IMT Institute for Advanced Studies Lucca is an international Graduate School and Institute of Technology that acts as a research university with the aim of forming human capital –specifically with regard to its PhD programs- in disciplines characterized by their high potential for concrete application. IMT strives to reach the fusion of theoretical comprehension and practical relevance. The following goals are at the core of IMT's mission statement:
· to establish itself as a research center that promotes cutting-edge research in key areas, structuring its Ph.D. Programs in close connection with research activity;
· to attract top students, researchers and scholars through competitive international selections;
· to contribute to technological innovation, economic growth and social development.
These objectives are met by means of the fundamental principles (the IMT Policy) adapted by the governing bodies of the Institute.
IMT Institute for Advanced Studies is characterized by three unique yet interrelated identities; it can be simultaneously defined as a Graduate School, an Institute for Advanced Studies and an Institute of Technology.
Within the IMT Graduate School, the integration between research and education is designed around two broad multidisciplinary research areas (Economics and Institutional Change, Computer Science and Applications), which, while stemming from the fundamental concept of "The Sciences of the Artificial" (Herbert A. Simon), sustain four PhD programs: Computer Science and Engineering, Economics, Markets and Institutions, Political Systems and Institutional Change and Management and Development of Cultural Heritage.
As an Institute for Advanced Studies, IMT is characterized by its mission to reach the international research frontier and to contribute to push it ahead, concentrating its activities within a limited number of key areas. Moreover, the Institute relies upon an extensive network of scholars and on a variety of contractual solutions to attract a persistent flow of visitors, active in research, teaching, and supervision.
IMT’s identity as an Institute of Technology is defined by the aim of integrating relevance and excellence in research. Against this background, IMT has decided to adopt an innovative organizational model for its activities, which will evolve around a platform called the IMTLAB.
