On the 7th of June 2021, the Director of the NATO Security Force Assistance Centre of Excellence (NATO SFA COE), Col. Massimo DI PIETRO, and the Rector of the University of Verona, Prof. Pier Francesco NOCINI, signed an agreement of cooperation.

The agreement establishes the start of a curricular internship programme for master’s degree students of the Verona University and the possibility of developing study projects dedicated to them. Furthermore, this agreement represents a concrete opportunity to commence a fruitful collaboration in the field of research and training.

The cooperation will allow access to the university’s libraries, documents and publications of common interest, as well as the reciprocal possibility of promoting the exchange of their teachers and experts in courses, seminars or round tables, in order to share knowledge and experience in the field of international relations and law.

Through the internship programme, university students will be offered the opportunity to collaborate with NATO SFA COE staff in the implementation of the Alliance’s research and conceptual development projects in Security Force Assistance and in Defence Capacity Building. They will also be invited to contribute to the drafting of analytical documents and publications for the Centre’s wide civilian and military community of interest.

Ultimately, this cooperation agreement offers students of the University of Verona a unique and highly educational opportunity to better understand the roles and tasks of the national and foreign Armed Forces in the articulated international scenario. Conversely, the knowledge of the Centre’s military personnel will be further enriched by the academic skills of university professors and the motivation of young researchers.

This activity is part of the numerous cooperation initiatives that the NATO SFA COE has entered with other civilian and military entities, thus expanding its increasingly broad network of relationships aimed at providing concrete solutions to improve the effectiveness of the Alliance through a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach.