The University of Rome Tor Vergata has a Department of Medicine and Surgery which gives a wide range of options for the students to choose from, such as Medicine and Surgery, Odontology, Sanitary Professions, Physical Activity and Health Promotion; it also offers different courses of studies: Bachelor’s Degrees, Master’s Degrees, Specialty Courses, Advanced Courses and Summer Schools. Students have the possibility to be fully prepared because Tor Vergata is a University Hospital and it cooperates with other hospitals in Rome. In particular, the San Giovanni Calibita Fatebenefratelli Hospital - on the Tiberin Isle - is the site of one of the Divisions of Endocrinology and Diabetes of the University of Rome Tor Vergata. The divisions of the Fatebenefratellli Hospital care for the formation of their collaborators in order to promote the life and health of patients. There are numerous Research Divisions in the Fatebenefratelli. The Division for Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolic Diseases gives the chance to hard-working professionals to be supported in their work for the health of diabetic patients while they also lead scientific and clinical research not only in their specific field of studies but also with interdisciplinary research. In particular, the Division of Endocrinology is involved in clinical research activities, mainly in the field of diabetic neuropathy, hence it actively cooperates with the Neurological Unit of the Hospital that has a wide experience in the field of cognitive impairment. The Neurological Unit of the Hospital is led by the director of the UVA Center of Neurology and Alzheimer at a regional level and he will share his knowledge and experience cooperating to this project. Thanks to this collaboration between the University of Rome Tor Vergata and the Fatebenefratelli Hospital, researchers have the possibility to connect with professionals in other specific fields thus leading multidisciplinary projects. One of the main collaborators of the Division of Endocrinology is the legally independent research institute IRCSS Bietti Foundation. Their common strategic goals are the development of research activities through the management of ordinary hospital admissions, day hospital, and outpatient activities, to rapidly transfer the research results obtained to benefit the overall population, by ensuring high-quality medical treatment and assistance and the use of latest-generation equipment and therapies; contributing to the activities of the National Health Service by improving prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services. The Division of Endocrinology and the Bietti Foundation worked together on the development of a new branch of research on retinal neurodegeneration and its connection to diabetes. Due to their long-standing collaboration, the Bietti Foundation is going to be the third party in the project, jointly working with the Fatebenefratelli Hospital. All costs will be registered to the accounts of the Fatebenefratelli Hospital although it is in the Bietti Foundation that the ophthalmological evaluations will be performed.

UNITOV will participate in WP1, WP2, WP3, WP4, WP5, WP6 (WP co-leader), WP7, WP8, and WP9