The XVIII edition of the Advanced Training Course in Space Policies and Institutions, offered by the Italian Society for International Organization (SIOI) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), officially began in March, confirming the enduring value of an educational initiative that has become a recognised point of reference for the multidisciplinary study of space.
The initiative is rooted in a long-standing cooperation established in 2009, when SIOI and ASI, in collaboration with the Institute of International Legal Studies (ISGI) of the National Research Council (CNR), conceived and launched the first non-university Master in Space Institutions and Policies. In the same year, SIOI and ASI signed their first framework agreement on a training project devoted to space law, space policies and international relations, later renewed in 2018. Since 2025, the programme has continued under its new title.
The Course provides an interdisciplinary learning environment structured around five core modules:
- Legal‑Institutional
- Policy, International Relations and Security
- Socio‑Economic
- Industrial
- Technical‑Scientific
Its scientific direction is entrusted to ASI, which contributes to defining the main topics of the programme, identifying module coordinators, and involving highly qualified experts and practitioners as lecturers.
In this context, the Department of Political Sciences of Sapienza University of Rome is proud to have contributed to the programme through its teaching and research activities over the years, with Sergio Marchisio serving as Coordinator of the Legal-Institutional Module since the outset, and Gianfranco Gabriele Nucera, Maria Vittoria Prest and Francesco Lazzaro as lecturers.
The Department has a long tradition in the field of the law of outer space activities, having offered courses in Aerospace Law and Law of Space Activities for decades. Since 2017, this academic commitment has also been strengthened by the course Space Law, taught in English within the Master’s Degree in International Relations.
Faculty members and researchers from the Department have also developed significant research in this field, including projects carried out in collaboration with both public and private entities. Remarkable examples are the Outer Space Law for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development, in cooperation with the ASI and the Kenya Space Agency, as well as the research project on the Italian national space law conducted with Fondazione Leonardo-Civiltà delle Macchine and the SEE Lab of Bocconi University.
With its interdisciplinary structure and strong institutional network, the Advanced Training Course in Space Policies and Institutions continues to offer a valuable forum for advanced education and professional development, bringing together academic expertise, institutional perspectives and policy-oriented analysis, reflecting SIOI’s mission in fostering knowledge and dialogue on issues of international relevance.
