The University of Bath is strengthening its international engagement through the development of a strategic partnership with Politecnico di Milano (PoliMi), one of Europe's leading technical universities. Supported by the University's Key International Strategic Partnerships Fund (KISPF), the initiative aims to create new opportunities for university-wide research, education and innovation, with particular strengths in health technologies and human movement science. The partnership builds on longstanding academic connections between the two institutions and an expanding network of collaborations spanning engineering, health, computer science, design, management and physics.
In May 2026, a University of Bath delegation led by Dr Ezio Preatoni (Department for Health), and including Dr Elena Seminati (Department for Health), Dr Benjamin Metcalfe (Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering) and Professor Damien Coyle (Bath Institute for the Augmented Human) visited Politecnico di Milano. During the visit, the delegation spent time across PoliMi's Leonardo, Bovisa and Lecco campuses, meeting colleagues and exploring research facilities within the Departments of Design, Mechanical Engineering, and Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB).
The visit enabled both institutions to identify areas of shared interest and complementary expertise while exploring future opportunities for collaboration in research, teaching, and student and staff mobility. Discussions highlighted significant alignment in many disciplines, including biomedical sensing and wearable technologies, artificial intelligence and data-driven health research, neuro-engineering and rehabilitation technologies, human movement analysis and sport engineering, digital health and healthcare engineering, and augmented human technologies.
Momentum continued in July 2026 when a delegation from Politecnico di Milano, including Dr Simona Ferrante (DEIB), Dr Marta Gandolla (Mechanical Engineering), Dr Nicola Lopomo (Design), and Ms Claudia Russo from PoliMi's International Relations Unit, visited Bath. PoliMi’s visit was an opportunity to showcase Bath's interdisciplinary strengths, and included tours of facilities and research groups across the University such as the Applied Biomechanics Suite, the Institute for the Augmented Human, CAMERA, Mechanical Engineering, Electronic & Electrical Engineering, Design, Computer Science and Health.
The visiting team met with Professor Manuel Barcia and representatives from all four University of Bath faculties and schools, to discuss synergies and work on the development of a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). These discussions explored potential frameworks for research collaboration, student and staff mobility, joint postgraduate activities and future funding opportunities. The progress made during the reciprocal visits has established a strong foundation for future collaboration and demonstrated a shared ambition to build a long-term strategic relationship between the two universities.
On the parnership, Dr Ezio Preatoni said:
I am particularly excited about this partnership because Politecnico di Milano is my alma mater and has played an important role in my academic journey. Politecnico di Milano is widely recognised as one of the World's leading technical universities and has an outstanding record in securing international funding. By bringing together complementary expertise in sport, health, engineering, data science and human-centred technologies, we have a unique opportunity to develop impactful research, create collaborative educational opportunities and strengthen international links that will benefit our researchers, students and the wider Bath community.
In addition, Dr Stefano Elia, Associate Professor of International Business at PoliMi remarked:
This partnership represents an important opportunity to strengthen the long-standing collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and the University of Bath. By bringing together complementary expertise across engineering, health, design, digital technologies and management, we can develop new research initiatives, create opportunities for students and researchers, and address complex societal challenges through interdisciplinary collaboration. I am confident that this partnership will continue to grow and generate lasting benefits for both institutions.