Education: cutting-edge training for the next generation
Alongside research, the training of new generations is one of the cornerstones of the Department of Excellence project. NEUROFARBA invests in an educational model that combines high scientific qualification, teaching innovation, and attention to the individual, with the aim of preparing professionals capable of addressing the complex challenges of health and wellbeing.
The project envisages a strengthening of existing degree programmes – including those in Pharmacy, Psychological Sciences and Techniques, Speech and Language Therapy, Professional Education, and Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences – and the promotion of new educational initiatives, particularly in the field of developmental age and fragility. Support is also provided for the expansion of postgraduate provision, including doctoral programmes, specialisation schools, master's degrees, and advanced courses.
One of the most innovative interventions is the establishment of a new doctoral programme in developmental age, which forms part of the initiatives promoted at national level by the Extended Partnerships of the PNRR. This programme aims to train researchers capable of combining advanced scientific expertise with an integrated vision of the child and their life context, promoting personalised approaches to prevention and care.
NEUROFARBA values experiential learning: practical exercises, teaching laboratories, active methodologies, and blended environments accompany students from the earliest stages of their studies. Interaction with cutting-edge research and contact with the clinical and professional world make the training dynamic and firmly grounded in reality.
The Department also promotes international mobility and exchange with academics and researchers from other countries, encouraging participation in European scientific networks, placements abroad, and the hosting of visiting professors.
Training also means communicating: for this reason, NEUROFARBA is piloting programmes in clinical communication training, aimed in particular at those working with families and caregivers, with the objective of building more effective, empathetic, and participatory relationships.
Through all these actions, NEUROFARBA aims to train aware, competent, and open-minded health professionals, ready to interpret their role in a constantly evolving society.
Results achieved
In the two-year period 2023–2024, NEUROFARBA strengthened its educational offering through targeted actions focused on teaching innovation, the promotion of doctoral programmes, and the development of cross-cutting pathways for students and staff.
A three-year fellowship was funded within the new National Interest Doctoral Programme in "Life Course Research" (Biomedical curriculum), with a project on the preclinical study of treatments for the prevention of white matter damage in preterm newborns. In 2024, a second fellowship was activated, dedicated to the use of human organoids to develop new pharmacological resources oriented towards fragility.
The websites of the doctoral programmes in Neurosciences and in the Drug Research and Innovative Treatments area were newly designed from scratch, improving their accessibility and visibility. In parallel, the revision of the websites of several degree programmes was initiated – including Pharmacy, Speech and Language Therapy, and Applied Pharmaceutical Sciences – Quality Control – with the aim of making communication with students more effective.
A training event entitled "Life in the Laboratory" was conceived and delivered, aimed at doctoral students, research fellows, scholarship holders, thesis students, and Department staff, to strengthen competencies in laboratory safety and management. Participation was recognised with 0.5 CFU for doctoral students.
Finally, a training course in clinical communication was developed, aimed at both permanent and non-permanent staff, with the objective of improving relational skills in interactions with caregivers and families. Pre- and post-intervention assessment tools were developed to evaluate learning outcomes.
As part of the "Departments of Excellence 2023–2027" project, a call was published for the award of 8 grants of €3,000 each to support the international mobility of doctoral students involved in the project.
Next developments
In 2025, the training programme for clinical staff is set to continue, with new in-depth modules and an extension of the offering to other Departments within the University's Biomedical Area. The course will be accompanied by tools for evaluating training impact and participant satisfaction, as well as the award of CFU credits for the doctoral students involved.
An interdisciplinary seminar on neonatal screening as a preventive medicine programme will also be organised, aimed at students from degree courses, doctoral programmes, and specialisation schools, with a final assessment of competencies acquired.
With the initiative "The Discovery of New Drugs through Organoids", NEUROFARBA will participate in two major science outreach events for children and young people: "Notte Bianca in Biblioteca" and "ScienzEstate", promoted respectively by the Municipality of Sesto Fiorentino and the University of Florence.
The revision of the teaching websites and the rescheduling of the "Life in the Laboratory" event are planned to continue, reaffirming the Department's commitment to an educational approach increasingly oriented towards safety, communicative effectiveness, and the promotion of transferable skills.
Last update
25.02.2026