The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies () is a special-statute, highly selective
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
located in
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
, Italy. Together with the
University of Pisa and
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
, it is part of the
Pisa University System.
The rector is Sabina Nuti, who took office on 7 May 2019. Before her, the rector of the school was
Pierdomenico Perata, elected on 8 May 2013 after the resignation of
Maria Chiara Carrozza
Maria Chiara Carrozza (born 16 September 1965) is an Italians, Italian physicist, engineer and politician who served as Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy), Minister of Education, University and Research in the Letta Cabinet, ...
, due to her election as Member of Parliament and appointment as
Minister of Education, University and Research.
Since January 2014, the school has been presided over by Yves Mény, until the School joined the first Federation of Universities in Italy, together with two among the other twenty ''Scuole Superiori Universitarie'' (
Grandes Écoles Grandes may refer to:
*Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician
* Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia
* Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...
):
Scuola Normale Superiore and
Scuola Superiore Studi Pavia IUSS. Before him, the president was
Giuliano Amato
Giuliano Amato (; born 13 May 1938) is an Italian politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Italy, first from 1992 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2001. Upon Arnaldo Forlani's death in July 2023, Amato became the country's earliest-servin ...
, a former prime minister of Italy and currently judge of the Constitutional Court.
The undergraduate ''Allievi Ordinari'' of the School are selected through a public examination. They are all awarded a full government-funded scholarship which includes accommodation, canteen, research and travel grants. In exchange, they are expected to hold the highest standards in their studies at both the School and at the partner Universities.
History
The present-day Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is the descendant of several institutions modelled on the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
, also known in Italian as Scuola Normale, which is a higher learning institution in Pisa. It was founded in 1810, by
Napoleonic decree, as a branch of the
École normale supérieure
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...
of
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
The school, whose origins, in the context of the
Pisa university reality, are rooted in the Collegio Medico-Giuridico already attached to the
Scuola Normale Superiore and the Collegio ‘Antonio Pacinotti, and was formally established by the Law of 14 February 1987, No. 41, which marked the unification of the Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Law (7 March 1967), No. 117, and the Conservatorio di Sant’Anna, the
Royal Decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...
of 13 February 1908 No. LXXVIII.
Origins of Sant'Anna
* Sant'Anna Church and Convent
The present-day site is acquired from a very ancient religious educational establishment. The
''Sant'Anna Church and Convent'' was established in 1406, while the church was finished in 1426, by the Order of the
Benedictine Nuns (OSB).
* Conservatorio di Sant'Anna
In 1785, the ''Conservatorio di Sant'Anna'' was initiated by the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...
.
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II (Peter Leopold Josef Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard; 5 May 1747 – 1 March 1792) was the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor, as well as King of Hungary, Croatia and King of Bohemia, Bohemia, and List of rulers of Austria, Archduke of Austri ...
as a consequence of abolition of the religious orders due to Leopold's reforms; the convent was suppressed in 1786.
* Conservatorio di Sant'Anna, an educational institution; later under the tutelage of the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
of the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
and the
Italian Republic
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.
*
Sant'Anna replaced
Antonio Pacinotti in 1987, when the School gained its current headquarters. In 1987 the
Benedictine Nuns dedicated the Sant'Anna Church and Convent to the Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e Perfezionamento (previously the Collegio Medico-Giuridico of the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
),
provided the School carried the name of
Sant'Anna.
''
''
* The origins of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies within
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
: the Scuola Normale Superiore was founded in 1810 by
Napoleonic decree, as twin institution of the
École normale supérieure
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...
in Paris, itself dating back to the
French Revolution jurisdiction. The term "École normale" ("Scuola Normale") was coined by
Joseph Lakanal who, in submitting a report to the
National Convention
The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...
of 1794 on behalf of the Committee of Public Instruction, explained it thus: "Normales: du latin norma, règle. Ces écoles doivent être en effet le type et la règle de toutes les autres."
* The Decree of Foundation -
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
rethought the project of an École normale in 1808, by establishing a ''Normale Hall of Residence'' in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to house young students and train them in the art of teaching the humanities and sciences. The project was replicated in
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
by a decree dated 18 October 1810, with the foundation in
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
, seat of one of the Imperial University academies, of a branch of the
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
-based École normale supérieure, "
Scuola Normale Superiore".
* The Grand-Duchy Period: 1847-1859 - on 28 November 1846, a grand-ducal motu proprio founded a Tuscan Scuola Normale in Pisa (also referred to as the Imperial Royal Scuola Normale, as it was linked to the Austrian system), with both theoretical and practical aims, under the patronage of the
Order of Saint Stephen
The Order of Saint Stephen (officially ''Sacro Militare Ordine di Santo Stefano Papa e Martire'', 'Holy Military Order of St. Stephen Pope and Martyr') is a Roman Catholic Tuscan dynastic military order founded in 1561. The order was created ...
, but depending on the
University of Pisa.
[Nicola Bellini, Nadio Delai (a cura di), ''Merito, Ambizione, Collegialità: il contributo della Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna alla formazione della classe dirigente''](_blank)
, ETS, Pisa (2009)
* The Scuola Normale during the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
: 1859-1862 - on 17 October 1862 the
Minister of Education
An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...
of the
Kingdom of Italy
The Kingdom of Italy (, ) was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Kingdom of Sardinia, Sardinia was proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, proclaimed King of Italy, until 10 June 1946, when the monarchy wa ...
Carlo Matteucci implemented new regulations in a decree that transformed the institution to the Normal School of the Kingdom of Italy, which was to have an organic division between the faculties of Arts and Sciences.
* The Scuola Normale under Gentile: 1928-1943 - philosopher
Giovanni Gentile
Giovanni Gentile ( , ; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian pedagogue, philosopher, and politician.
He, alongside Benedetto Croce, was one of the major exponents of Italian idealism in Italian philosophy, and also devised his own sys ...
, was placed at the head of the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
as commissioner in 1928 and as director in 1932. He reformed the Scuola, gave it formal autonomy and sought an expansion to other disciplines, with the creation of the Collegio Mussolini per le Scienze Corporative (1931), and the Collegio Nazionale Medico (1932). The new colleges were later merged to form the Collegio Medico-Giuridico,
which continued to operate (in the fields of Law and Medicine) under the jurisdiction of the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
.
[Nicola Bellini, Nadio Delai (a cura di), ''Merito, Ambizione, Collegialità: il contributo della Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna alla formazione della classe dirigente'', ETS, Pisa, 2009 ]
* Post-war Period -
Scuola Normale Superiore in 1951, established the
Antonio Pacinotti boarding school i.e. Collegio ‘Antonio Pacinotti, reserved to students of the faculties of Agriculture, Economics and Engineering, with plans to be further opened to other faculties.
* The origins of present-day structure of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies: the present structure of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies was established in 1967 as Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e Perfezionamento, by a merger of the Collegio Antonio Pacinotti (''Scuola per le Scienze Applicate A. Pacinotti''; founded 1951), and the Collegio Medico-Giuridico of the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
.
The new institution, committed to the model established by the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
, was administered by the
University of Pisa.
* Establishment of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies; Law of 14 February 1987 No. 41 - Scuola Superiore di Studi Universitari e di Perfezionamento Sant'Anna. In 1987 Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies acquired complete independence (Law of 14 February 1987, No.41)
and maintains strong ties with both the
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
and the
University of Pisa, creating the
Pisa University System.
The present-day structure
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies,
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
and the
University of Pisa create the
Pisa University System.
The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies has been given separate university status by the
Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy)
The Ministry of Education and Merit (in or MIM) is the ministry of the Council of Ministers (Italy), Italian government for the national education system, the Italian universities and research agencies. The current Italian Minister of Public Ed ...
and together with
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
is leading the model of Scuole di Eccellenza, i.e.
Superior Graduate School in Italy (
Grandes écoles Grandes may refer to:
*Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician
* Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia
* Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...
)
Organization
Students are admitted after passing public national and international competitions. Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies offers to those who decide to take excellence, a multi-disciplinary approach to learning, research, and internationalization.
Academics and research
Students are admitted after passing public national and international competitions. The fields of study and research are:
:
Undergraduate programs

Prospective undergraduates undergo a rigorous public examination, and only the very best are creamed off to combine their
Pisa University studies with the extra options available at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, thus these students are called ''Honors College Students'' (). Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna is also integrated with the
Scuola Normale Superiore and ''Honors College Students'' are free to attend courses provided by departments other than their own, as well as those provided by the
Scuola Normale Superiore.
, 50 freshmen are admitted per year, equally divided between the Class of Social Sciences and the Class of Experimental Sciences. The School offers all of its services free of charge (accommodation, canteen, internet connection, library); students also receive a small yearly income for their maintenance. While attending the
Pisa University courses, the ''Honors College Students'' (''allievi'') live in the school's college. Students have to achieve a high average grade in university exams (at least 27/30) and attend internal courses (including foreign language classes offered in French, Spanish, German and Chinese) taught by professors and researchers working at the School, both as an integration and as an extension to the regular academic schedule.
Graduate programs
The School also offers
graduate courses such as
master and
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
programmes, provided by its
research laboratories
A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...
and joint ventures with foreign universities, leading enterprises and international organizations.
Doctoral programs (PhD)
The first institution in Italy to create a
doctoral
A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...
program (
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
) was
Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa
The Scuola Normale Superiore (commonly known in Italy as "la Normale") is a public university in Pisa and Florence, Tuscany, Italy, currently attended by about 600 undergraduate and postgraduate (PhD) students. Together with the University of Pi ...
in 1927 under the historic name ''"Diploma di Perfezionamento"''.
Research doctorates or PhD (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Dottorato di ricerca'') in Italy were introduced with law and
Presidential Decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...
in 1980
Law of 21 February 1980, No. 28and the
Presidential Decree
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, royal figure, or other relevant authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislative laws, or customary l ...
br>
No. 382 of 11 July 1980, referring to the reform of academic teaching, training and experimentation in organisation and teaching methods.
Hence, the
Superior Graduate Schools in Italy
A Superior Graduate School ( Italian: ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria'') is a completely independent institution from a legal point of view, which offers advanced training and research through university-type courses or is dedicated to teaching at ...
(
Grandes écoles Grandes may refer to:
*Agustín Muñoz Grandes, Spanish general and politician
* Banksia ser. Grandes, a series of plant species native to Australia
* Grandes y San Martín, a municipality located in the province of Ávila, Castile and León, Spain ...
)
(
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria''),
also called ''Schools of Excellence'' (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Scuole di Eccellenza'')
such as Scuola Normale Superiore and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies still keep their reputed historical ''"Diploma di Perfezionamento"''
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
title by
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...
and
MIURbr>
Decree
The Doctoral Programmes
at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies grant ''Diploma di Perfezionamento'', a degree fully equivalent to a PhD and are recognized International Doctoral Programmes involving various forms of collaboration and joint ventures with foreign universities.
Post-doctoral education and research
There are also worldwide important international corporations and industrial partners that are closely linked to Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, such as: the nearby
Piaggio where there are special Sant'Anna Laboratories at the
Polo Sant'Anna Valdera (PSAV),
which contributes to the industrial process,
Leonardo,
Fiat
Fiat Automobiles S.p.A., commonly known as simply Fiat ( , ; ), is an Italian automobile manufacturer. It became a part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in 2014 and, in 2021, became a subsidiary of Stellantis through its Italian division, Stellant ...
Centro Ricerche Fiat,
Telecom Italia
TIM S.p.A. (formerly Telecom Italia S.p.A.) is an Italian telecommunications company with headquarters in Rome, Milan, and Naples (with the Telecom Italia Tower), which provides fixed, public and mobile telephony, and DSL data services.
It is ...
,
Marconi Communications
Marconi Communications was the former telecommunications arm of Britain's General Electric Company plc (GEC). It was founded in August 1998 through the amalgamation of GEC Plessey Telecommunications (GPT) with other GEC subsidiaries: Marconi ...
,
Ericsson Research,
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG (, ; often just Telekom, DTAG or DT; stylised as ·T·) is a partially state-owned German telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn and the largest telecommunications provider in Europe by revenue. It was formed in 199 ...
,
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation,
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd, etc.
Polo Sant'Anna Valdera (PSAV) is a research center of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies based in
Pontedera
Pontedera (; ) is an Italian comune with a population of 30070, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, Central Italy, central Italy.
The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florence.
It houses the headquarte ...
(Pisa). It was inaugurated in 2002 thanks to the interest of the then president of
Piaggio,
Giovanni Alberto Agnelli. The property is housed in converted sheds donated by
Piaggio. The main research is in the fields of
robotics
Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots.
Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...
,
bioengineering
Biological engineering or
bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number ...
,
biotechnology
Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...
,
precision engineering
Precision engineering is a subdiscipline of electrical engineering, software engineering, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, and optical engineering concerned with designing machines, fixtures, and other structures that have except ...
,
computing
Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, hardware and softw ...
and
virtual environments.
Polo Sant'Anna Valdera (PSAV) has 25 offices, 4 classrooms for teaching, 7 laboratories, 20 rooms, all six thousand square meters. There currently employs about hundred people. The most important project in these laboratories is a bionic hand for people to have an upper limb amputee.
Th
ARTS Lab - Advanced Robotics Technology and System created the famous breakthrough in the field of bio-robotics with the so-calle
CYBER HAND shown on
CNN International
Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...
's Vital Sign
Life Hand report Sant'Anna also undertakes many international projects which are tied to the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...
, the Government of Italy and its ministries, as well as regional projects of the Region of
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence.
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
and the
Province of Pisa
The province of Pisa () is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Pisa. With an area of and a total population of 421,642 (), it is the second most populous and fifth largest province of Tuscany. It is subdivided i ...
. The school maintains a number of
research laboratories
A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...
, some of which are located at the National Research Council (
CNR) whose largest research center is in
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
.
In the framework of the bilateral cooperation between Italy and China i.e. the Office of Chinese Language Council International (
Hanban), Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna hosts the third Italian
Confucius Institute.
Research Institutes:
* Institute of Management (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Istituto di Management'') includes the laboratories: MAIN, MES and SUM.
* Institute of Economics (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Istituto di Economia'') includes the laboratory LEM.
* Institute Dirpolis (Law, Politics and Development) (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Istituto Dirpolis (Diritto, Politica e Sviluppo)'') includes the laboratories: Lider, Cdg, CSGS and Wiss.
* Institute TeCIP - Institute of Communication, Information and Perception Technologies (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Istituto TeCIP, Istituto di Tecnologie della Comunicazione, dell'Informazione e della Percezione'') includes the laboratories: IRCPhoNet, Percro, Retis.
* Institute of Biorobotics (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Istituto di Biorobotica'') includes the laboratories: ARTSLab, CRIMLab and EZ-Lab.
* Institute of Life Sciences (
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: ''Istituto di Scienze della Vita'') includes the laboratories: Laboratory of Medical Sciences, Biolabs, LandLab and PlantLab.
Laboratories and research centers
;Management
* MAIN - Management & Innovation Laboratory
* MeS Lab - Management and Health Laboratory
* SUM LAb - Sustainability Management
;Economics
* LEM - Laboratory of Economics and Management
* CAFED - Centre for the Analysis of Financial and Economics Dynamics
* EZ-Lab - Center for Research on the technology and support services for the Longevity
;Laws
* LIDER - International and Comparative Law Research Laboratory
* STALS - Sant’Anna Legal Studies
* Research Centre on Social, Juridical and Human Rights Sciences
;Political Science
* CDG Laboratory - International Research Laboratory on Conflict, Development and Global Politics
* ITPCM - International Training Programme for Conflict Management
* Iran Electoral Archive
;Engineering
* ARTS Lab - Advanced Robotics Technology and System, which created the famous breakthrough in the field of bio-robotics with the so-called CYBER HAND, shown on
CNN International
Cable News Network International or CNN International (CNNi, simply branded on-air as CNN) is an international television channel and website, owned by CNN Worldwide. CNN International carries news-related programming worldwide; it cooperates ...
's Vital Sign
Life Hand report!-- page is archived but the video with content is not -->
* CRIM Lab - Center of Research In Microengineering
* RoboCasa, the Italy-Japan joint laboratory for Research on Humanoid and Personal Robotics
* Joint Lab Italy - Korea
* CEIICP - Centre of Excellence for Information, Communication and Perception Engineering. The centre is a result of a joint venture in the telecommunications sector between the Sant'Anna School and
Marconi Communications
Marconi Communications was the former telecommunications arm of Britain's General Electric Company plc (GEC). It was founded in August 1998 through the amalgamation of GEC Plessey Telecommunications (GPT) with other GEC subsidiaries: Marconi ...
SpA (now
Ericsson
(), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...
). In partnership with CNIT
National Inter-University Consortium for Telecommunications, the two parties signed an agreement for the creation of a research centre for photonic networks and technologies, thus realizing through CEIICP a unique example of synergy in Italy.
* IRCPHONET - Integrated Research Centre for Photonic Networks and Technologies
* RETIS lab - Real-Time Systems Laboratory
* PERCRO - Perceptual Robotics
;Agrobiociences
*
Land Lab – Agriculture, Environment and Landscape
* BIOLABS - BIOlogical LABoratorieS
* PLANT LAB - Plant and Crop Physiology
;Medicine
* Laboratory of Medical Science
* European Transplantation Management Centre - Research Centre on E-TX-MAN organ and tissue detection, donation and transplant and related
Partner universities and international agreements
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies has signed international agreements with respected partner universities around the globe.
World rankings
As part of the
Pisa University System, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is small and elite, specialised only in applied sciences. The
Academic Ranking of World Universities
The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...
puts it, together with
Scuola Normale Superiore, at the 1st place in Italy (National Rank # 1) and within the best 30 universities in Europe.
In 2016
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
the ''150 Under 50 Rankings 2016'', Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is ranked #10 in the world. As for 2015-16 rankings,
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
puts Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies at 180th place in the world, 90 place in Europe and 2nd in Italy, and
Scuola Normale Superiore 112 place in the world, 50 place in Europe and 1st in Italy.
According to
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is in top 20% in teaching, industry income and citations in the world, and
Scuola Normale Superiore is in top 10% in teaching and top 20% in research on global level.
Also, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies together with
Scuola Normale Superiore are named as leading institutions in
Italy's six top higher education institutes' by
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...
, where for 2014-2015 was ranked at 63rd place in the world and 15th in Europe.
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies has been mapped by
Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings as one of the most important educational institutions in Italy (section on Italy i.e
Top universities and specialisms), having it
Graduate/Postgraduate Profile
For 2016 the
QS World University Rankings
The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
has ranked Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in the ''subject'' categories economics and econometrics on world stage at # 201. As far as the rankings in the ''faculty'' category is concerned, it is ranked on world stage at # 385 for engineering and technology.
* According to
QS World University Rankings
The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is part of the initiative ''Invest Your Talent in Italy'' which "puts Italian graduate programmes on the world's stage."
The
Scimago
The SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator is a measure of the prestige of scholarly journals that accounts for both the number of citations received by a journal and the prestige of the journals where the citations come from.
Etymology
SCImag ...
Institution Ranking are based on the
SCOPUS
Scopus is a scientific abstract and citation database, launched by the academic publisher Elsevier as a competitor to older Web of Science in 2004. The ensuing competition between the two databases has been characterized as "intense" and is c ...
bibliometric database, featuring thirteen performance indicators of, innovation and web visibility. The following are some of Sant'Anna Schools best results at the world and national level:
''World''
The official agency of the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (
MIUR), the
Agenzia nazionale di valutazione del sistema universitario e della ricerca (ANVUR) ranks Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies the best small university for 2013 in Italy (National Rank # 1).
The European Research Ranking, a ranking based on publicly available data from the European Commission database puts
Pisa University System among the best in Italy and best performing European research institutions .
In 2008, the Italian website ''La Voce'' published a ranking of Italian universities by
h-index
The ''h''-index is an author-level metric that measures both the productivity and citation impact of the publications, initially used for an individual scientist or scholar. The ''h''-index correlates with success indicators such as winning t ...
limited to the Departments of Economics, where Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies acquires the
first (#1) place in Italy.
Notable alumni and faculty

Faculty and alumni of note include:
*
Giuliano Amato
Giuliano Amato (; born 13 May 1938) is an Italian politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Italy, first from 1992 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2001. Upon Arnaldo Forlani's death in July 2023, Amato became the country's earliest-servin ...
, Prime Minister of Italy (1992–1993 and 2000–2001), Vice President of the
Convention on the Future of Europe
The Convention on the Future of the European Union, also known as the European Convention, was a body established by the European Council in December 2001 as a result of the Laeken Declaration. Inspired by the Philadelphia Convention that led ...
that drafted the new
European Constitution
The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE; commonly referred to as the European Constitution or as the Constitutional Treaty) was an unratified international treaty intended to create a consolidated constitution for the European ...
and headed the
Amato Group.
*
Paolo Emilio Taviani,
Italian Minister of Defence (1953–1958),
Italian Minister of the Interior
The minister of the interior (Italian: ''ministro dell'interno'') in Italy is one of the most important positions in the Council of Ministers (Italy), Italian Council of Ministers and leads the Ministry of the Interior (Italy), Ministry of the ...
(1962–1963, 1963–1968, 1973–1974)
*
Antonio Maccanico, Minister of Communications (1996–1998), Minister for Institutional Reforms (1999–2001)
*
Giovanni Pieraccini, Minister of Public Affairs (1963–1964), Minister of Economic Affairs (1964–1965), Minister of Merchant Fleet (1973–1974), Minister of Scientific Research (1974)
*
Carlo Smuraglia, parliament deputy and senator at the
Senate of the Republic (Italy)
The Senate of the Republic (), or simply the Senate ( ), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the lower house being the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral syst ...
*
Antonio Cassese, first President of the International Criminal Tribunal For the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)(1993–1997), in 2004 appointed by United Nations Secretary-General
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan (8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder a ...
to be the chairperson for the International
Commission of Inquiry on Darfur
*
Sabino Cassese, Professor of Administrative Law and a judge of the
Constitutional Court of Italy
The Constitutional Court of the Italian Republic () is the highest court of Italy in matters of constitutional law. Sometimes, the name ''Consulta'' is used as a metonym for it, because its sessions are held in Palazzo della Consulta in Rome.
...
*
Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, former president of
Leonardo, the largest
hi-tech industrial group based in Italy and one of the largest
defence industry conglomerates in the world
*
Enrico Letta
Enrico Letta (; born 20 August 1966) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy
The prime minister of Italy, officially the president of the Council of Ministers (), is the head of government of the Italy, Italian Republ ...
, elected to the
Italian Chamber of Deputies
The Chamber of Deputies () is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the upper house being the Senate of the Republic (Italy), Senate of the Republic. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform ...
, Deputy Secretary of the
Democratic Party (Italy)
The Democratic Party (, PD) is a Social democracy, social democratic political party in Italy. The party's secretary is Elly Schlein, elected in the 2023 Democratic Party (Italy) leadership election, 2023 leadership election, while the party's ...
, Prime Minister of Italy (2013–2014)
*
Maria Chiara Carrozza
Maria Chiara Carrozza (born 16 September 1965) is an Italians, Italian physicist, engineer and politician who served as Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy), Minister of Education, University and Research in the Letta Cabinet, ...
, Professor of Engineering at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Minister of Education, Universities and Research (2013–2014)
*
Marcello Spatafora
Marcello Spatafora (born 30 July 1941) is a retired Italian diplomat, former Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations.
Career
Marcello Spatafora was born in Innsbruck, Austria. He studied law at the University of Pisa, at the pr ...
, Italian Ambassador to
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
(1980–1986), Ambassador to
Malta
Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
(1986–1989), Ambassador to Australia (1993–1997), Ambassador to Albania (1997–1999), Chief of the Italian delegation responsible for organizing the country's presidency of the
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...
(1989–1990), as of 2000 Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations, President of the
United Nations Security Council
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...
in 2007
*
Fabrizio Pagani, economist and policy expert, former Italy's G20 Sherpa and OECD Director
*
Tiziano Terzani, Italian journalist and writer
*
Vittorio Grilli, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (government of
Mario Monti
Mario Monti (; born 19 March 1943) is an Italian politician, economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a Technocratic government (Italy), technocratic government in the wake of the European sov ...
), part of the Board of Directors of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, and board-member of the respected European think-thank
Bruegel (institution)
Riccardo Varaldo economist and holder of the prestigious ''Cavaliere di Gran Croce dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica'' i.e.
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...
, President of Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa, Member of many Ministries' entities, President of th
Società Italiana di MarketingNicola Bellini economist and Director of IRPET (Istituto Regionale per la Programmazione Economica della Toscana)
*
Nicoletta Batini, economist, notable as a scholar of innovative monetary and fiscal policy practices, as well as structural reforms for the promotion of export competitiveness especially in the shipping industry. She is currently rated among the 5% top most cited authors in economics worldwide (RePEc). She began her active career as an economist with the
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...
in London and has handled extensive consultancy roles in the public sector. She is currently a Director of Italy's Department of the Treasury within the
Ministry of Economy and Finances (Italy) in Rome in charge of the international economy and economic policies.
*
Giovanni Dosi, economist, co-director of the specific task forces on industrial policy and intellectual property rights within the
Initiative for Policy Dialogue
The Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) is a non-profit organization based at Columbia University in the United States.
IPD was founded in July 2000 by Joseph E. Stiglitz, with support of the Ford, Rockefeller, McArthur, and Mott Foundations an ...
, editor of the
Oxford University Press
Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...
Journa
Continental Europe of Industrial and Corporate Change*
Stefan Collignon, professor of political economy, International Chief Economist of th
Centro Europa Ricerche founder of Euro Asia Forum at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies. Previously, he was Centennial Professor of European Political Economy at the
London School of Economics and Political Science
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...
(LSE) (2001–2005) and visiting professor at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
(2005–2007), also taught at
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg (, also referred to as UHH) is a public university, public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('':de:Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen, ...
,
Institut d’Etudes Politiques,
College of Europe
The College of Europe (; ; ) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with three campuses in Bruges, Belgium; Warsaw, Poland; and Tirana, Albania.
The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 as a result of the 1948 Congress of ...
and at the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public university, public research university in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in West Berlin in 1948 with American support during the early Cold War period a ...
. Also served as Deputy Director General for Europe in the
Federal Ministry of Finance (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of Finance (, ; abbreviated BMF) is the German Cabinet, cabinet-level Finance minister, finance ministry of Germany, with its seat at the Detlev-Rohwedder-Haus in Berlin and a secondary office in Bonn.
History
In Politics of ...
(1999–2000).
*
Giulio Tononi, Neuroscientist and psychiatrist who holds the David P. White Chair in Sleep Medicine, as well as a Distinguished Chair in Consciousness Science, at the
University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
.
Antonio L'Abbate Professor of Medical Sciences at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies and together with
Giovanni Dosi one of the top Italian Scientists
Giorgio Buttazzo Professor at Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Editor-in-Chief of th
Journal of Real-Time Systems (Springer)and chair of the prestigiou
IEEE Technical Committee on Real-Time Systems(2010–12)
*
Luca Desiata,
Ceo
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
at
SOGIN and editor-in-chief of
Hebdomada Aenigmatum, the first magazine of Latin crosswords
*
Francesca Gino, Italian-American behavioral scientist
See also
*
Scuola Normale Superiore
*
École Normale Supérieure
École or Ecole may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by Secondary education in France, secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing i ...
*
Superior Graduate Schools in Italy
A Superior Graduate School ( Italian: ''Scuola Superiore Universitaria'') is a completely independent institution from a legal point of view, which offers advanced training and research through university-type courses or is dedicated to teaching at ...
*
List of Italian universities
This is the list of universities in Italy, sorted in ascending order by the name of the city where they are situated.
List of universities
The symbol * denote online universities.
Source: MIUR, ''Anagrafe Nazionale Studenti'' (Academic yea ...
Notes and references
External links
Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies of Pisa website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sant'anna School Of Advanced Studies
Education in Pisa
Buildings and structures in Pisa
Universities in Tuscany
Educational institutions established in 1987
1987 establishments in Italy