RNA - Genetherapys
2025-2026 Academic Year

From October 2025 to July 2026, students of the third edition of PharmaTech Academy completed an intensive multidisciplinary training program designed to prepare the next generation of professionals for careers in gene therapy and RNA-based technologies.

Through a learning by doing approach, students combined scientific coursework with laboratory activities, workshops and project-based learning, developing the scientific, technical and professional competencies required to contribute across the entire advanced therapy development pipeline—from research and development to industrial manufacturing and clinical application.

The program brought together expertise from leading universities, research centers and industry partners, providing students with direct exposure to one of the fastest-growing sectors of the life sciences while strengthening the connection between academic excellence and real-world innovation.

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PharmaTech Academy 2023-2024 Academic Year 2024-2025 Academic Year
Student Start-up Concepts

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Beyond scientific discovery, innovation turns ideas into practical solutions that optimize patient care and strengthen healthcare delivery. At PharmaTech Academy, this means new tools, technologies and approaches — from AI to everyday process improvements — that make care more efficient, accessible and patient-centered.

The third edition brought this principle to life through the Deloitte Innovation & Ventures Workshop. Multidisciplinary teams identified real unmet medical and technological needs, analyzed existing solutions and their limitations, and developed concepts with clinical, societal and economic potential. Participants built key competencies at the research–industry interface: problem solving, market analysis, value-proposition design and scientific communication.

The workshop produced start-up concepts addressing pressing challenges, including digital health solutions for ADHD, new approaches to coeliac disease management, strategies against antimicrobial resistance, CRISPR/Cas9 gene therapy for Huntington’s disease, and novel avenues for melanoma. It demonstrated how scientific knowledge, creativity and interdisciplinary collaboration could transform research into future healthcare solutions.

The Class of 2026 comprised 30 highly qualified students from biology, medical, pharmaceutical and veterinary biotechnology, pharmacy, pharmaceutical chemistry and biomedical engineering. Representing six Italian regions (Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Molise, Puglia and Sicily), the cohort showed the Academy’s expanding national reach, with more than one-third of participants coming from outside Naples.

The program continued its strong commitment to gender equity in STEM: women accounted for 25 of the 30 students (over 80%), underscoring PharmaTech Academy’s ongoing support for female participation and leadership in advanced biotechnologies, gene therapy and RNA-based medicines.

Project Work

Project Work remains one of the defining pillars of the PharmaTech Academy educational model, providing students with the opportunity to apply classroom knowledge within leading pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology enterprises, research institutes and innovation organizations.

For the third edition, partner organizations offered students either the traditional three-month internship or an extended six-month placement, allowing participants to gain deeper professional experience within highly specialized industrial environments. Five organizations adopted the extended format, enabling eleven students to further strengthen their technical and professional competencies.

Students completed their Project Work across a broad network of partners, including Anemocyte, Biogem, CEINGE, Deloitte Advisory, Dompé Farmaceutici, National Center for Gene Therapy and Drugs based on RNA Technology, Giuliani, InnovAAVector, IRBM, Italfarmaco, Knowledge for Business, Nouscom, Novartis, PoliRNA and Sanofi.

The Academy also implemented a structured recruitment process designed to simulate professional hiring practices. Students participated in workshops dedicated to CV preparation, interview techniques and professional communication before meeting partner organizations during networking and presentation sessions. Following individual interviews, both students and companies expressed their preferences, allowing placements to be optimized according to mutual interests and organizational needs.

The process proved highly successful: every student successfully matched with one of their top three preferred organizations, while approximately 90% of participating companies welcomed one of their top three preferred candidates. Feedback collected after the placements confirmed a high level of satisfaction among both students and partner organizations.

2025 -2026 Project Work Partners

Graduation Day & the Launch of Advanced PharmaTech Academy

The academic year closed with Graduation Day 2026, celebrating the successful completion of the third edition of PharmaTech Academy. Surrounded by family, academic leaders, institutional representatives and industry partners, students marked the end of an intensive journey that combined scientific excellence, practical experience and close industry collaboration.

The ceremony also launched a new chapter for the Academy: the Advanced PharmaTech Academy. This initiative reaffirms the program’s commitment to developing the highly specialized workforce needed for the future of gene therapy, RNA technologies and advanced medicines.

Supported by the PN RIC program of the Ministry of University and Research, the Advanced PharmaTech Academy offers a flexible 60-hour blended learning pathway designed for professionals already working in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Combining online and in-person teaching, it delivers advanced training in emerging therapeutic technologies, leadership and soft skills, artificial intelligence, extended reality (XR) and innovative digital tools.