Biotechnologies at school: ABE Program - Amgen Biotech Experience 2025-26
First level course 2025 - 2026
Sofia Platform Code 100314
What is ABE?
AMGEN BIOTECH EXPERIENCE Italy is an international training program (www.amgenbiotechexperience.net/it/ital) funded by the Amgen Foundation and coordinated by the EDC (Education Development Center) in Boston, USA. It has been active in Italy since 2017, coordinated by ANISN and an extensive scientific partnership that includes, among others, the University of Naples Federico II, the IBBR - Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources of the CNR, the University of Camerino, and the Scuola Superiore Meridionale. ABE Italy benefits from international cooperation with a consolidated network of 27 similar ABE sites active on all continents in prestigious institutions (www.amgenbiotechexperience.com/where-we-are).
ABE Italy is organized with a headquarters (HQ) in Naples and six distribution centers (DC) in Milan, Camerino, Spoleto, Bari, Palermo, and Cagliari. The course is aimed at science teachers from the following regions: Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Sicily, and Sardinia. In eight years, ABE Italy has spread to 12 regions, actively involving hundreds of teachers who have enabled 25,000 students to take part in experimental biotechnology activities at school.
Training course
Target audience
70 secondary school science teachers from the regions of Campania, Lazio, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Molise, Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Sicily, Lombardy, and Sardinia. 35 places are reserved for science teachers from ABE schools (where there are already veteran ABE teachers) and 35 places for new teachers from non-ABE schools in the regions indicated.
Training program
This is a free course in Italian organized by ABE Italy. It is intended for secondary school teachers residing in the regions indicated who have never participated in ABE. The course will be conducted in a blended format and will be divided into three phases:
• Phase 1: distance learning through webinars, each lasting two hours
• Phase 2: in-person learning through experimental activities (ABE labs: cloning of red fluorescent protein) in a three-day intensive course that will take place in various locations between January and February 2026 at the teaching laboratories of the research institutions partnering with the ABE Italy Program. Locations: Naples: Department of Biology, Federico II University Camerino: Biosciences Center, University of Camerino; Milan: Labospace experimental laboratories. The complete calendar will be published shortly, and attending teachers from the 13 regions can choose one of the locations according to their needs.
• Phase 3: Implementation with students at school. ABE Italy will provide equipment (micropipettes, electrophoresis boxes, PCR) and reagents free of charge for a period not exceeding two weeks to carry out laboratory activities with students in schools during curricular or extracurricular hours.
The three phases also allow for remote and in-person participation in the Italian ABE community; access to the international community; the opportunity to participate in local, national, or international working groups; and participation in public feedback and dissemination events.
In particular, the first phase includes a distance learning course of six two-hour sessions (5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) in December, which will take place in the first and second weeks of December (3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12) and is structured with four types of sessions alternating: ABE labs (advanced simulations using the LabXchange platform www.labxchange.org) in Italian; scientific talks; introduction to IBSE; alignment of the program with the national curriculum and examples of classroom implementation by veteran ABE teachers.
PARTICIPATION IN THE SELECTION PROCESS TO ACCESS THE COURSE TAKES PLACE THROUGH THE SOFIA PLATFORM, WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE DETAILED INFORMATION AND DOWNLOAD THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION TO BE SENT TO info.abe@anisn.it
THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 10, 2025. The outcome of the selection process will be communicated to applicants by November 20, 2025.
For further information on the ABE Italy Program, visit the website: https://amgenbiotechexperience.net/it/ital or write to info.abe@anisn.it.
Documents required to apply:
1. Admission criteria and required documents