 

Those who attend a minimum of 48 hours of activities (including training and group work) and participate in the final project will receive the university credits listed in the curriculum under “Other Activities,” as well as a certificate of participation.

The program lasts a total of 72 hours, divided as follows:

• 38 hours of joint training in a plenary setting
• 8 hours of seminar training 
• 20 hours of workshop activities at the Europrogramming and Europrojecting sites
• 6 hours for a final moment of reflection and workshop conclusions

The schedule will be available in October 2019.

It is also specified that:

To receive the final diploma and have your University Credits recognized, you must have attended 48 hours (including both lectures and workshop activities) and actively contributed to the final project, regardless of whether you can attend the final event on the island of Ventotene in person.It is also specified that:

Therefore, you may be absent for a maximum of 24 hours, in addition to any absence from the final event.

• A tutor will be in charge of recording attendance, which will be done by signing a register. Failure to sign will be considered an absence.
• There are a maximum of 30 places available. Participants will be selected solely based on the order in which they register. The maximum number of participants includes students from all relevant departments.
• The workshop will run provided a minimum of 15 participants are registered.
• All classroom activities will take place on Friday afternoons (4:00 PM to 8:00 PM) and/or on Saturdays (9:00 AM to 6:00 PM) as per the schedule above. Meetings and site visits will be arranged based on the availability of those involved, following the same schedule.
• All classroom activities will take place at the LUISS campus in Viale Romania, while meetings and site visits may also occur at the partner organizations' locations (see above).
• All activities will take place in the second semester, so they won't overlap with exam sessions.
• Once a student has chosen a track, they will not be able to earn University Credits for Other Activities through any other means.
• Students who have already earned the University Credits required by their curriculum for Other Activities, or who have already started attending optional language courses or any other activity for which credits are recognized, are excluded from the program. 
• The student will be fully responsible for organizing and covering any necessary expenses for all travel.
• Participation in the final in-person event is optional.

Registration

Students enrolled for the 2019/2020 academic year in the first year of a Master's degree program (excluding the Department of Business and Management, as noted above) or in the third year of the Single-Cycle Master's degree program in Law can select the Soft Skills course they wish to take to earn credits directly through the Web Self Service while completing their study plan.

Requests received outside the specified period will not be considered.

The calendar will be available in January 2020.

For more information
Prof. Luciano Monti
lmonti@luiss.it