Affordable Student Housing: “Chiostro26” with 138 beds inaugurated in Parma

• The project, representing an investment of approximately €10 million, has been developed by the iGeneration fund, managed by Investire SGR and backed by CDP Real Asset SGR, the European Investment Fund (EIF, part of the EIB Group) and several leading Italian social security funds and banking foundations, including Fondazione Cariparma.
• The new residence, managed by Colser, was created through the restoration and redevelopment of the former Convent of the Friars Minor, which had been vacant for more than 30 years.
   

7 October 2026 - Chiostro26, a new student residence offering 138 beds across student accommodation and city hotel facilities, was inaugurated today in Parma. The approximately 3,000 sqm development will be managed by Colser, one of Italy’s leading facility management operators, headquartered in Parma.

The initiative has been promoted by the iGeneration fund, managed by Investire SGR (Banca Finnat Group). The fund’s principal investors include CDP Real Asset SGR (CDP Group) and the European Investment Fund (EIF), part of the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group), alongside several leading Italian banking foundations and pension funds, including Fondazione Cariparma. The project involved an investment of approximately €10 million and did not receive public funding under Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

The inauguration ceremony was attended by Michele Guerra, Mayor of Parma; Paolo Martelli, Rector of the University of Parma; and representatives of the iGeneration fund partners: Elena Saccenti, Vice President of Fondazione Cariparma; Veronica Tibiletti, Board Member of CDP Real Asset SGR; John McIlwaine, EIF Representative for Italy; Paolo Boleso, Head of Residential & Social Infrastructure at Investire SGR; and Cristina Bazzini, President of Colser.

The project will provide a total of 138 beds, primarily dedicated to university students, with a portion reserved for temporary accommodation for visiting professors and researchers. The complex includes single and double rooms, shared study and community spaces, as well as two historic courtyards that have undergone extensive restoration and will be open to the wider community.

The new residence was developed, under the supervision of the Architectural and Landscape Heritage Authority, through a comprehensive restoration, conservation and seismic strengthening programme of the former Convent of the Friars Minor, located in Borgo Padre Onorio and unused for over three decades. The architectural design was developed by Studio Cazzulani Architetti, while construction works were carried out by Seraco S.r.l.

Chiostro26 in Parma is the latest student housing developed by iGeneration, following initiatives in Naples, Brescia, Padua and Forlì, as well as projects currently under construction in Florence, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Venice Mestre. To date, the fund has invested more than €200 million with the objective of delivering approximately 3,000 student beds across Italy. A new fundraising phase is currently underway to expand the investment portfolio further.