A total of 271 students with an ISEE of up to €22,000 responded to the first public call; among them, 210 were selected to attend the Winter School, a skills enhancement program organized with professors from the University of Milan and the University of Naples Federico II.
In Lombardy, 35% of participants came from high schools and 65% from technical or vocational institutes. Among these, 81% were born in Italy, 2% in Europe, and 17% in non-EU countries, in line with MIUR data on the presence of students with non-Italian citizenship.
From December 2024 to April 2025, students from the two regions took part in 80 hours of training in mathematics, science, and logic, alternating between in-person and online lessons, with constant support from tutors. The Winter School concluded with a final test, complemented by qualitative assessments of motivation and commitment. Based on these criteria, the committee awarded 70 three-year scholarships (35 per region), each worth €5,000 per year.
Building on these results, the initiative resumes today with a new edition that significantly expands its scope: the number of scholarships will increase from 70 to 100, for a total value of over €2 million, while the Winter School will welcome 300 students, further strengthening support for those wishing to enter university. As in the previous edition, the program does not end with the awarding of scholarships: recipients will continue to be supported by tutors and through group meetings, to help them stay engaged during their first university year and foster not only academic growth but also personal and relational development.
This is precisely where the uniqueness of the project lies: on the one hand, participants were encouraged to strengthen the skills needed both to face university entrance exams and to better prepare for their high school final exams. On the other, they developed empathic and relational abilities through interactions with peers from different backgrounds - united, however, by similar interests, ambitions, and fears. In this sense, tutors helped them recognize their talents and begin to ignite the future they wish to build.
Silvia Cappellini, General Manager of UniCredit Foundation, stated:
“Uni.ON was created to ignite new opportunities. Today, seventy students receive a scholarship that will accompany them throughout their university journey, transforming tangible support into real opportunities. We want to offer young people the chance to believe in their future and build it on solid foundations. We are proud to reward merit and talent and are pleased to announce that this initiative will continue with a new edition.”
Don Gino Rigoldi, Founder and President of the Guarantee Committee of Fondazione Don Gino Rigoldi, commented:
“Providing opportunities for young people to grow is a fundamental part of our mission: not only for those among the excluded, but also for those who, despite having family support and the ability to do well in secondary school, are not convinced they can attend university - perhaps because they don’t want to burden their family financially or because they perceive the university environment as new and unfamiliar. That is why the Uni.ON project intervenes not only with financial support, but also by strengthening skills together with the professors they will later meet at university, and through educational guidance from our tutors, ready to reinforce motivation and dispel fears. These elements are what will allow many young people from ‘peripheral’ areas to design a different life.”
Stefano Simonetta, Vice-Rector for Student Services and the Right to Education at the University of Milan, said:
“When UniCredit Foundation and Fondazione Don Gino Rigoldi involved us in the Uni.ON project, we immediately recognized its alignment with our identity. Initiatives like this fit perfectly within the activities the University of Milan supports as part of what is known as the Third Mission. Social impact - the extension of the university into civil society - is a fundamental commitment for us and our governance. This initiative allowed us to connect with those young people who look at university both fearfully and dreamily. We welcomed them and tried to make them feel at ease.”
The initiative is promoted by UniCredit Foundation in collaboration with Fondazione Don Gino Rigoldi (which oversaw coordination, project management, and tutoring) and Le Nuvole scpa for the Campania Region, together with DISES -University of Naples Federico II and DEMM - University of Milan for faculty involvement.