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October 15, 2025

Following the success of the first two editions, the Advanced School in Artificial Intelligence (ASAI) returns in January 2026. Organized by the Department of Engineering at the University of Ferrara and funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region as part of the Advanced Schools in Artificial Intelligence in Emilia-Romagna project, the School aims to create an ecosystem of knowledge and innovation in Emilia-Romagna capable of attracting talent, encouraging entrepreneurship, and strengthening regional competitiveness at the national and international levels.

The 2026 edition offers a 130-hour training program, including 100 hours of teaching, combining theory, practice, and project work:

• 20 hours of online lessons (January 7–9, 2026);

• 80 hours of in-person lessons (January 12–23, 2026, Monday to Friday);

• 30 hours of project work, to be completed within one month of the end of the in-person classes.

Participation is free (any travel and subsistence expenses are the responsibility of the participants).

ASAI aims to offer participants advanced and multidisciplinary training in Artificial Intelligence (AI), providing tools to design, develop, and implement innovative solutions in various application contexts. Specifically:

• Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and the Python language;

• Constraint programming and applications to complex problems;

• Supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques;

• Advanced skills in Deep Learning (convolutional neural networks, recurrent networks, autoencoders, self-supervised learning);

• Foundations and applications of generative AI (Large Language Models, multimodal and diffusion models).

The program is structured into teaching modules that alternate theoretical lectures with practical workshops, ensuring solid and applicable learning. Upon completion of the course, the University of Ferrara will issue an official certificate of participation. The activities will be taught in Italian, with teaching materials available in Italian or English. Admission is limited to a maximum of 20 participants, selected through an official call for applications. Participants must have a bachelor's degree and proficiency in at least one programming language. The course will be activated upon reaching a minimum of 14 participants.

The School's scientific direction is entrusted to Professor Elena Bellodi (Department of Engineering), who is affiliated with the IN4 laboratory at the Ferrara Technology Park.

The Teaching Committee is composed of Professors Elena Bellodi, Marco Gavanelli (Department of Engineering), and Fabrizio Riguzzi (Department of Mathematics and Computer Science), also affiliated with the IN4 laboratory. Professors Marco Alberti and Riccardo Zese, professors with extensive experience in the field of AI, also contribute.

The School is made possible thanks to the contributions of faculty, researchers, postdocs, and doctoral students from the AI@UniFE research group, which brings together expertise from the Departments of Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and Agricultural Sciences, and Environmental and Prevention Sciences.

The research group has decades of expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Neuro-symbolic Integration, and the Semantic Web.

Interested parties must submit their application using the online form available at asai.unife.it by 11:59 PM CEST on October 31, 2025.