On 15 September 2026, following a long-awaited evacuation from the Gaza Strip coordinated by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, a SAFE fellow from Gaza arrived in Italy to continue their PhD studies.
The SAFE fellowship was initially awarded to a French university but was eventually transferred to an Italian host institution. The research will be co-supervised by both host institutions, ensuring continuity of the academic work and cooperation between the two universities.
The evacuation was made possible thanks to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and its consular offices in Jerusalem and in Amman that coordinated and enabled the evacuation operation, and to the cooperation and commitment of both host institutions throughout the process. We wish our SAFE fellow all the very best as this new chapter of the academic journey begins in Italy!
With this arrival, the number of at-risk researchers supported through the SAFE project reaches 63.