University of Rome Tor Vergata

Contact Information

In case you are interested in further knowing about IFAD and Tor Vergata collaboration please contact Sandro Luzzietti, Procurement Manager at IFAD, s.luzzietti@ifad.org.

Why collaborating with Tor Vergata University?

The UN System Organizations have important strategic partnerships that contribute to the achievement of the organizations' respective mandate. A strong network of partners helps to expand the organization presence among the Member States; based on this principle, a strategic collaboration between the UN System Organizations and universities can establish a productive and bilateral beneficial relationship.

Ranked as the second biggest university of Rome, Tor Vergata is a young university that accounts for 39,000 students and 6 faculties. In the past years, the collaboration between IFAD, a specialised Agency of the United Nations based in Rome, and the University of Rome Tor Vergata’s Department of Economics and Finance, has produced the following benefits for IFAD:

• Generating awareness on IFAD and the UN System among new generations;
• Internship programmes to support business activities of the Fund;
• Learning new techniques, methods and approaches from research studies.

On the other hand, this collaboration has granted students with the following opportunities:

• Internship Programmes are currently offered to Bachelor and Master degree students. Tor Vergata students taking part in these internship programmes have been able to consolidate and widen their knowledge and understanding of the principles of international public organization, learn the values and mandate of IFAD and familiarize with working activities related to the department assigned;
• Students have been involved in drafting reports and papers on various subjects and they have had the opportunity to prepare their thesis using IFAD knowledge-based resources. Candidates collaborating with the IFAD Procurement Unit have had the opportunity to participate in Research Programmes dedicated to Procurement Themes;
• Students collaborating with IFAD have attended Workshops held by IFAD and its partners on topics such as: Gender Equality, Sustainable Development, Climate and Environment Changes on Rural Areas, Food and Nutrition Security, Participatory Impact Assessment & Learning Approach, and Rural Investment;
• Students have also been able to visit the IFAD premises to further understand the UN system and IFAD's mandate.

Why seeking volunteers among young students? Why is it beneficial for UNGM?

UNGM is the common procurement portal of the United Nations System of Organizations. Besides bringing together UN procurement staff and the vendor community, UNGM has also the aim of sharing knowledge on the UN System and on various procurement topics through the Knowledge Centre. This area has a huge potential of growth, and UNGM is seeking partnerships to promote it by opening its content creation to individuals and entities within and outside the UN systems, including students. In return students will have:

• The opportunity to have access to the UNGM Knowledge Centre and to learn how Procurement activities are conducted in the UN system;
• Access to the best practices currently adopted by the UN system;
• Access to real business cases related to Procurement that can be used to prepare their dissertation.

Collaborating University: School of Economics at the University of Rome Tor Vergata

General Information

The Tor Vergata campus was founded in 1982 in the southern part of Rome. The area chosen for the new university, a large open space in the countryside, has allowed the university to expand and develop a wide access network far from the city’s congested traffic. The search for quality and efficiency was not the only criterion used for building these facilities, but also to achieve effective organization and planning of its academic and research programs.

The School of Economics has approximately 5,200 students enrolled. It hosts a library with more than thirty-thousand catalogued monographs and over two thousand magazines and scientific journals (many of which available on line), a data processing centre, a language lab, an Erasmus office and a graduates’ employment opportunities office which promotes links between graduates and enterprises.

Since 2006, the School of Economics has been consistently ranked among the top Italian universities by the CENSIS ranking guide.

Collaborating External Research Institutes: Proxenter

General Information

The ‘Proxenter’, Center of research in Procurement and Supply Chain, undertakes interdisciplinary research on Public and Private Procurement and on the Supply Chain. It promotes the cultural and scientific debate on these issues, working with governments, institutions and companies. The Proxenter is an institute run by the Department Economics and Finance at the University of Rome Tor Vergata.

The Proxenter’s main activities are as follows:

• Organize seminars, conferences, and workshops at national and international level;
• Promote the publications – on line and hardcopy – of research results;
• Promote the exchange of information and competences between Proxenter and public and private institutions universities, governments, and industries;
• Promote research projects with public and private institutions on public and private procurement and on the supply chain;
• Promote collaborations with public and private institutions;
• Identify and promote best practices and toolkits on public and private procurement;
• Offer curricular non-paid internship programmes.

Likewise the collaboration created with Tor Vergata University, the Procurement Unit of IFAD established collaborations with external research institutes to organize seminars on Procurement topics.

Collaborating Master Programme: International Master in Public Procurement Management (IMPPM)

General Information

The International Master in Public Procurement Management (IMPPM) is a full time, advanced, postgraduate Master Programme running from March to July in Rome, Italy with classroom lectures followed by distance learning and a mandatory, professional internship in a company or institution which can be in Italy, in the student’s home country or elsewhere. The programme is characterized by its interdisciplinary content and it is meant to attract public purchasers with relevant experience in procurement as well as young students interested in preparing for a career in public procurement. Classes are all taught in English, therefore language proficiency is required to successfully attend the courses and to actively participate in all the learning activities.

IFAD is currently sharing its expertise in Public Procurement and Facilities Management. Its expertise was shared over 3 Seminars held in the academic year 2015/2016 organized by the International Master in Public Procurement Management (IMPPM).

Collaborating Master of Science program: MSc. In European Economy and Business Law (EEBL)

The MSc. Degree in EEBL is taught entirely in English, and prepares students with a board interest in economic and legal aspects for an academic program that is focused on European studies. It aims to specialize students in the application of economics in public policy issues, and to understand the economic basis of market integration and the workings of European institutions. EEBL provides an excellent foundation for a career related to the management of international organizations, private companies, public administrations and research institutes. EEBL's interdisciplinary structure enables consistent job placement in a wide range of institutions operating on a global level. The Master's students are a very international group: they come from over 17 countries from around the world. Diversity is a key asset to the program, where students encounter different cultures, meet others from diverse backgrounds and share important life experiences. Moreover, the EEBL MSc. Degree program offers many exciting opportunities for both studying and working abroad.

IFAD is developing a strong collaboration with the EEBL Master, offering internship programmes to the students and giving them the opportunity to publish their dissertation on the UNGM Knowledge Centre, in the case it is inherent with the topics covered.

EEBL Office of Admissions: Federica Corrente, admissions@eebl.uniroma2.it

EEBL Programme Office: Susie White and Jennifer Vieley, msc@eebl.uniroma2.it