The University of Padua was founded in 1222 and is one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious universities. Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, Andrea Vesalio, William Harvey, Pietro d’Abano and Carlo Goldoni are just some of the scientists, physicians, philosophers, jurists and writers who have made Padua a landmark for the discovery and spread of European science and culture. It was at Padua that Elena Lucrezia Cornaro Piscopia became the world’s first woman to be awarded a degree when she graduated in Philosophy in 1678. The University of Padua, loyal to its motto Universa Universis Patavina Libertas, has always been a bastion of free thought, study and research. Today, Padua is a major multidisciplinary university whose lecturers, students and staff account for almost one third of the town’s population. Its 8 schools (Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Economics and Political Science, Engineering, Law, Human and Social Sciences and Cultural Heritage, Medicine, Psychology, Science) and 32 departments ensure that Padua offers a broad and varied range of subjects that cover all fields of learning. The University is also the scientific and cultural heart of Italy’s industrious north-east, providing highly specialised training for the area’s 7-million-plus residents and its 650,000-plus businesses, a role made possible by its extensive network of campuses located across the Veneto region.