Now in its 21th year of academic activity, the Roma Tre "project" has gradually but constantly brought into focus its particular profile; that of a dynamic and efficient seat of learning that, step by step, has become an acknowledged point of reference both in the Italian and the international university system. Its 40,000 students are the fruit of a winning strategy founded on offering a wide-range of courses and on innovation that focuses on the quality of the teaching and the introduction of the young into the working world. One of the milestones for Roma Tre, as well as a guideline for its development, was its incorporation in the surrounding area, characterised by the reclamation of old buildings and school premises, transformed into modern facilities for study and research. In a short time modern and efficient study centres were created, important scientific laboratories were improved, while investment in PhDs and researchers has been steadily increased.