ISIA FIRENZE
The ISIA of Florence - Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche - is a public university institute of the Ministry of University and Research. It has been active for over 40 years and deals with training, research and experimentation in the field of product design and communication. The teaching is based on a theoretical/practical/experimental didactic model, oriented towards research and technological and formal innovation, strongly marked by the practical laboratory experience, which sees the close collaboration with other institutions and companies. In addition to the curricular lessons, there are also conferences and workshops held by important personalities, with the aim of involving students in the debate on the development of contemporary design and stimulating a growing sensitivity to social, environmental and ethical issues, now central themes for every designer.
ISIA is a modern school, focused on innovation and whose quality has been confirmed over the years by the numerous awards it has received. The teaching is based on experimental and research methods strongly marked by practical laboratory experience and carried out in connection with production realities, both local and multinational. ISIA, in fact, boasts numerous collaborations with companies and with international educational institutions of the same level. Access to the courses is subject to passing the admission tests as the number of places available is limited.
The teachers are well-known professionals working in a wide range of sectors. This ensures a continuous exchange of skills and knowledge between their professional realities and teaching activities. In addition to curricular lessons, every year there are conferences and seminars held by important personalities from the world of culture. The Institute is located in Florence, in the ancient stables of Villa Strozzi, in Via Pisana 79, immersed in one of the most important historical parks of Florence. A prestigious historical site built in the mid-sixteenth century by Giovan Battista di Lorenzo Strozzi, which has now become one of the main national centers for Creativity. It is, however, a temporary location while waiting for the construction of the new spaces: a project that began with an agreement in 2014 between Miur, Regione Toscana, the Municipality of Florence and ISIA and that provides for the transfer of the Institute to a new custom-built environment inside the former Meccanotessile, a disused Florentine industrial area where the workers of Officine Galileo once worked. In June 2021, the City announced the approval of the executive project with a view to awarding the work in the fall. In addition to the ISIA headquarters, the Municipality's project includes the headquarters of Indire, the MUR's national training and research institute, as well as spaces for neighborhood businesses and social housing.
