Lattanzio KIBS serves as knowledge partner at the second edition of the international event

Young people at the heart of the international debate

This year, Lattanzio KIBS once again contributed to supporting the United for Progress Italian Symposium (LINK), the flagship annual event of United Italian Societies (UIS) (LINK), the non-profit association founded and led by Italian university students abroad, bringing together over 11,000 students across more than 60 universities in 8 countries.

The 2026 edition spans multiple international capitals - including London, Paris, Madrid and Zurich - each with a distinct thematic focus and strong ties to local academic communities. The New York leg, held on 18 and 19 April at Columbia Business School, provided the occasion to present the research conducted by the Lattanzio KIBS Research Centre throughout 2025.

The Research Centre Contributes to a Deeper Understanding of Ongoing Transformations

The study focuses on Italian students pursuing international academic paths and examines the motivations behind their decision to go abroad, the challenges they encountered along the way, and the conditions that could encourage their return to Italy - offering an original perspective on issues that are widely debated but rarely explored through the eyes of young people themselves.

The research's most significant contribution lies in surfacing non-intuitive findings. At a time when public discourse tends to centre on tariffs and macroeconomic dynamics, the responses collected paint a clear multipolar vision, in which Europe is called upon to play an active role grounded in democracy, sustainability and responsible development of artificial intelligence. In the words of the respondents, "growing up and studying in Europe helps develop an open mindset, one that is able to recognise different models of development and appreciate interdependence."

Read the report

Topics Research | Studies & Research | Youth

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