(IUS) – The IUS network continues to expand its global presence in 2025 with the incorporation of five new partners: Istituto Universitario Don Giorgio Pratesi (Italy), Istituto Universitario IPU (Italy), Scuola Superiore di Scienze dell’Educazione “San Giovanni Bosco” (Italy), Katholische Stiftungshochschule München — University of Applied Sciences (Germany) and Don Bosco Kilimanjaro International Institute of Technology (KIITEC), Arusha (Tanzania), Instituto Superior Dom Bosco in Dili, (Timor-Leste). These institutions expand the IUS network’s reach across continents and strengthen its capacity for collaboration.
Strengthening Europe: new Italian and German partners
Two Italian university institutes and a specialised school join a growing European contingent. The Istituto Universitario Don Giorgio Pratesi, which focuses on the initial and continuing formation of educators and professionals in educational, social and rehabilitation fields, brings a pastoral and community-centred approach to teacher formation that complements the network’s mission.
The Istituto Universitario IPU (Istituto Progetto Uomo) in Montefiascone, long active in education for educators and committed to Salesian pedagogy, also becomes part of IUS, bringing experience in professional training and local community engagement. Recent events at IPU highlight its ongoing reflection on Salesian identity within higher education.
The Scuola Superiore di Scienze dell’Educazione “San Giovanni Bosco” (Massa) expands its academic proposal after an important phase of institutional growth and the inauguration of new facilities in 2025; its focus on educational sciences and psychology seeks to add valuable disciplinary depth to the IUS Education group.
Germany’s Katholische Stiftungshochschule München (KSH Munich), a recognised University of Applied Sciences with strong programmes in social work, nursing, health and education, also forms part of the network. KSH’s experience in professional training and its campuses in Benediktbeuern and Munich provide social and health-related education, a key complement to Salesian outreach in welfare and community services.
Expanding Africa: KIITEC links technical education and mission
In a significant development for Salesian higher education in Africa, Don Bosco Kilimanjaro International Institute of Technology (KIITEC) in Arusha (Tanzania) also joined the network in August. KIITEC—specialising in telecommunications, electronics and computing, offers technical and engineering programmes that respond to regional workforce needs and technological development. Its inclusion shares the IUS’s commitment to vocational and technological education as pathways to employment and social development in the region.
A Special Welcome to ISDB Dilli, Expanding into Timor-Leste
A particularly significant development in the last quarter of 2025 is the entry of ISDB (Instituto Superior Dom Bosco) in Dili, Timor-Leste. The institute recently expanded in scope, adding a Faculty of Pedagogy and receiving reaccreditation in 2024.
On November, General Coordiantor, Fr. George Thadathil visited Dili, including the nearby Cristal Institute , as part of a journey to explore new opportunities with institutions founded by Salesian alumni, and to support the progress toward establishing a future Salesian university in the country. The visit affirmed IUS’s commitment to accompany emerging Salesian institutions worldwide.
A strategic expansion: what this means for the IUS network
With these six institutions now part of the network, the IUS not only increases numerically but also diversifies its academic offer, adding teacher formation, educational sciences, applied social and health professions, and technical engineering education across multiple continents. The new members join IUS’s existing ecosystem of universities and institutes that collaborate on pedagogical research, mission formation and shared academic programmes. This year’s growth reinforces the IUS goal to foster transnational academic collaboration rooted in Salesian identity and service to youth.
As the network grows, it seeks to amplify collaborative research and formation programmes that reflect Salesian values: quality education, accompaniment of young people, and commitment to the common good. Future plans discussed at IUS governance and regional meetings include expanding pedagogical innovations, deeper research partnerships, and more mobility opportunities, steps to continue with the network’s initiatives of international cooperation.