University

INAPP: “94 per cent of Italian universities are committed to sustainability issues”

There are 1,710 active courses entirely dedicated to sustainability, with the environment leading the way (54 per cent), whilst the circular economy dominates master’s programmes. In the North, almost half of postgraduate training is aimed at young people, adults and businesses

by School Editorial Team

21 October 2026

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4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The university sector has embraced sustainability. 94 per cent of our universities (64 state-funded and 29 private) dedicate at least one degree programme entirely to the ecological, social and economic transition. This is revealed in the new INAPP report, ‘Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility – University Education Provision 2023–25’, presented today in Rome at the Institute’s Auditorium following a three-year monitoring exercise. The figures show a veritable ‘boom’ in provision, with a total of 1,710 training programmes delivered over the two-year period – a clear sign of how the university system is responding to the new demand for skills coming from young people, adults and businesses.

The geographical ‘gap’: specialisation in the North, degree courses in the South

The research shows that the North accounts for 42 per cent of total education provision, with its true dominance lying in first- and second-level Master’s programmes and in advanced and specialised training courses, where it accounts for 46 per cent of the national total. In the Centre (31 per cent of the total), there is a strong focus on postgraduate specialisation (37 per cent), whilst the South and the Islands (27 per cent of the total provision) concentrate almost all of their educational provision on three-year and Master’s degree programmes (33 per cent) and PhD programmes (30 per cent); and, albeit with a modest 17 per cent, they are developing programmes in advanced training aimed at adults and businesses as well.

What do you actually study when it comes to sustainability?

• More than half of the university’s programmes (54 per cent) focus on the environment, accounting for around two-thirds of undergraduate and doctoral courses. Climate, renewable energy (35 per cent) and sustainable construction (27 per cent) account for the majority of these programmes.

• Social sustainability accounts for 22 per cent of the initiatives launched and focuses primarily on local development (40 per cent) and social innovation (31 per cent).

• When analysing initiatives relating to economic sustainability – which are more firmly established within higher education programmes – the circular economy accounts for 76 per cent of the curriculum. This figure is indicative of how traditional production models are giving way to recycling, recovery and the regeneration of resources.

• Corporate social responsibility accounts for only 8 per cent of the educational provision, featuring only marginally in undergraduate and PhD programmes (which are primarily aimed at young people), whilst it is more extensively covered in first- and second-level master’s programmes and in advanced and higher education courses primarily aimed at training managerial staff. It focuses primarily on governance and the development of CSR (52 per cent), and to a lesser extent on impact assessment and sustainability reporting (7 per cent).

Who bet the most

It is the science and technology faculties that have focused most on the green transition: Science (34 per cent), Engineering (21 per cent) and Economics (20 per cent) alone account for three-quarters of the total number of courses surveyed. The humanities account for 12 per cent, Architecture for 7 per cent and Law for 5 per cent. However, there is also a significant, albeit quantitatively limited, presence of inter-faculty and multidisciplinary programmes – capable of combining economic, technological and social skills – which account for 1.5 per cent of the total.

Three workshops

Through three workshops organised by INAPP during the survey, stakeholders were invited to discuss the needs and prospects of training for sustainability. The debate highlighted a shared need to strengthen both the dialogue between universities and businesses in the country and coordinated, interdisciplinary action capable of bringing together public and private expertise, resources and energy.

Two key areas

According to Natale Forlani, president of INAPP: ‘Our report highlights two key priorities for the future of Italian universities: stepping up efforts on sustainability issues and strengthening higher education for adults. Universities are not merely places of learning, but genuine hubs of innovation within their local communities, capable of transferring the skills needed for the ecological transition. The multi-stakeholder process launched during the study represents concrete evidence of a renewed strategic partnership between universities and the world of work.”

Competitiveness lever

According to Maurizio Tarquini, Director-General of Confindustria: ‘Sustainability must be a driver of competitiveness, not a set of constraints. Human capital is the country’s primary strategic infrastructure: without skills there is no innovation, and without innovation there is no productivity. Faced with the challenges of artificial intelligence and global competition, we must anticipate these transformations. This is why it is essential to strengthen the link between universities and businesses and to invest in lifelong learning, in order to support the country’s growth.”

Positive sign

Enrico Giovannini, scientific director of ASviS: “The growing focus on sustainability at Italian universities is a positive sign, made possible in part by the Network of Universities for Sustainable Development (RUS), launched by ASviS in 2016. It is essential that sustainability becomes a cross-cutting competence across all study programmes, strengthening transdisciplinarity and systems thinking. Futures literacy must also be promoted; this is at the heart of the recent partnership between RUS and Ecosistema Futuro, the ASviS project aimed at implementing the United Nations Pact for the Future.”

A decisive cultural transformation

Statement by Mario Cardoni, Director-General of Federmanager: “Universities are called upon to contribute to a decisive cultural transformation. Like digitalisation, sustainability requires not only new skills, but a new way of thinking about development and managing change. Education must anticipate these transitions, rather than merely reacting to them. This is why dialogue between the academic world and the business sector is essential: it is managers who translate knowledge into decisions, innovation, competitiveness and lasting value for the economy and society.”

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