Here is Book in Progress AI, so Majorana is among the 50 finalists of the Global Schools Prize

The IISS 'Ettore Majorana' of Brindisi has been included among the finalists of the first edition of the Global Schools Prize 2026, a prestigious international award promoted by the Varkey Foundation and dedicated to the most innovative and impactful educational institutions at a global level. The institute, led by school headmaster Salvatore Giuliano, is among the finalists in the "Transformation through AI" category, thanks to its consolidated commitment to ethical artificial intelligence applied to education.

Its flagship project is Book in Progress, launched in 2009 in response to the prohibitive cost of textbooks. Teachers co-create and continuously update teaching materials themselves, adapting the content to the real needs of students. What began as a local solution is now a national movement: dozens of Italian schools involved, materials in over 20 disciplines, thousands of teachers trained and tens of millions of euros saved for Italian families over fifteen years. Majorana graduates achieve an employment rate 25% higher than the regional average, many go on to university and some have founded start-ups in emerging technology sectors.

The currently most prominent project is Book in Progress AI (bookinprogress.ai), and this is where the case presented at the Global Schools Prize really stands out. Unlike almost all other artificial intelligence platforms for education in the world, Book in Progress AI is built entirely on the school's own servers, using local language models. No data transits to commercial clouds. Students have an AI tutor available 24/7, a 'Genius' mode that adapts content to visual, auditory or kinaesthetic learning styles, virtual STEM labs, and dedicated special educational needs tools. Teachers become 'content editors', empowered by AI-assisted authoring tools, image generation and simulations, and a national collaboration network.

The IISS Ettore Majorana, a state secondary school in Brindisi, Apulia, accommodates 1,285 students between the ages of 13 and 18, with a staff of 175. Rooted in a region where industrial excellence coexists with profound social inequality - and where early school leaving is a real risk for many families - the Majorana has built an international reputation by demonstrating that state schools in Southern Italia can lead, and not simply follow, the global educational agenda.