ST is well known as a global company creating technology and driving innovation. But it’s not just that. Its role extends beyond manufacturing products: the company is committed to inspiring and educating future generations by supporting scientific research, STEM initiatives, and engaging in talent development. This article provides an overview of ST’s recent and ongoing educational activities across key regions, including Italy, France, Singapore, and the United States.
Activities Across STEM, university relations and talent development
ST maintains a strong presence in the communities where it operates, participating in local and national events. Through various initiatives, the company connects with a broad spectrum of audiences, from primary and secondary school students and university graduates to experienced researchers. This commitment is further amplified through the ST Foundation, which leverages technology and education to drive social progress, promoting digital inclusion for disadvantaged communities globally. Regardless of the level of expertise, ST’s goal remains the same: promoting scientific culture and making the complex processes that lead to the production of our chips understandable.
Recent educational events in Italy
In Italy, ST organizes more than 200 events annually, reaching approximately 18,000 students ranging from preschool to high school and university. Below are some of the key initiatives we’ve recently organized.
Neapolis Innovation Summer Campus
Between late August and early September, the ST site in Arzano (Naples) hosted the twelfth edition of the Neapolis Innovation Summer Campus in collaboration with five universities in Campania. This annual ten-day training program is intended for bachelor’s and master’s degree students who want to explore the use of 32-bit microcontroller platforms and seek an opportunity to interact with industry experts. The initiative offered intensive, hands-on seminars at the ST site, and provided a kit of components for the project work that students presented at the end of the event. Additionally, the event hosted small and medium enterprises and start-ups throughout its entire duration, allowing them to present themselves and build connections with young talents.
Researchers’ Night in Milan
In September 2025, ST took part in the Researchers’ Night in Milan, an event promoted by the European Commission as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, hosting research centers, institutions, universities, and organizations engaged in scientific dissemination. ST showcased its Edge AI technology: one of the demos included the LSM6DSV80X sensor with the STEVAL-MKI247A board, connected to the SensorTile.box PRO, and demonstrated how to monitor high-impact activities in soccer (for example, between the player’s shoe and the ball) and collect valuable information for game analysis.
Maker Faire Rome – European Edition
We also participated in Maker Faire Rome – European edition. This annual event has a varied audience, from school to university students, to startups, companies, and government institutions. Visitors could interact with demos in different fields, such as electronics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, gaming, music and art. ST organized workshops covering Edge AI, robotics, and the STM32 Open Development Environment. A highlight was the “Hermes’ Hand”, a smart glove developed by the STEM student of the 12th edition of the Neapolis Innovation Summer Campus 2025. This project uses the STM32G474RE, X-NUCLEO-IKS4A1, and custom-made MEMS sensors to translate one’s voice into sign language in real time, breaking down communication barriers.
Science Festival in Genoa
Another event held at the end of 2025 and aimed primarily at young students and families was the Science Festival in Genoa. ST presented “AI in your hands”: a magic wand, waved by visitors, demonstrated how the Integrated Signal Processing Unit (ISPU) in MEMS sensors can process movement locally (at the edge). Limited dependance on the cloud ensures high response speed, low power consumption, and greater security. Behind the playfulness and the visitors’ amazement, therefore, there was not magic but rather powerful local data processing.
Agreement with Polytechnic University of Turin
To strengthen its ties with universities, in October, ST and the Polytechnic University of Turin renewed their framework agreement for the next four years and celebrated the inauguration of a new ST design center space. The collaboration focuses on research and training of undergraduate and graduate students, particularly in fast-evolving fields such as cybersecurity, AI, and energy efficiency. Since 2019, STMicroelectronics has hired over 200 graduates (bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees) from the Polytechnic University of Turin. Many undergraduate and graduate students also work on their theses with the help of ST employees at the Turin center.
Educational initiatives in France
In France, there is a virtuous example showing how recruitment needs in the field of microelectronics can favor high-level training for students and professionals. ST is one of the actors in the I-NOVMICRO program, a consortium of different companies that promotes microelectronics and electronics careers and provides advanced training in the Southern French Region (Rousset, Toulon, Sophia-Antipolis).
Launched in 2019, this initiative directly addresses recruitment needs by offering specialized training that qualifies people for technical sectors, particularly manufacturing jobs. Since the beginning of the project, more than 15,000 people have been trained, from secondary schools to baccalaureate level. This program allows students to learn semiconductor manufacturing processes in real-world conditions: facilities include an educational clean room and an educational grey room dedicated to maintenance training. The program also finances and leads a network of 12 Fab Labs in local high schools, coordinated by ST Rousset, and promotes STEM disciplines through school visits. The project’s ambition is to reach out all the whole of France and then expand on a European scale.
I-NOVMICRO also includes:
- I-NOVGAMES, an STM32 engineering and application challenge involving six engineering schools.
- INNOV ISLAND, a dynamic Metaverse offering a digital and 3D environment for training, educational materials, conferences, and job dating for students and employees.
Beyond direct training, ST supports education through donations of unused laboratory equipment, computers and STM32 microcontroller boards every year to schools and partners. Our company also offers career guidance through diverse programs and initiatives, primarily focused on engaging young people and supporting students with disabilities:
- For industrie, l’Univers Extraordinaire is a digital educational event which presents industry professions to young people through video game formats. ST participation includes virtual tours of ST facilities, video interviews with Rousset employees, and live presentations by industry professionals.
- Programs for students with disabilities at the Rousset site. Voyage au cœur de l’entreprise (VACLE) allows eight pupils to explore a dozen different professions over the course of a week, while Mentorat au coeur de l’entreprise (MACLE) is a mentorship program for high school students, where volunteer employees support students throughout their academic career, helping them plan their future, understand corporate culture, and develop their soft skills.
Open-source and hands-on education with universities and Partners in the US
ST products and solution can be useful for developing open-source programs. In the United States, for example, ST contributes to research and education by developing open-source curricula with a strong emphasis on hands-on learning. Professors at the universities we collaborate with (including MIT, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, UC Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara University) use ST development tools, such as the popular STM32 microcontroller platform, in their courses, which are then publicly available on our website. One main area of development now is to adapt the existing curricula to the AI era, which is strongly affecting the job market and how students interact with hardware and firmware programming. For this reason, ST is working with organizations like the MIT CSAIL Alliances (Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory) on research, particularly regarding AI computing on devices at the edge and applications on robotics.
Furthermore, we collaborate with partners who share our vision. With ARM, we have formed an Educational Alliance to support new curricula that will help students gain the necessary skills to become the professionals of the future. Some of these programs were developed in collaboration with the university and published on EdX, reaching over 40,000 enrollments over a four-year period. ST, SparkFun (member of ST Partner Program), DEKA and the Worcester Institute of Technology, developed the Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP), an open-source platform for STEM education. Among other things, the XRP is the main provider of educational kits for the FIRST Robotics Competition, the largest STEM competition in the world, which targets primary and secondary schools and registered 785,000 participants in the 2024-25 school year.
Educational initiatives have helped ST products become among the most popular educational products in the United States. The STEVAL-EDUKIT01, developed in collaboration with UCLA, is the first ST development kit designed specifically for education and offers teaching materials for motor control and control systems.
Skills development and positive social impact in Singapore
In Singapore, ST is adopting an educational approach that spans the entire learning journey, from primary schools to higher education. The goal is to drive a positive social impact and bridge the skills gap in semiconductor manufacturing by aligning education with industry needs. This comprehensive approach also focuses on inclusion addressing gender imbalance in the industry. To this end, ST partners with the United Women Singapore (UWS) to implement STEM initiatives for girls, such as the UWS STEM Fest. These initiatives provide mentorship, coaching, and networking to encourage more women to pursue STEM careers. Furthermore, ST fosters creativity and social responsibility in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology through the SIT Community Challenge. This program challenges students to develop sustainable technology solutions addressing real-world community issues such as urban mobility and environmental sustainability, directly supporting Singapore’s Smart Nation goals.
ST collaborates with Universities like the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Our company develops and reviews curricula in microelectronics and semiconductor manufacturing through faculty exchange programs, ST guest lectures and participation in academic advisory committees to ensure relevance to industry demands. Additionally, ST provides practical experience through extensive vocational training, including the Integrated Work-Study Program (IWSP) in collaboration with SIT and Work-Study Diplomas (WSDip) offered by ITE, which provide students with up to 12 months and two years respectively of internship experience alongside ST professionals.
ST also invests in future talents through scholarships, including the Singapore Industry Scholarships (SgIS) and the Engineering and Tech Programme Scholarship (ETPS), which support students from pre-university through tertiary education. The flagship STICan (ST I Can) Work Experience Program (WEP) offers students aged 15 to 22 internships across the semiconductor value chain, from R&D and chip design to wafer fabrication and marketing. The program provides technical exposure and personal development courses to prepare students for university and careers.
Conclusion
ST’s engagement in educational and STEM activities serves a dual purpose: cultivating the next generation of talent while contributing to societal progress. From university partnerships to global outreach events, these initiatives form the foundation of ST’s commitment to driving innovation and developing technology responsibly for the future.