The 7th Spring School in Synthetic Biology (SSSB), addressing advances in systems and synthetic biology, from basic science to applications and AI-driven approaches, has come to an end. Organized by the SNS with Unipi, Unict and EBRI, and funded by the PNRR (MERITA). #syntheticbiology

Reservations are open for the event devoted to Giulio Regeni, organised by the SNS, the Università di Pisa and the Sant’Anna. Screening of "Giulio Regeni – All the Evil in the World", followed by talks on human rights and freedom of research. 📅 28 April 2026, 9am 📍 Pisa Info, programme and bookings:

Colleagues and students gathered to celebrate Lamberto Maffei's 90th birthday. A central figure at the SNS, he shaped generations in #neuroscience with rigour and curiosity. The symposium was held at the SNS and the CNR. #LambertoMaffei

Luigi Ambrosio has been awarded the 2026 Science Prize for the Promotion of Mathematical Sciences by the Benedictus Gotthelf Teubner Foundation normalenews.sns.it/premio-teubn... (Luigi Ambrosio pictured with the award; Bernd Kirchheim on his left)

"What is the relationship between desire and knowledge" Georges Didi-Huberman (EHESS) joins La Normale delle Idee to revisit Aby Warburg, exploring how images, memory and desire shape knowledge. 20 April, 6pm – Sala Azzurra (Pisa) and online

SNS residential orientation courses are back: apply by 11 May Four immersive days of lectures, workshops and discussions for high school students. 📍 Lecce | San Miniato (PI) | Turin | Rome 📅 June - July 2026 Discover more: orientamento.sns.it/pagina-orien...

Giulia Palla is a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at @sns.it. At the heart of her work is this: "Differences are not deficits to be corrected, but forms of variation to be understood and integrated. Science, like society, benefits from a plurality of perspectives." More at eelisa.eu/science-has-...

Due to circumstances beyond the organisation’s control, the event has been cancelled.

«It was important for me to see that what had up till then been merely a passion could become the subject of a research project». – Francesco Pio Ceroni, Faculty of Humanities #chifalaNormale

La Normale delle Idee is to host Ana Blandiana, a leading voice in European poetry. A writer and pivotal figure in Romania’s democratic transition, she reflects on memory, language and civil responsibility. 17 April, 6pm – Sala Azzurra (Pisa) and online

What does it mean to study an early Italian text today? Valentina Nieri (SNS researcher) works on a Digital Philology Hub with CNR, integrating tools for manuscripts, transcription and critical editions, combining rigorous methods with new access to cultural heritage. #laricercaèNormale

Thinking of applying to the Humanities Faculty admission exam at SNS? Online sessions for high school students introduce the structure and expectations of the competition. Led by SNS students, they focus on texts, methods and past papers. From 13 April: orientamento.sns.it/pagina-orien...

Scuola Normale Superiore quadruples financial support for students from less advantaged economic backgrounds. Discover more on #NormaleNews: normalenews.sns.it/la-normale-q...

The Maffei 90th Birthday Symposium celebrates Lamberto Maffei, Emeritus Professor at SNS and a leading figure in #neuroscience worldwide. A two-day conference with international scholars. 9–10 April in Pisa or online. More: www.sns.it/it/evento/ma...

Apply by 27 April to the Summer School "From Soil to Showcase" (8-17 June): an advanced course on ancient material culture and museum studies, from excavation to display, with seminars, lab work and site visits. For BA/MA students, PhD candidates and early-career researchers. Funded by MERITA (PNRR)

April is full of #EELISA opportunities, and this is your sign to submit your application! Workshops, summer schools, PhD positions, hackathons, internship opportunities: scroll through to find what's calling your name. All info at the EELISA Digital Campus. digitalcampus.eelisa.eu/activities

Today is World Health Day, the cornerstone of SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being. If you want to explore how EELISA is contributing to SDG 3, visit our Digital Campus and discover the communities aligned with Good Health and Well-Being 👉 digitalcampus.eelisa.eu/communities?...

The cloister of Palazzo della Carovana took its current form in 1928–30, when the SNS expanded its spaces. Today it is one of its most versatile areas: a daily passage for students and staff, but also a place for talks, readings and shared moments. #eralaNormale

Spring School “Democratic Backsliding and Political Conflict” has concluded, focusing on the role of gender inequalities and intersectionality in the dynamics of democratic regression. It involved 20 researchers from across countries. Organized by SNS + EUI, funded by PNRR within the MERITA project.

A short video series from PRIN 2022 “La Galleria Borghese e i suoi pubblici, 1888-1938”, by SNS, Universities of Palermo and Naples Federico II, with Galleria Borghese. First episodes now online: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

«Beyond its academic rigour, the Normale taught me how to work as part of a team and how to manage complex projects, through structured discussion and clearly defined goals». – Veronica Carpita, #sempernormalista

Out now: "L’età nuova. Umanesimo e Rinascimento" A major new work on Humanism and the Renaissance: 4 volumes, 270 essays, 130+ scholars. Edizioni della Normale - Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento, with support from Regione Toscana. Discover more: bit.ly/489Sw6k

Apply by 15 April for the advanced course "Reading & Surveying Historical Documents" (Pisa, 17–22 May). Focus: medieval/early modern history through the Salviati Archive. For PhDs & early-career researchers. Funded by MERITA (PNRR). www.sns.it/en/node/1116...

At @psl-univ.bsky.social Week, 35 students from the EELISA network collaborated on Nature-Based Solutions, combining science, creativity, and teamwork to design sustainable answers to complex environmental issues. 🔗 Read the full story and explore upcoming opportunities eelisa.eu/nature-based...

The EELISA joint workshop “Sustainability in the age of polycrisis” ends today in Florence. Young researchers and faculty discussed Master’s and PhD projects on sustainability and EU governance, addressing economic, social, environmental and geopolitical challenges. @eelisa.eu

Apply by 7 April to Quantum Science and Technology 2026 – Seasonal School (4–8; 11–15 May). Doctoral training in quantum science, from theory to experiments and applications in communication, computation and sensing. Funded by MERITA (PNRR). www.sns.it/it/evento/qu...

Dario Fo at SNS, 1999: turning a medieval chronicle into living theatre, he transforms words into sound and movement, drawing the audience into the scene. From “I venerdì del Direttore”. Watch the full video: allaenne.sns.it/video/una-le...

Fabio Del Sordo (SNS) is part of the team that discovered a Super-Earth orbiting the star GJ 887 Read the news on Normalenews normalenews.sns.it/un-pianeta-i... @aanda-journal.bsky.social

La Normale delle Idee hosts Peter N. Miller (American Academy in Rome) for “The Relationship Between History and Conservation”. He rethinks conservation as history and history as conservation, tracing their shared roots in early modern antiquarianism. 25 March, 6pm | Pisa & online

If you're a student from one of our member universities and looking to spend part of the semester somewhere new, all current Seasonal Schools opportunities are listed on the EELISA Digital Campus! And new ones are added regularly, so it's worth checking back often. digitalcampus.eelisa.eu/activities

The SNS Spring School “Political Economy of Production and Labour” concludes today. Five days at Palazzo Strozzi to discuss changes in work, global value chains and industrial policies amid geopolitical and environmental crises. The initiative is part of the MERITA project (funded by PNRR).

Around forty of the 381 books removed from the United States Naval Academy Library have been acquired by SNS: copies of the censored titles from the Nimitz Library, now available to the scholarly community at Palazzo Vegni (Florence). Presentation on Monday, March 23 at 11 AM. bit.ly/4sVpShp

Ciampi Lecture: “Resilient Failure? Regulating Human Rights in Global Supply Chains”. Sarosh Kuruvilla (Cornell University) reflects on 25 years of efforts to enforce labour standards in global supply chains. March 23, 5 PM | Palazzo Strozzi (or Teams) @cornellupress.bsky.social

Four upcoming activities born from the winners of our 6th Joint Call are open for applications right now. All open to students from across the EELISA Alliance. Apply at the EELISA Digital Campus: digitalcampus.eelisa.eu/activities

EELISArch is the newest #EECommunity, bringing together 5 architecture schools across the alliance, from BME, @itu1773.tr @upm.es @psl-univ.bsky.social & ZHAW. Together, they commit to training architects who also blend creativity, critical thinking & social responsibility. eelisa.eu/eelisarch-ar...

On 20 March, the SNS is opening its buildings in Piazza dei Cavalieri to the public, for the National Universities Day “Università svelate”. Guided visits to the Archive, Library and Torre della Fame, plus “Alla Normale anche tu” for high school students with a tour of Palazzo della Carovana. More:

«Coming face to face with the ancient civilisations forces us in a certain sense to focus on our own values and to understand better who we are today». – Sara Manfredini, Faculty of Humanities #chifalaNormale

Two literary essay awards to a former student of the Faculty of Humanities of the Scuola Normale, Ilaria Ottria. More on Normalenews: normalenews.sns.it/due-premi-di...

Two PhD students in Computational Methods and Mathematical Models for Science and Finance at SNS, Silvia Onofri and Andrey Shternshis, are cited in a Bloomberg editorial for a paper on random sequences in financial markets with Stefano Marmi. More: normalenews.sns.it/il-lavoro-di... @bloomberg.com

On 11 and 12 March, at SNS Florence, the conference "Political Emotions in Times of Crisis" explored how fear, hope and resentment shape democratic processes. The event was part of the research activities of COSMOS - Centre on Social Movement Studies.

College life is where study meets human connection, the exchange of ideas, shared meals and downtime. Living together means learning, sharing experiences, and building bonds that often last well beyond the academic years. Photo: one of the common areas at the “Aldo Capitini” residence in Florence.

Apply by 11 April 2026 for the #PhD programmes (42nd cycle) in #Humanities at SNS. Fields include Philosophy, Modern & Comparative Literature, Classics, History and Art History. Fully research-focused, with international mobility opportunities. www.sns.it/en/phd-admis...

Antonella Anedda, one of the leading voices in contemporary #poetry, joins La Normale delle Idee for a dialogue on poetry as a space of memory, relation and language. Readings by SNS students. 12 March 2026, 6pm | Pisa (and online)

EELISA has several opportunities coming up - from conversations on urban food systems to entrepreneurship, AI, and inclusiveness in academia to seasonal schools, internships and longer term programs. Take a look and see what might be for you - digitalcampus.eelisa.eu

La Normale delle Idee hosts a talk on women’s bodies as a foundation of legal order. Teresa Angela Camelio, Chief Prosecutor in Pisa, explores the historical roots of gender-based violence and its impact on contemporary criminal law. 10 March 2026, 6pm | Florence (or online)

“8th March 2026: Riding the anti-equality tide, building feminist futures” brings together scholars from SNS, SSSA, Oxford University and CSIC to discuss feminist responses to anti-gender backlash and future paths toward equality. 10 March, 9.30am, Florence (and online): tinyurl.com/3pjycnrt

In the corridors of the Normale, students practice the quiet discipline of attention: time, focus, and effort that refine thought and sharpen perception.

Strato of Lampsacus: radical break from Aristotle or original interpreter? This volume revisits the Hellenistic debate on nature, demonstrating how Strato reworked Aristotelian ideas on teleology, soul and generation. Edited by Luciana Repici, published by #EdizionidellaNormale: tinyurl.com/57b7dzyy

Apply by 30 March to SYNAPSIS 2026 - European School of Comparative Literature (8–12 June). An advanced interdisciplinary summer school for Master’s students, PhD candidates, and early-career researchers exploring “Details” in comparative literature.

On 27 February, SNS and ENS students took part in a day of international dialogue. They met Swiss Ambassador Roberto Balzaretti (Switzerland-Europe relations), then Frédéric Worms, Director of ENS. The day ended with his lecture “Life, Science, Democracy” for La Normale delle Idee.