How to use European calls for proposals to drive tourism development—here's the academic course promoted by the University of Bologna.
RIMINI — Learning to turn the opportunities offered by European funds into concrete projects for tourism and territorial development. That is the goal of the new Advanced Training Course in European Grant Design for Tourism and Territorial Development, promoted by the Centre for Advanced Studies in Tourism (CAST) of the University of Bologna, in partnership with and with the support of the Maggioli Group and Uni.Rimini.
The programme, aimed at graduates interested in specialising in European grant design, will begin on 29 January 2027 and run for three months, totalling 50 hours of training. Teaching will be organised in a blended format, with synchronous online lessons and two in-person days dedicated to workshops and networking activities. To obtain the qualification, attendance of at least 75% of the hours is required.
The course centres on a skill increasingly in demand from public administrations, businesses, and territorial organisations: the ability to identify European funding programmes, build competitive project proposals, and oversee their management through to final reporting. Particular attention will also be devoted to building public-private partnerships and to developing human resources within territorial bodies.
The programme is divided into nine modules. It begins with an introduction to European Union funding programmes, then moves on to local development and proposal design, with hands-on activities. Also included are in-depth sessions on the operational management of European projects, public-private partnerships, communication, legal and privacy aspects, the use of artificial intelligence in European grant design, and the fiscal policies of local authorities.
Part of the programme will be devoted to the analysis of concrete cases, with examples of European projects carried out by municipal administrations. The final assessment will consist of drafting a European grant proposal applied to tourism or territorial development, thereby putting to the test the skills acquired during the lessons.
Admission is reserved for those holding a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or an equivalent university qualification obtained abroad. The course awards 10 ECTS credits and carries a participation fee of €1,000. For the top ten candidates in the ranking, a reduced fee of €500 is available.
Applications must be submitted by 11 January 2027. The initiative fits into the broader theme of the capacity of territories to use European resources to support projects of development, innovation, and tourism enhancement.
Disclaimer: This article was produced with the support of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and has been verified by us on the basis of the information published by the University of Bologna.