Is there a happy medium between killing it an internship and having a little bit of fun this summer? There is now.
In line with gaining real-world, practical experience with a group of brilliant peers, and catered towards the ones with a love for travel, today we shine light on a 3-week experience that provides both undergraduate and graduate students with a full-immersion experience dealing with real business design challenges - in Italy.
With three cycles of a 3-week program starting in early June, approximately 60-90 students will get to take advantage of the sites, tastes, and business strategy of this beloved country.
The manifesto of Italia Innovation is to “open Italy to the world, to shift the focus from the place where we make to the reason why we make.”
Troubleshoot Innovation Challenges With Consulting
During an Italia Innovation immersion, students from all over the world with an entrepreneurial spirit come together to learn and to help Italian companies address real innovation challenges. The program not only invites students into solving real-business problems, but also sets them up to be mentored by teams of experts, professors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Italia Innovation was founded in 2015 by Marco Mari and Carlotta Burroto. It was designed to help top students connect meaningfully to Italian companies. In addition to creating opportunities for a younger generation to partner with Italian companies, the two founders launched the program to also combat a lack of awareness of innovation taking place in the Italian economy.
From the Italia Innovation Studio in Verona, Week 1 consists of site visits to leading companies, including face time with a top executive and a series of case studies. The case studies continue into Week 2, where students continue interacting with the business problems at hand while participating in workshops led by local business experts and entrepreneurs.
Week 3 is where it all comes together: you'll be broken up in groups of five, and participate in a professionally-led, 5-day design sprint. You'll solve some of the toughest problems you gained exposure to over the last two weeks, and pitch and test your designs in partnership with companies and stakeholders. You'll be grouped according to class, degree and background.
Italia Innovation offers the converging of two worlds - business and academia - where you'll learn from mentors and practice design approaches alongside your peers. While the program is 5000 GBP, scholarship funds are available, even up to 3500 GBP. The fee covers program activities, operation costs, and related taxes.
Apply Online Today
The application is simple - apply online and if selected, there’s only one interview, lasting 10-15 minutes over Skype. The application closes April 30th. For students interested in being considered for the dedicated scholarship fund, apply here.
If you don't have a business background, but still want to gain valuable experience that would be relevant for a consulting resume, this experience is a great addition to your portfolio as you continue to pursue other internships and work experiences.