The Centre
The Interdepartmental Research Centre Punto Europa (CeSIPE) of the University of Bologna was established in April 2025 at the Forlì Campus, with the aim of fostering innovative and multidisciplinary research in the field of European Studies. The foundation of CeSIPE builds upon and strengthens the legacy of Punto Europa, an EU information and documentation centre that has been active in Forlì since May 1999.
The Founding Departments of CeSIPE
Punto Europa was established thanks to the initiative of a group of faculty members from the University of Bologna, who sought to enhance, on the one hand, the field of European Studies within the University – particularly at the Forlì Campus – and, on the other hand, to foster collaboration with local institutions (the Municipality of Forlì and the Province of Forlì-Cesena), which were among the first partners of the Campus in the creation of this information centre.
The primary objective of Punto Europa was to contribute to making the European integration process more visible and transparent, and to bring students and the broader public closer to the European Union.
This was the first initiative in Italy to establish an EU information office through a partnership between a university and key local institutions. This collaboration enabled, on the one hand, the creation of a public-facing office, accessible to all citizens and operating widely across the territory, and, on the other, ensured the high quality of information and initiatives through the expertise provided by a scientific committee composed of university professors and scholars of European integration.
Its mission is to provide information and advisory services on EU policies, to actively promote local and regional debate on the European Union, and to raise awareness and understanding of European citizenship among the general population.
In 2007, Punto Europa became part of the Europe Direct network – the official information and documentation network of the European Commission.
Since September 2014, Punto Europa has also been recognised by the European Commission as a Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence for European Studies.
In 2018, Punto Europa was designated as a European Documentation Centre (EDC), joining the first European network of university centres dedicated to information and research on European integration, active since 1963 and now an integral part of the Europe Direct network.
As of 19 April 2025, Punto Europa has been recognised as a strategic centre of the University of Bologna. It has since been consolidated as the University’s sole centre for research, documentation, training, and outreach in the field of European Studies, under the new name: Interdepartmental Research Centre Punto Europa (CeSIPE).
Punto Europa is located in Block D of the Teaching Hub, inaugurated in February 2018, near the other information offices at the University of Bologna’s Forlì Campus. It can be accessed either through the Melandri Pavilion (former Morgagni Hospital) at Piazzale Solieri No. 1, or through the main entrance of the Teaching Hub at Viale Filippo Corridoni 20.