History

The Scuola Superiore di Catania started up experimentally in 1998 after an agreement between the University Ministry and the University of Catania with the aim of organising, managing and promoting graduate and post-graduate higher education courses, which were both interdisciplinary and international with research integrated alongside education.

The Scuola started in 1998/1999 with Master Courses, whereas the integrated degrees started in the following year (1999/2000).

The Scuola collaborates with other Italian Schools of Excellence forming part of the National Network since 2000 together with Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa, Scuola S. Anna in Pisa, Sissa in Trieste, Isufi in Lecce and IUSS in Pavia. The aim of this collaboration is to create pilot educational and research projects with the prospect of a uniform vision of higher education but respecting the specificity and individuality of each single school.

At the end of the experimental period as specified by article 22 *Ministerial Decree no.262/04, the Scuola Superiore di Catania was established within the University of Catania (D.R. no.7620 of 7/9/2005).

The management and promotion of the Scuola Superiore di Catania was initially entrusted to a consortium born on the 20/3/1999 and called “Istituto Superiore di Catania per la formazione di eccellenza”, whose founding partners were the University of Catania, the University of Messina, the Sicilian Region, the Regional Province of Catania, the Catania City Council, the Gioenia Academy, ST Microelectronics and Omnitel.

The Consortium was wound up on 31/12/2010 and since then the Scuola Superiore di Catania has been managed directly by Catania University as a special educational unit.