The Milanese region is home to the greatest concentration of universities and specialized training colleges in Italy and is one of the most important centres of learning in Europe. There are, in fact, no fewer than 13 universities, 8 of which in the city and in the province of Milan. Faculties, departments, bachelor’s, masters and Ph.D degree courses cover the whole range of arts and science subjects, while institutes and post-graduate specialization centers offer a unique choice of further education opportunities and professional refresher courses, particularly in the fields of communication, design, art and the creative professions.

The Milanese region offers higher education to some 200 thousand young people, with a strong rise in the number of students from other Italian regions and from abroad. The province of Milan alone hosts 34 thousand non-resident students. 

One of the reasons for the appeal of Milan's universities lies in the high level of research and innovation that is produced not only in the universities themselves, but also in public and private research centres, such as the National Research Council (CNR), the Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and the "Mario Negri" Institute of Pharmacological Research.

Lombardy spends over 3,263 bln euros in R&D per year, 22% of total national research expenditure (Istat data 2003). Significantly, in compliance with the Lisbon Strategy guidelines, the driving force of research and development work, in terms of expenditure, is industry (66%), followed by the university system (23%).

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