SINAPSE Programmes: Building the Italy–Sweden Research and Innovation Bridge

SINAPSE — the Swedish–Italian Network for Advanced Partnerships in Science and Education — was founded with a clear purpose: to connect the Italian and Swedish research, academic, and innovation ecosystems in a structured and sustainable way. After an initial phase of network building and institutional positioning, SINAPSE is now operational. This article introduces the four programmes that define how we work and what we offer to our community.

SINAPSE Talks — Community & Visibility

SINAPSE Talks is our community-facing programme. It creates spaces — online and in person — where researchers, academics, and professionals from Italy and Sweden can connect, share their work, and build visibility within the bilateral ecosystem. Through profiles of community members, events, and bilateral content, SINAPSE Talks serves both as a recruitment channel for new members and as a platform for the people already in our network to be seen and heard.

SINAPSE Empower — Research & Funding

SINAPSE Empower supports members in accessing research funding and building collaborative projects. This includes support for EU funding applications, proposal writing, consortium coordination, and letters of support for research infrastructure initiatives. SINAPSE is in the process of registering a PIC number (Participant Identification Code), which will allow the organisation to formally participate in and support European funding programmes on behalf of its members.

SINAPSE Exchange — Talent & Mobility

SINAPSE Exchange facilitates mobility, scientific guidance, and ecosystem integration for Italian researchers conducting visits in Sweden — and vice versa. The programme connects visiting researchers with the local academic and research infrastructure, providing orientation, scientific support, and introductions to relevant actors in the Lund, Stockholm, and Gothenburg ecosystems. The first cases under SINAPSE Exchange are already active.

SINAPSE Academy — Training & Mentoring

SINAPSE Academy is our structured programme for professional and scientific development. It offers training, mentoring, and educational initiatives designed for early-career researchers, doctoral candidates, and young scientists navigating the transition between the Italian and Swedish academic systems. Through workshops, seminars, summer schools, and one-to-one mentoring, SINAPSE Academy supports the next generation of Italy–Sweden researchers in building the skills and networks they need to advance their careers internationally.

If this resonates with you, if you recognise yourself in this mission, if you have expertise to share, connections to offer or simply a desire to be part of something being built from the ground up, we would love to have you with us.

Let the community know who you are!