The project is shared among institutions, universities and the production system, which operate as equal partners to strengthen Sardinia’s positioning in the Mediterranean. The objective is to transform the seasonal concentration of superyachts and private jets on the coast into a structural lever for development, capable of attracting foreign investments, strengthening exports and training qualified professionals.
Sardinia and education
Sardinia aims to become an industrial and technological hub in the Mediterranean also thanks to the strengthening of the university educational offer, with the upcoming launch in Olbia of two university courses of the University of Cagliari, with funding from the Region of Sardinia and the support of UniOlbia:
• master’s degree in nautical engineering degree Italy, which is added to the three-year course already active in Olbia;
• professional degree in Electrical and Aeronautical Industrial Technologies.
These are programs that integrate engineering, innovation and design (hence the participation in Milan Design Week), in coherence with Sardinia’s international positioning summarized in the claim “Sardegna Blu Design”, to underline the link between sea, industry and design culture and to support the growth of the Sardinia maritime cluster.
“The tourist fortune of the island must act as a driving force for the economy of the entire population, offering in particular young people opportunities for education and work in their own land in technologically advanced sectors. The quality guaranteed by our universities will also be able to attract students from Europe who here will find a complete and high-level dedicated accommodation system.” – Francesco Mola, Rector of the University of Cagliari
“Sardinia is today in a unique position in the Mediterranean: a major destination for yachts and private jets that is building the conditions to also become a place of production, innovation and education. For too long this wealth has remained confined to the tourist dimension. Today we are working to transform it into structural development for the entire island, bringing businesses, skills and investments to Sardinia. The challenge is clear: to make Sardinia not only a destination, but a competitive economic system all year round within the nautical industry Mediterranean.” – Livio Fideli, President Cipnes Gallura
“Sardinia has all the characteristics to become a center of excellence in education linked to the sea and the sky. The new university courses arise from a real advantage of the territory and aim to transform it into skills, research and innovation, building an educational offer closely connected to the production system and to the development of the Sardinia maritime cluster.” – Aldo Carta, President UniOlbia and General Director Cipnes Gallura
“As the Region of Sardinia and as the Department of Industry, we firmly believe that in order to improve and grow from an industrial point of view it is crucial to have a workforce and personnel highly qualified and up to the challenges we have set ourselves. In this perspective, education, at all levels, becomes crucial, and the launch of these new programs promoted by UniOlbia in collaboration with the University of Cagliari, the master’s degree in Nautical Engineering and the professional degree course in Electrical and Aeronautical Industrial Technologies, represents an extraordinary added value so that this process can develop, strengthening the marine industry development Italy.” – Emanuele Cani, Councillor for Industry, Autonomous Region of Sardinia
“Today’s day constitutes a significant opportunity to present our university reality and our Olbia campus. In managing such a complex reality, we pay the utmost attention to the needs of our users: first and foremost the female and male students, but also businesses, institutions and all stakeholders of the territory.
In this logic, we have thought to develop a series of activities in Olbia, where there is an important nautical district and where the aeronautical sector is also growing. From here, it was decided to activate the bachelor’s degree course in naval engineering as the first educational project. We will continue with the activation, starting already from the next academic year, of the professional degree course in industrial, electrical and aeronautical technologies; in the future with the master’s degree in naval engineering.
These new developments, together with the UniCa Sailing Team which represents one of our flagship research projects, come to fruition thanks to collaboration with territorial entities. In the future, we also foresee the creation of laboratories and the incubation of businesses: we strongly believe in the entrepreneurial and industrial potential of these educational proposals, in their attractiveness at the international level, in the continuous pursuit of excellence that characterizes our education and research activities, further supporting yacht industry Sardinia.” – Aldo Urru, General Director, University of Cagliari.
Some Data
Sardinia, and in particular the North-East of the island, is today confirmed as one of the main hubs of the Mediterranean – and among the most relevant areas globally – for the presence of superyachts and private aviation traffic. A positioning that goes beyond the tourist dimension and opens a new perspective of industrial, technological and educational development.
According to analyses by the CIPNES Gallura Study Center, based on data from the Maritime Directorate of Northern Sardinia, in the period June–September 2025, 3,114 unique superyachts (over 24 meters) were recorded in the waters of North-East Sardinia, with a growth of +15.8% compared to the same period in 2024.
This figure takes on international relevance: it represents about half of the fleet that sails in the Mediterranean during the summer season and, when compared with the global figure of 6,174 superyachts recorded worldwide (source: The State of Yachting, Superyacht Times), highlights how an extraordinary share of the world fleet is concentrated in the waters of Sardinia. An element that confirms the role of the island as one of the main global hubs of luxury yachting.
These numbers outline a unique ecosystem in the Mediterranean, in which international nautical tourism, private aviation, tourist port infrastructure, shipbuilding, advanced technical services and airport infrastructure converge. A system that concentrates every summer an extraordinary presence of capital, assets and demand for high value-added services.
