AFAM, ANVUR evaluation and incentive funding: how funding for conservatoires and academies is changing

It had been missing for almost thirty years. The Council of Ministers has given preliminary approval to the regulations governing the planning, accreditation and evaluation of the Higher Education System for Art, Music and Dance (AFAM): conservatoires, academies of fine arts and ISIA institutions. This is the final piece in the reform initiated by Law 508 of 1999.

From today, AFAM institutions will also be included in ANVUR’s periodic evaluation process, which until now has been reserved for universities: teaching, research, artistic output, as well as graduate employment prospects, student services and financial sustainability. Each institution will be required to draw up a three-year strategic plan, which will be monitored by the Ministry with the support of the agency.

Funding is also set to change. The Single Fund for the AFAM System (FFOA) is being established, bringing together state resources under a single budget heading. A portion will be allocated on the basis of the results of the research assessment (VQR AFAM): the higher the quality, the more funding. The accreditation of institutions and courses – a prerequisite for awarding legally recognised qualifications – will also be linked to these results, with a plan for improvement before, in the most serious cases, closure is imposed.

The regulation also paves the way for mergers and federations between institutions – both state and non-state – and for the establishment of ‘Polytechnics of the Arts’, which are collaborations between different academic disciplines. There are also new developments on the international front: AFAM institutions will be able to accredit decentralised branches abroad.

“For the first time, we are introducing a comprehensive set of rules for planning, development and evaluation,” said Minister Anna Maria Bernini, calling for full parity with universities in ANVUR assessments.