The University of Milano-Bicocca and Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) are strengthening their academic and scientific collaboration in the fields of health sciences, education and research.
The agreements between the two universities were formalised during an institutional visit to the Missouri Southern State University campus from 11 to 13 August 2026. Milano-Bicocca was represented by Paola Alberti, a researcher in Human Anatomy at the Department of Medicine and Surgery. The Memorandum of Understanding provides the general framework for developing new joint initiatives in education, research, innovation and international mobility.
Alongside the Memorandum of Understanding, a Specific Exchange Collaboration Agreement has been signed to establish an exchange programme for Medicine students, enabling the development of mobility opportunities between the two universities. Milano-Bicocca will thus be able to host MSSU students as part of an international educational experience in which research will represent one of the central components, providing direct exposure to scientific activities, clinical expertise and international academic environments.
The collaboration forms part of the development of the new Roy Blunt Health Science Innovation Center, inaugurated at MSSU on 13 August. The facility brings together anatomy and physiology laboratories, a simulation hospital, anatomical visualisation technologies, virtual reality, microscopy and the Missouri 3D Printing Center for Precision Health, dedicated to healthcare applications of 3D printing.
For Missouri Southern State University, the Centre represents an important step towards strengthening its scientific dimension, with the aim of complementing education in the health professions with growing activity in biomedical research and innovation applied to health.
During the meetings, further potential areas of collaboration with Milano-Bicocca were also identified. These include biology, chemistry, materials science, biomaterials and biomedical technologies, as well as the development of projects related to medical-grade 3D printing and the design and prototyping of medical devices.
The partnership forms part of the University’s broader strategic internationalisation agenda, which is aimed at fostering and consolidating strong, long-term institutional relationships with international partners. Within this framework, the Division for Education, Student Services and International Development, through the International Relations Development Office, plays a role in facilitating the development of international partnerships, accompanying institutional dialogue and supporting the negotiation and formalisation of agreements with partner institutions, including the present collaboration with MSSU.
The collaboration with MSSU represents a further step towards progressively strengthening and broadening the relationship between the two universities, bringing together student mobility, advanced education and interdisciplinary research, and creating new opportunities for academic and institutional collaboration among students, faculty and researchers.