The Fondazione Zegna is committing €1M to send 85 young Italian scholars abroad in the 2026/2027 academic year, a move designed to reverse Italy's chronic brain drain by funding postgraduate training at elite international universities—provided recipients return home to contribute their knowledge and skills to Italy.
Why This Matters
• Award size: Up to €50,000 per year per recipient, covering tuition and living costs for programs lasting up to three years.
• Return commitment: Scholars are expected to return to Italy to apply the knowledge and skills they've acquired abroad, contributing to the country's development and innovation ecosystem. Specific contractual details regarding the return timeline and obligations are provided to accepted candidates.
• Top destinations: 72% of recipients secured admission to institutions ranked in the Times Higher Education Top 60, spanning the U.S., UK, Europe, and—new this year—Asia.
• STEM dominance: Over 50% of grants are going to students pursuing science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or biomedical research.
The Numbers Behind the Push
This is the 13th edition of the Ermenegildo Zegna Founder's Scholarship, a philanthropic initiative launched in 2014 by the Zegna Group and now managed by the family foundation. Since inception, the program has distributed 646 scholarships to Italian citizens or long-term residents, targeting those who show academic excellence but lack the financial means to study abroad.
"Talent and merit have always been core values in our family," said Gildo Zegna, chairman of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group. "The goal is to help them develop skills, an international perspective, and leadership rooted in ethics and responsibility so that, upon their return to Italy, they can deploy the knowledge they've acquired. The greatest value of the Founder's Scholarship lies precisely in this: creating a bridge between young people and the future of our country, transforming an individual opportunity into a collective asset."
The scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, and related expenses for postgraduate degrees, research fellowships, or doctoral programs. Financing for degree-linked programs can extend up to three academic years, with annual renewal subject to performance review. Research programs unconnected to a diploma are capped at 12 months.
Where the Money Is Going
For the 2026/2027 cohort, the international footprint has expanded significantly. While North America and Europe remain the dominant destinations—accounting for nearly three-quarters of placements—five scholars will now head to Asia, specifically Tsinghua University in Beijing, the National University of Singapore, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
The shift reflects both the foundation's stated ambition to diversify exposure and the growing global reputation of Asian research institutions, particularly in engineering, computer science, and biomedical innovation. Several Italian partner universities have begun explicitly prioritizing Asian destinations in their internal pre-selection criteria.
The emphasis on STEM and biomedical fields is deliberate. Italy's innovation ecosystem has struggled to retain top-tier technical talent, with many graduates settling permanently in Silicon Valley, London, or Zurich after completing foreign PhDs. By anchoring the scholarship to a commitment to return and contribute to Italy's development, the Fondazione Zegna is attempting to create a counterflow—one that channels advanced training back into Italy's universities, research labs, and corporate R&D units.
How the Selection Works
Unlike many scholarship programs, candidates cannot apply directly to the foundation. Instead, they must first be pre-selected by a partner Italian university. Institutions such as LUISS, the University of Bologna, and the Scuola Superiore di Catania conduct internal vetting, typically with deadlines in early March. Only those who clear this first hurdle are forwarded to the foundation's selection committee for final review.
Eligible candidates must hold or be completing an Italian university degree—bachelor's, master's, or doctorate—and must have already secured conditional or unconditional admission to a postgraduate program abroad.
For Italian citizens and long-term residents: The foundation accepts applications from Italian nationals as well as long-term foreign residents living in Italy. Foreign residents interested in applying should confirm their eligibility status with partner universities, as "long-term resident" status typically requires legal residency documented through a valid permesso di soggiorno (residence permit). Prospective applicants who are not Italian citizens are encouraged to contact their preferred partner university early to clarify specific residency documentation requirements and whether their permesso di soggiorno qualifies under the program's criteria.
The foundation prioritizes students with:
• Outstanding academic records: Typically a minimum grade average of 28/30 or a final degree mark of 110/110 with honors.
• Demonstrated financial need: Preference goes to candidates who otherwise could not afford overseas study.
• Socioeconomic disadvantage: The committee explicitly considers applicants from underrepresented or economically marginal backgrounds.
• Leadership potential: Beyond grades, evaluators look for individuals likely to shape their fields or contribute to public life.
• Credible intent to return: Personal statements explaining how candidates plan to contribute to Italy post-study carry significant weight.
The foundation also seeks to maintain gender balance. At equal merit, female applicants receive priority to close historic gaps in STEM representation.
What This Means for Residents
For young Italians weighing the trade-offs of emigration versus staying home, the Zegna scholarship offers a structured pathway to world-class education. Rather than choosing between limited domestic opportunities and a permanent move abroad, recipients can access training at leading international institutions with the expectation of returning to apply their skills in Italy.
The return commitment is a core component of the program's philosophy. While the foundation does not publicly detail specific penalty mechanisms for non-compliance, recipients should be aware that the scholarship is conditional on a genuine intention to return and contribute to Italy's academic, research, and innovation sectors. For some, especially those courted by multinational employers, this commitment may require careful career planning and negotiation with potential employers.
Still, the program has produced tangible outcomes. A portion of the 646 alumni have already returned and are active in Italian research institutions, startups, and public policy roles. The foundation describes this cohort as a "virtuous circle" of knowledge transfer, though it has not published detailed tracking data on long-term retention rates or sectoral distribution.
Comparing Italy's Luxury Sector Scholarships
The Zegna initiative stands out in the Italian luxury and fashion sector for its academic breadth and return mandate. By contrast, most corporate scholarship programs in the industry focus narrowly on design, marketing, or brand management.
Dolce & Gabbana Beauty, in partnership with Istituto Marangoni Milano, offers contest-based scholarships covering up to 50% of tuition for courses in fragrances and cosmetics. Fondazione Prada awards a single €25,000 prize annually for theses related to art, museum management, or cultural heritage, funding a semester or year-long master's program. Kering Eyewear sponsors a scholarship of up to €10,000 per year for jewelry and accessories design students at IED Torino.
LVMH, through its Young Fashion Designer Prize, awards €400,000 to emerging designers aged 18 to 40, with additional €200,000 prizes for craftsmanship and innovation. But these are entrepreneurship awards, not academic scholarships, and impose no geographic return conditions.
The Zegna model is unusual in its insistence that recipients repatriate. It treats education as a public investment rather than a private benefit, an approach more common in government-funded schemes than in corporate philanthropy.
The Broader Context
Italy's brain drain has intensified over the past decade. According to national statistics, more than 120,000 Italians emigrated in 2024 alone, with a disproportionate share holding advanced degrees in engineering, medicine, and data science. The phenomenon has fueled political debate and prompted several regional governments to offer tax breaks and relocation subsidies to returning expatriates.
The Zegna scholarship does not solve the structural problems—sluggish wage growth, bureaucratic barriers to research funding, limited venture capital—that drive emigration. But it does offer a proof of concept: with sufficient financial support and a credible pathway home, some portion of Italy's top talent can be retained or recaptured.
Whether that model can scale beyond a single family foundation remains an open question.
