Summer Schools and Winter Schools

On this page, you can find the offer for Summer and Winter Schools organised by (but not exclusively) USI.

Summer and Winter Schools 2026

XXXIII Seminario internazionale di progettazione Monte Carasso
4-17 luglio 2026, Monte Carasso
Arch. Giacomo Guidotti e Stefano Moor
Diventato ormai un appuntamento fisso dell'estate, il Seminario Internazionale di Progettazione proporrà la sua XXXIII edizione dal 4 al 17 luglio a Monte Carasso, erede dell’esperienza avviata da Luigi Snozzi.
https://www.carasc.ch/seminario-internazionale-di-progettazione-monte-carasso
https://www.arc.usi.ch/en/feeds/14564

WISH Workshop on International Social Housing
Black River, Jamaica
5 - 15 luglio 2026, Black River, Jamaica
16 luglio - 5 agosto 2026 Accademia di architettura, Mendrisio
Prof. Martino Pedrozzi
Workshop on International Social Housing: un progetto sull'alloggio collettivo tra tradizione e innovazione.
www.wish.usi.ch/
https://wish.usi.ch/it/editions/2026

Favorita’s Waters
5-11 luglio 2026, Palermo IT
La Summer School "Favorita's Waters", promossa dall'Istituto Svizzero con USI e vari partner, indaga l'acqua come dispositivo culturale e ambientale attraverso il patrimonio idrico di Palermo. Prevede lezioni e progetti volti a restituire l'acqua alla città.
https://favoritaswaters.cargo.site/
https://www.arc.usi.ch/en/feeds/14530

Transversal Territory
6-12 luglio 2026 Accademia di architettura, Mendrisio
Docenti: Antoine de Perrot e Aalaii Mansoureh 
Alla scoperta delle storie nascoste del lago
Il workshop Transversal Territory, diretto da Antoine de Perrot e Mansoureh Aalaii è un’esperienza artistico-performativa per esplorare l’ambiente con nuovi sguardi, in dialogo con la comunità, in collaborazione con la Città di Mendrisio.
https://www.arc.usi.ch/en/feeds/14523
https://search.usi.ch/it/corsi/35275799/workshop-transversal-territory

Teoria e Pratica della curatela
12-18 luglio 2026, Roma
Prof.ssa Carla Mazzarelli
Workshop sulle pratiche di curatela e gestione museale, fondato sul dialogo tra curatore e architetto. Il programma prevede lezioni e sopralluoghi con esperti per riflettere sulle sfide dei musei oggi. Si terrà a Roma dal 12 al 18 luglio 2026, in collaborazione con l’Istituto Svizzero di Roma.
https://www.arc.usi.ch/it/feeds/14538

Accademia Archi Camp
19 - 26 luglio 2026, Accademia di architettura, Mendrisio
Summer school in English aimed at young people aged 16 to 20 who are Swiss or residing in Switzerland, to discover architecture as a tool for reading, imagining, and transforming the world.
https://www.usi.ch/it/feeds/34762
Accademia Archi Camp

CSCS-USI Summer School 2026 on Effective High-Performance Computing and Data Analytics
25 - 30 July 2026
This CSCS/USI HPC Summer School course will focus on the effective exploitation of state-of-the-art hybrid High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems with a special focus on Data Analytics. Starting from an introductory explanation of the available systems at CSCS, the course will progress to more applied topics such as parallel programming on accelerators, code optimisation, scientific libraries, and deep learning software frameworks. 
Further information and content are available on the CSCS-USI Summer University 2026 page.

REAL – Reality Exploration Academy of Locarno 2026
5 – 15 August 2026 (during Locarno Film Festival 79)
REAL – Reality Exploration Academy of Locarno is an intensive programme organised by the Institute of Media and Journalism (USI) in collaboration with the Locarno Film Festival. Designed for university students passionate about non-fiction cinema, REAL combines audiovisual theory, creative practice, seminars, workshops, masterclasses, curated screenings, and mentorship for the production of a video essay. A dedicated participation formula is available for USI students, with a fee of CHF 500 instead of CHF 800. Applications must still be submitted through the standard application process: the selection procedure is the same for all candidates. The fee includes seminars, workshops, masterclasses, curated screenings, Festival accreditation, the "Future of Cinema" conference, video essay mentorship, and an official certificate of participation. Accommodation and breakfast are not included: students choosing this formula are responsible for organising their own stay. Meals are also at the participants' expense, except for selected events communicated in advance. Participants can earn up to 6 ECTS credits. Please submit your application by 28 May 2026.
Application form, requirements and full details: https://www.locarnofestival.ch/it/about/factory/real-academy.html

30th Summer School in Social Sciences Methods
6 – 21 August 2026
The Summer School in Social Sciences Methods has been conceived for those who feel the need to refresh, deepen and widen their methodological knowledge and skills, whatever their professional situation: student, researcher or practitioner. This year, once again, we are looking forward to welcoming you for two weeks of learning in August at the beautiful campus of Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano! The 2026 programme of the 30th anniversary edition features 3 online statistics workshops and 30 intensive one-week courses tailored for doctoral students, researchers, and practitioners. In addition to the rich academic programme, the School also offers a vibrant social programme to help participants connect with each other and experience the best of Lugano. This includes a welcome talk, plenary followed by a networking aperitivo, and course dinners with fellow participants and course instructors. The social programme is designed to foster a sense of community and make the Summer School experience even more rewarding. 
For more information and to register visit https://www.ssm.usi.ch/en

SIESTA 2026 – 6th International Software Engineering Summer School
2-4 September 2026
The Software Institute is pleased to announce SIESTA 2026, the sixth International Software Engineering Summer School, which will take place in Madrid, Spain, on September 2-4, 2026.
The goal of SIESTA is to bring together academic and industrial researchers, along with PhD students, to provide participants with an opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of recent research trends in Software Engineering. At SIESTA tutorials by leading researchers, student talks, and amazing social events come together to offer our participants the best possible experience. More information

CPS Summer School
21 – 25 settembre 2026
Alghero - Italia

The CPS summer school is targeted at students, research scientists, and R&D experts from academia and industry, who want to learn about CPS engineering and applications. The programme will cover all the design phases of CPSs, starting from the conception of the idea down to the definition of the final system and will discuss the key challenges (including adaptivity support, modelling and security) presenting state-of-the-art tools and methods and allowing participants to play with industrial and academic design environments.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Market trends for CPS
• Hardware/software and multi-view modelling
• Adaptivity
• Low power design of heterogeneous systems
• Tools for dataflow design, high-level synthesis, hardware/software co-design, and coarse/fine reconfiguration

For more information and to register, visit https://www.cpsschool.eu/

Past Summer Schools

Summer School: The Aim and Structure of Cosmological Theory
23 - 27 June 2025
A number of challenging questions arise in contemporary cosmology, and philosophers can contribute constructively to answering them. In what sense is cosmology a “special case,” in terms of its aims, the nature of cosmological theories, or the ability to establish theories empirically? What, if anything, constrains theorising about the early universe or regions of space and time that are beyond our observational ken? These and other questions will be tackled at the summer school, whose organising theme is the forthcoming book by Smeenk & Weatherall The Aim and Structure of Cosmological Theory.
For more information and to register visit www.usi.ch/en/cosmology

PhD Summer School on Finance and Product Markets
30 June – 4 July 2025
Prof. Laurent Frésard (USI & Swiss Finance Institute), Prof. Gordon Phillips (Dartmouth College)
This in-person summer school explores the intersection between finance and industrial organisation, focusing on how firms’ financial decisions interact with their product market environments. Through ten intensive sessions, participants will study foundational theories, discuss empirical strategies, and engage in hands-on coding tutorials using Python. Highlights include sessions on causal inference and computational linguistics for market boundary analysis. The course also features a research mini-seminar where participants present their work and receive feedback. Designed for advanced PhD students and researchers in corporate finance and IO, the course encourages active participation and close interaction with faculty and peers. More Information.

XXXII International Design Seminar Monte Carasso
5-18 July 2025, Monte Carasso
Arch. Giacomo Guidotti
https://www.carasc.ch/Seminario-Internazionale-di-progettazione-Monte-Carasso
https://www.arc.usi.ch/en/feeds/14101

WISH Workshop on International Social Housing
6 - 16 July 2025, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
21 July - 9 August 2025 Academy of Architecture, Mendrisio
Prof. Martino Pedrozzi
www.wish.usi.ch/
https://wish.usi.ch/it/editions/2025
https://www.arc.usi.ch/en/feeds/14031

URR - Urbino Riuso Restauro
7-10 July 2025 Urbino, Ancona, Fano, Pesaro
Prof.ssa Daniela Mondini
https://www.arc.usi.ch/en/feeds/14100
INFO

Transversal Territory
7-13 July 2025 Academy of Architecture, Mendrisio
Directed by: Antoine de Perrot with Aalaii Mansoureh
Workshop in collaboration with the City of Mendrisio
https://www.arc.usi.ch/it/feeds/14047
https://www.transversal-territory.org/2025-en/

CSCS-USI Summer University 2025 on Effective High-Performance Computing and Data Analytics
19-25 July 2025
This summer school will focus on the effective exploitation of state-of-the-art hybrid High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems with a special focus on Data Analytics. The content of the course is tailored for intermediate graduate students (3rd year Bachelor's students, Master’s students, and Ph.D students) interested in both learning parallel programming models, and having hands-on experience using HPC systems. Starting from an introductory explanation of the available systems at CSCS, the course will progress to more applied topics such as parallel programming on accelerators, code optimisation, scientific libraries, and deep learning software frameworks.
Additional information on the official website.

REAL Academy – Reality Exploration Academy of Locarno
6 – 16 August 2025
REAL – Reality Exploration Academy of Locarno - is a ten-day programme bringing together cutting-edge audiovisual research and creative practices to explore how reality is represented, questioned, and reimagined on screen. At the crossroads of theory and industry, it offers a unique space for dialogue between scholars and filmmakers, inviting participants to reflect critically on the power and responsibility of filming the real.
REAL builds on the legacy of the successful Documentary Summer School after 25 editions with a new reimagined format for the 26th, designed to challenge perspectives and propose new ways to navigate the evolving landscape of non-fiction media. For more information and to register: https://www.locarnofestival.ch/about/factory/real-academy.html

34th Lugano Summer School in Public Health
18 – 23 August 2025
In the 34th SSPH+ Lugano Summer School in Public Health Policy, Economics, and Management (LSS), practitioners, researchers, and graduate students will come together from all over the world for a unique learning experience focused on public health impact. The seasonal school is a long-term collaboration between the Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), USI, SUPSI, and Swiss TPH and places health, disease, and health systems thinking under one common framework of coherent concepts and practical implications. The education obtained and networks created serve as an opportunity to reduce and prevent the gap between public health theory and practice. 
Registration is open until 15 July. For further information about the available courses and general programme: https://www.ssph-lugano-summerschool.ch/ 
Special discounts are available for USI students and employees. If you have any further question, you can contact us at [email protected] 

Summer School 2025 - Maternità e Medical Humanities
From 20 to 22 August 2025
The Fondazione Sasso Corbaro Summer School on “Motherhood and Medical Humanities” returns to Bellinzona: an interdisciplinary course combining medicine, ethics and storytelling to reflect on motherhood, non-parenthood and care. Registration closes on Friday, 27 June. official page

ICTs and the Challenges of “Overtourism”: Exploring the Case of Machupicchu
21 – 28 August 2025
The 2025 USI UNESCO Chair Summer School is organised in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Anthropology of Health, Biosphere and Healing Systems of the University of Genoa (Italy), the UNESCO Chair on City, Landscape and Heritage of the University of Lima (Peru), the UNESCO Chair on Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism of the University San Martin de Porres (Lima, Peru) and is supported by the UNESCO office in Lima.

Through the research efforts of four UNESCO Chairs and a transdisciplinary approach, participants will engage with key topics such as heritage conservation and management, sustainable interventions to address overtourism affecting the site of Machupicchu, the intangible heritage of Andean ethnomedicine and textile production. Additionally, they will examine how Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can support and enhance these processes.
For more inforamtion and to register: https://www.unescochair.usi.ch/summer-school-2025-peru

SIESTA 2025 - 5h International Software Engineering Summer School
27-29 August 2025

The Software Institute is pleased to annouce SIESTA 2025, the fifth International Software Engineering Summer School, which will take place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 27-29 August 2025.

The goal of SIESTA is to bring together academic and industrial researchers along with Ph.D. students to give participants an opportunity to get first-hand knowledge about recent research trends in Software Engineering. At SIESTA tutorials by leading researchers, student talks, and amazing social events come together to offer our participants the best possible experience. More information

29th Summer School in Social Sciences Methods
7 – 22 August 2025
The Summer School in Social Science Methods has been conceived for those who feel the need to refresh, deepen and widen their methodological knowledge and skills, whatever their professional situation: student, researcher or practitioner. This year, once again, we are looking forward to welcoming you for two weeks of learning in August at the beautiful campus of Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano! You can join one of our four preliminary workshops and one or two of the 23 one-week intensive, immersive courses on qualitative, quantitative and hybrid methods in social sciences or cross-methods courses. In addition to the rich academic programme, the School also offers a vibrant social programme to help participants connect with each other and experience the best of Lugano. This includes a welcome coffee talk, Summer School Dinner, excursions to local attractions and opportunities to socialise with fellow students and faculty. The social programme is designed to foster a sense of community and make the Summer School experience even more rewarding. 
For more information and to register visit https://www.usi.ch/ssm