Alta Scuola Politecnica, the honor program supporting companies that want to innovate

An excellence pathway for companies, based on multidisciplinarity, innovation, and a transversal approach, strongly rooted in the national and international research and teaching experience of two Italian universities, Politecnico di Torino and Politecnico di Milano. This is Alta Scuola Politecnica (ASP), which every year launches a call for projects aimed at connecting companies with top students, offering an exceptional opportunity for collaboration to both. The initiative aims to link solid scientific and technical training with the concrete development needs of companies.

ASP is an honor program built on two pillars. The first is a two-year program running alongside the master’s degree, reserved for talented students who want to broaden the scope of their disciplinary education and integrate it with additional transversal elements. Each year, ASP trains a multidisciplinary class of 150 students, both Italian and international, drawn from all master’s programs of the two atheneums. The second pillar is the participation of talented students in multidisciplinary innovation and development projects in partnership with companies, research centers, or public administrations, under the scientific guidance of expert faculty from the two universities.

Elisabetta Raguseo, current director of ASP and professor at the Department of Management and Production Engineering-DIGEP, explains: “There are several defining elements that guide ASP’s activities. Two of these are excellence and multidisciplinarity. Our talented students develop technical and transversal skills, apply innovative methodologies, and collaborate with both national and international companies. In ASP, there is a strong focus on working in multidisciplinary project teams”. The goal of Alta Scuola Politecnica is therefore to “build” professionals capable of creating value in complex contexts. “Complexity and innovation – emphasizes Professor Raguseo – are two other key elements that define this honor program”.

Companies are essential to the strength of this second pillar, which also represents a significant opportunity for them. First, to have direct contact with talented students selected based on their results and strong motivation for multidisciplinary and transversal work. Second, companies can co-design the project with the selected student group, tailoring it to company characteristics and needs, and gain innovative solutions to complex problems. Third, companies can engage with a “community of excellence”. Indeed, they not only work with talented students but also with two tutors selected among leading experts on the project topic, one from Politecnico di Torino and one from Politecnico di Milano. This opportunity is also available, as mentioned, to public administrations, startups, and third-sector organizations.

Once the project is launched, the team of students, tutors, and company works together for one year. Projects can be proposed in four main activity areas: industry and innovation, academic research, entrepreneurship and high-tech startups, social impact and engagement.

Transversality, multidisciplinarity, complexity, innovation and teamwork are therefore the guiding principles of ASP’s activities. The program offers companies the possibility to propose a project, while also requiring their active participation and commitment of resources. This year, 18 projects are expected to start. The call for project has just opened, and interested companies can participate by completing the form by March 6, 2026. It is possible to visit the ASP website to view examples of successful projects developed in the past. Activities will begin in May, preceded by a meeting between companies and students (in March) and an operational meeting (the kick-off) in April. A clear schedule, thus, for companies and talented students, with a shared objective: generating development and impact through transversal and multidisciplinary innovation.