Universities: 200 million released; a further 2,500 beds outside the PNRR programme to be provided

The Ministry of Universities is investing a further 268 million in the success of the student accommodation scheme, through two separate decrees. The first, worth 200 million, allows for a further review of the ranking list under the national law funding university halls of residence (Law No. 338 of 2000). The second, worth 68 million, adds a further injection of funds (again from the Ministry of Universities) to the 1.2 billion allocated by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), thereby bringing the total number of accommodation units supported by the Recovery Plan across the peninsula to 63,200.

Let us proceed in an orderly fashion, starting with the first Ministerial Decree. The 200 million allocated under the fifth call for proposals under Law 338/2000 will be used to build and refurbish 21 public halls of residence across the country, providing a total of 2,527 additional beds. The measure makes it possible to fund, in fact, 21 projects already included in the shortlist but which have so far remained on hold due to a lack of funding. That funding has now, however, been secured.

There are six regions involved in total. The region most heavily involved is Lombardy, with ten student halls of residence providing a total of 1,577 accommodation places, which will be built by Edisu Pavia, the Ceur Foundation, the University Institute of Advanced Studies (IUSS) in Pavia, the Polytechnic University of Milan, Humanitas University, as well as the Universities of Bergamo, the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart and Milan-Bicocca, and the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.

It is in Brera itself – where Minister Anna Maria Bernini paid a visit on Wednesday with her German counterpart Dorothee Bär as part of the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of Villa Vigoni – that the project will provide 200 new beds. Of these, 40 – equivalent to 20 per cent of the total capacity – will be reserved for capable and deserving students from low-income backgrounds; a further ten will be equipped to accommodate students with physical and sensory disabilities.

The student accommodation will be built on the site of the former Farini railway yard, on Via Valtellina, to serve the future Campus delle Arti. Part of the buildings once used for train maintenance and storage will make way for a new six-storey building, which will house student accommodation alongside spaces dedicated to culture, teaching and university life, including workshops, exhibition and event halls, a gym and a terrace. Rent will also cover utilities and internet access. The new hall of residence will be designed to minimise energy consumption and environmental impact.