October is usually the time for VIU visiting China to participate in a number of training courses organized there and conceived as introductory to the Italian sessions. But the visit is also the occasion for meeting VIU Chinese friends, a friendship that has been growing for more than 10 years.

This year visit is a very special one as VIU Dean Professor Agar Brugiavini will be leading it. It is special also because it includes the first training course that VIU organizes in partnership with the Chinese Ministry of Innovation and Information Technology (MIIT), which only recently joined the Sino-Italian Advanced Training Program. The VIU_MIIT training course will be held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, and will follow the trainings with CASS, MOST and Beijing Municipality in Beijing, and the one with the Shanghai Municipality in Shanghai.

According to the SICP tradition, the training course with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) will open the VIU_CASS Training Program 2013-2014. The session in Beijing will gather the 160 Chinese participants that will come to Italy in 4 different training sessions, respectively in November and December 2013 and in February and March 2014.

The Training Programs envisaged for the year 2014 will be discussed with the other Training partners in specific technical meetings in which the proposed topics for next year's program will be discussed in details. Such methodology offers VIU the possibility to better target the agendas of the different Training sessions.

Green Growth is the focus of a 12-month research that VIU will carry out with the support of the ENEL Foundation in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Center (REC).

Green Growth and Green Economy concepts derive from the need to combine economic activity with preserving a clean and safe environment. Today they represent the new goal for all of the countries around the world.

The need of a critical assessment of the debate around these concepts and of organizing it around strategies with concrete implications on policies is at the basis of the research project that the Venice International University will carry out in the next 12 months, supported by the ENEL Foundation and in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Center – REC.

The research project is meant to produce working papers on specific issues related to this theme, in particular on appropriate policies to promote green growth, economic and environmental regulation to promote eco-innovation, with a special focus on energy and the social challenges related to a green economy.

The working papers will be presented and discussed during open seminars, involving experts and interested stakeholders to further contribute to the debate.

Friday October 11 VIU celebrates the UN World Food Day with a half-day workshop involving academicians and stakeholders from FAO, the World Food Program, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The workshop is held at VIU and organized in cooperation with Ca' Foscari University of Venice in the framework of the events organized for the FAO World Food Day. The workshop is aimed at introducing international students at VIU and Ca' Foscari to one of the key issues of globalisation and sustainable development: food safety and security with a special focus on their relationship with water.

The event will be dedicated to introductory lectures on the topic of food and water, moving from cultivation of crops, to their protection from pests, and to the presentation of case studies of international cooperation for development in the food sector. Biological, technological but also social and cultural aspects will be taken into consideration in the discussion, trying to actively involve the students.

The initiative is organised in collaboration with University Ca' Foscari, the Ca' Foscari International College and the network of Italian universities for Cooperation and Development of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, launched in 2008 by the Cooperation Division at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Room: 5X

The workshop Agenda is available at this link.

Within its activities VIU promotes events aimed at favouring the dialogue and research cooperation among experts from Member institutions and other renowned ones on sustainability issues.

In this framework, an international workshop on "Sustainable Waste Management for Eco-Cities and Rural Areas" will be held from October 6 to 9, under the Scientific Coordination of prof. Raffaello Cossu from the University of Padua (VIU Member as of 2012) in collaboration with prof. Rainer Stegmann, President of the International Waste Working Group (IWWG).

The Workshop involves experts in the Waste Management field, giving them the opportunity to present their current research and education activities of their institution in this area, in order to explore further opportunities of cooperation.

Participants from Tsinghua and Tongji Universities (P.R. China), Wageningen University (The Netherlands), the National Polytechnic Institute (Mexico), Ca' Foscari University of Venice and University of Padua (Italy), the University of Leuven (Belgium), Hamburg University of Technology (Germany) and the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).

For more details please check the agenda and the list of the topics that will be discussed.