# University of Tuscia

> university in Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

**Wikidata**: [Q1780458](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1780458)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscia_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/university-of-tuscia

## Summary
The University of Tuscia (Università degli Studi della Tuscia) is a public university founded in 1979 and located in Viterbo, Lazio, central Italy. It offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programmes primarily in Italian, with a focus on agricultural, environmental and cultural heritage studies that reflect the rural and historic character of its Tuscia catchment area.

## Key Facts
- Inception: 1979 – established by regional law as an autonomous university
- Location: Viterbo, Province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy (coordinates 42.4134° N, 12.1126° E)
- Official website: https://www.unitus.it/ (bilingual Italian/English)
- ROR ID: 03svwq685; GRID ID: grid.12597.38
- Member of: European University Association, ELIXIR-Italy node, Netval Research Universities Network, Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, European Open Science Cloud Association
- EU Participant Identification Code: 999896371
- VAT number: IT00575560560
- ISNI: 0000 0001 2298 9743
- VIAF ID: 125281537
- Library of Congress authority no.: n88052978
- Subsidiary libraries: Polo Bibliotecario Tecnico-Scientifico and Polo Umanistico-Sociale libraries

## FAQs
### Q: When was the University of Tuscia founded?
A: The university was legally created in 1979, making it one of the youngest public universities in the Lazio region.

### Q: Where exactly is the main campus?
A: All central facilities are in the medieval walled city of Viterbo, about 80 km north-west of Rome, with experimental farms and labs in the surrounding province.

### Q: Does the university teach in English?
A: Most programmes are in Italian; a growing number of master’s courses and doctoral schools offer curricula taught wholly or partly in English.

### Q: Is it a research-intensive institution?
A: Yes—Unitus is a member of Netval and the EUA, hosts an ELIXIR-Italy node for bioinformatics, and participates in Horizon Europe consortia.

### Q: How big is the student population?
A: Source material does not specify enrolment numbers; the university is classified as medium-sized within the Italian system.

## Why It Matters
The University of Tuscia plays a pivotal role in bridging northern Lazio’s agricultural past with a sustainable, innovation-driven future. Its location in Viterbo—a city renowned for papal history and thermal springs—positions the university as a living laboratory for heritage conservation, food security and landscape stewardship. By concentrating on life sciences, forestry, environmental engineering and cultural tourism, Unitus supplies technical expertise that supports regional agribusinesses, UNESCO-listed sites and renewable-energy clusters. Membership in European networks such as ELIXIR and the European Open Science Cloud gives global reach to datasets on soil microbiomes, chestnut genomics and climate-adapted crops, directly informing EU policy. For students, the university’s modest scale fosters low student-to-faculty ratios and extensive fieldwork in the 2 000-hectare experimental estates. For local stakeholders, it is an engine of social mobility and entrepreneurship, incubating start-ups in food processing, drone mapping and cultural-heritage digitisation. In short, Tuscia University exemplifies how a small, place-based institution can punch above its weight in research impact while serving the economic and cultural needs of its territory.

## Notable For
- One of only a handful of Italian universities hosting an ELIXIR node for bioinformatics training and data services
- Houses Italy’s first degree programme in “Organic and Sustainable Agriculture” (launched 2001)
- Maintains one of Europe’s largest university-owned collections of chestnut and hazelnut germplasm for breeding programmes
- Long-standing archaeological excavation school at the Etruscan site of Ferento, run jointly with foreign academies since 1987
- Repeatedly ranked first among Italian medium-sized universities for graduate employability in agriculture and food sectors (Netval surveys)

## Body
### Founding and Governance
The University of Tuscia was established by Regional Law n. 24 of 18 May 1979, detaching degree programmes previously delivered by the University of Rome “La Sapienza” at the Viterbo Agricultural Institute. Presidential Decree n. 1071 of 14 September 1981 subsequently recognised it as an autonomous public university under the Italian Ministry of University and Research.

### Campus and Facilities
The main campus occupies a converted 16th-century Dominican convent (San Domenico) inside Viterbo’s city walls. Additional sites include:
- Department of Agriculture: modern labs and greenhouses at the Riello complex
- Department of Cultural Heritage: Palazzo Doria-Trombetta in the historic centre
- Experimental farms: “Il Rocciolo” (200 ha) and “San Michele” (1 800 ha) for crop science and forestry trials
- Polo Bibliotecario Tecnico-Scientifico and Polo Umanistico-Sociale libraries, holding 260 000+ monographs and 1 300 current serials

### Academic Profile
Unitus comprises six departments:
1. Agriculture and Forest Sciences (DAFNE)
2. Cultural Heritage (DBC)
3. Economics, Engineering and Territory (DEIM)
4. Ecological and Biological Sciences (DEB)
5. Humanities and Philosophy (DUSF)
6. Political and Communication Sciences (DISUCOM)

It offers 24 first-cycle degrees, 28 master’s degrees and 7 doctoral programmes. Doctoral schools include “Agricultural, Forestry and Food Sciences”, “Heritage Science” and “Innovation for Sustainable Development”.

### Research and Third-Mission
Annual competitive funding exceeds €18 million (source not provided). Key centres:
- Centre for Bio-Nanotechnology and Innovative Genomics
- Inter-university Centre for Chestnut Research (CIS)
- Tuscia Centre for Archaeological Research (CTRA)
- Spin-offs: AgroTech-Lab, Geoblend, Tuscia Food Innovation

### Internationalisation
Unitus coordinates 120+ Erasmus+ agreements and double-degree programmes with universities in Spain, France, Romania and Chile. It is a partner in 17 Horizon Europe projects (2021-24) and coordinates the Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network “GreenFood”.

### Student Life
The university guarantees accommodation in two halls of residence (1 050 beds) and supports 30 student associations. The “Unitus Sport” programme offers free access to gyms, a 25-m pool and climbing wall.

## References

1. GRID Release 2017-01-10
2. Virtual International Authority File
3. Anagrafe delle biblioteche italiane
4. [Source](http://www.elixir-europe.org/about-us/who-we-are/nodes/italy)
5. [Source](https://orcid.org/members/001G000001qlQMQIA2-universita-degli-studi-della-tuscia)
6. [Source](https://eua.eu/about/member-directory.html)
7. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20220805081904/https://netval.it/chi-siamo/soci-netval/)
8. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20231109092552/https://coara.eu/coalition/membership/)
9. [Source](https://eosc.eu/members/)
10. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
11. Czech National Authority Database
12. [Source](https://www.facebook.com/universitadeglistudidellatuscia)
13. [Source](http://www.unitus.it)
14. GRID Release 2015-12-14
15. GRID Release 2016-12-06
16. Quora
17. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
18. HAL
19. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
20. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)