Welcome to SIDRA 2025

The S.I.D.R.A. PhD Summer School is a one-week event organised every year by S.I.D.R.A., the Italian Control Systems Society. The Summer School is traditionally held in Bertinoro, Forlì-Cesena, Italy.

Since its first edition in 1997, the School has served as a meeting point for PhD students, postgraduates, and researchers to explore both classical and emerging topics in control theory, complemented by practical case studies and real-world applications. Beyond the academic experience, the School aims to provide a stimulating environment where PhD students can connect, establish professional relationships, collaborate, and exchange knowledge.

Each year, two hot topics related to control systems theory and applications are presented. Participants are also invited to propose topics for the following year. The Summer School is primarily intended for — though not limited to — PhD students, postgraduates, and early-career researchers in Control Systems and Automation. Attendees from other disciplines may also benefit, depending on the topics covered.

The School's success over the years, along with the presence of distinguished international speakers, has contributed to its growing international profile. It now welcomes applications from PhD students across Europe.

Subjects of of This Year’s Edition

This year, the School features an intensive program of lectures and seminars organized around two main research themes.

The first topic, covered during the first half of the week, is “An Introduction to Stochastic Control and Reinforcement Learning.”, coordinated and taught by Professors Subhrakanti Dey (Department of Electrical Engineering, Uppsala University) and Simone Garatti (Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano).

The second theme is " Control methods for distributed optimization ", presented by Professors Ruggero Carli (Department of Information Engineering, University of Padova) and Ivano Notarnicola (Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering “Guglielmo Marconi”, University of Bologna).

The course “An Introduction to Stochastic Control and Reinforcement Learning” begins with the fundamentals of stochastic control theory and dynamic programming techniques for model-based Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). It then introduces key concepts in reinforcement learning for MDPs with unknown models. Starting with classical reinforcement learning techniques such as Q-learning and Temporal Difference (TD) methods, the course concludes with an overview of advanced techniques, including data-driven value function approximation, policy gradient methods, and actor-critic algorithms, illustrated with representative application examples. Click here for more info on the course programme.

The course " Control methods for distributed optimization " explores the interplay between control and optimization methodologies, with a particular focus on analyzing optimization algorithms as feedback-interconnected dynamical systems. It covers both foundational and advanced topics in these areas, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the deep connections between control and optimization. Click here for more info on the course programme.

A brief guide to Navigating the Website

• Click on the  More Info menu item to find details about how the telematic lectures will be conducted, along with instructions on how to attend them.
• Click on the  Registration menu item for information and instructions on how to apply to the School and the associated fees. Here you will also find the pre-registration form, which must be completed in order to be admitted to the SIDRA Summer School
• Click on the Teaching Material menu item to download lecture materials and homework assignments. Course materials will be available a few weeks before the School begins, while homework will be published at the end of the School (for those planning to take a certified exam, if required by their home university).
• Use the links at the bottom of the page to communicate directly with the Centro Universitario di Bertinoro, which manages the venue where the School takes place. Please use this contact only for questions not addressed on the website.
• At the bottom of the page, you will also find the email addresses of the School coordinators, Prof. Claudio Melchiorri and Prof. Maria Elena Valcher, as well as the contact person at the Centro Universitario di Bertinoro, Ms. Monica Michelacci.
• For questions related to accommodation and logistics, please contact Ms. Jessica Bazzoli for questions related to accommodation and logistics, Prof. Claudio Melchiorri or Prof. Maria Elena Valcher for questions related to the School and the courses.