The Department of Engineering for Innovation (DEfI) at University of Salento is located at the University campus near Lecce, the capital of Salento area, on the heel of Italy’s boot.
Whoever ventures here, is received by the ‘Salento way’, a simple mix of culture, nature, history which seasons wild and sunny beaches, gorgeous baroque, tempting food and wine. 

Always at the crossroads between East and West, Salento has been a passage of people and shelter for civilizations since ancient times, when Brindisi was the last harbor of Romans' highway to the east, welcoming people from the Mediterranean sea.

This history is at the root of local culture and today social engagement, open education, inclusion and internationalization are cornerstones of the University strategy, ‘ the University between two seas’.
DEfI specializes in the vision focusing on Technological Transition, Sustainability, Resilience, BioEngineering. Researchers at DEfI work for harmonizing multidisciplinary research teams both inside the Department and outside the University: this brochure shows the several different multi-perspective engineering fields DEfI researchers are involved in.

With this background, routed on open and reliant international cooperation, DEfI offers education and exchange opportunities for study, traineeship and research, both  in virtual and blended modes: 

  • 4 Bachelor Degree Programs (Information, Industrial, Civil and Bio-Medical Engineering - in Italian)
  • 7 Master Programs, 5 of them are in English: Aerospace Engineering, Communication Engineering & Electronic Technologies, Computer Engineering, Management Engineering and Materials Engineering & Nanotechnology. Masters in Civil and Mechanical Engineering complete the current offer.
  • 2 Phd Schools in Engineering of Complex Systems and Material, Structure and Nanotechnology Engineering, open to international students.

Thanks to its education programs and the continuous technology transfer activities, DEfI has contributed to the industrial base of the region's economy, which has been growing incrementally for 25 years now. Alongside highly capital-intensive large-scale plants - such as steel-making, petrochemicals, aerospace, energy -, a network of small and medium-sized firms has  gradually expanded. As a result, highly specialized areas have developed, able to compete on the international stage: the local sectors include food processing and vehicles; footwear, textiles, wood and furniture, engineering, rubber and information technologies in all its facades.

With a state-of-the-art contribution to the development of new technologies, investment in human capital, research infrastructures and high-quality education programs, DEfI envisions the development of a pole of excellence at the service of local community needs and global challenges, cultivating talented engineers, regardless of wherever they come from and wherever they may go.

 

Prof. Engr. Antonio FICARELLA

 

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