Donations
The Department welcomes charitable donations from individuals, institutions, foundations, associations, businesses, and other public and private entities wishing to support academic excellence. Supporting the Department through a donation means making a tangible investment in the advancement of knowledge and the education of future generations. Charitable donations may support research, teaching and education, innovation, and knowledge-transfer activities. They may also be used to support specific research areas, projects, or initiatives promoted by the Department.
What is a charitable donation?
A charitable donation is made gratuitously: the donor voluntarily provides resources to the Department without receiving any goods, services, or other economic or commercial benefits in return. Funding arrangements involving consideration from the Department, the performance of activities in the donor’s interest, or the provision of promotional or advertising benefits in return do not therefore qualify as charitable donations. In such cases, the appropriate legal instrument must be identified with the assistance of the Department’s administrative offices.
How to make a donation
Anyone wishing to support DISIA is invited to complete a declaration-of-intent form, specifying the amount of the donation and, where applicable, its intended purpose. As noted above, a donation may support the Department’s institutional activities as a whole or, subject to applicable legislation and University procedures, a specific activity, research area, project, or initiative.
The form must be requested by email from disia(AT)disia.unifi.it. Once completed, it must be submitted to DISIA at disia(AT)pec.unifi.it or disia(AT)disia.unifi.it.
Submission of the form does not constitute automatic acceptance of the donation. The Department will carry out the review procedure prescribed by the University’s current Regulations on Administration, Finance and Accounting (Regolamento di Ateneo per l’Amministrazione, la Finanza e la Contabilità) and by the University of Florence’s procedures governing gratuitous transfers (atti di liberalità). Payment instructions will be provided only after the acceptance procedure has been completed.
Tax relief
Subject to the relevant statutory requirements, Italian tax law provides specific tax relief for charitable donations made to universities. The applicable tax treatment depends on the nature of the donor, the purpose of the donation, and the legislation in force at the time payment is made.
For individuals, the relevant provisions may include, among others, Articles 10(1)(l-quater) and 15(1)(i-octies) of Presidential Decree No. 917 of 22 December 1986 (the Italian Consolidated Income Tax Act, or TUIR). Donations intended to fund research may also qualify under specific provisions of the legislation in force.
The Department may provide the administrative documentation relating to the donation. However, responsibility for determining whether tax relief is available—and, if so, to what extent—rests with the donor, in light of the donor’s individual tax circumstances.
Contact details
To discuss the intended purpose of a donation in advance or to receive assistance in completing the required documentation, please contact the DISIA Administrative Office at disia(AT)disia.unifi.it.
Last update
19.09.2026