Building the future: STEM and talent in the knowledge economy

Over the next five years Italy risks a severe shortage of graduates in science and technology disciplines, the so-called Stem (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). According to the report of the Excelsior Information System (Unioncamere and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies), between 2025 and 2029 the demand for these professional figures could exceed the supply by at least 13% in the least favourable scenario; this percentage would even rise by 25% in a positive economic scenario, with expanding companies and a greater demand for qualified profiles. The study estimates that 7-10 thousand engineers, 3-5 thousand graduates in the mathematical, physical and computer sciences, 12-17 thousand in economics and statistics, and 7-8 thousand in the medical-health professions could be missing each year.

Small number of graduates and record emigration in Stem disciplines, decreasing school dropout rate
The brain drain mainly concerns Stem disciplines, according to the Almalaurea Report 2025: five years after graduation, 11% of those who have studied computer science disciplines work abroad and 10% of those who come from scientific fields. But this is only part of the problem. Our country produces few graduates in general, and even fewer in scientific disciplines. According to Eurostat data, only 32 per cent of Italians between 25 and 34 have completed a tertiary education, compared to the EU average of 44 per cent. Despite a steady improvement - ten years ago the share was 25% - we remain third to last, ahead only of Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The gap also persists with regard to Stem degrees: in 2022 in Italy they accounted for 23% of the total, four points below the European average (27%).
On the school dropout front we have made significant progress: the share of young people between 18 and 24 years old with no more than a secondary school diploma and out of education dropped to 9.8% in 2024. A drop of about three percentage points in three years, which has considerably reduced the gap with the European Union (9.4%).

 Family background affects university future: reducing costs is decisive for those who start at a disadvantage
Behind these numbers there is also a structural problem: in Italy, socio-economic starting conditions strongly condition access to and completion of university studies. According to an ISTAT survey, among 18-24 year olds with at least one parent with a university degree, only 2% drop out of school early and, among 30-34 year olds, around 70% have a tertiary degree. When the parents have no more than a secondary school diploma, the percentages rise to 24% for school drop-out and fall to 10% for graduation.
A recent study by the Senate Impact Assessment Office analysed the link between socio-economic status and college attendance. One of the mechanisms described, based on rational choice theory, concerns how people decide whether to continue their studies. Students and families weigh up the probability of success, the value of the degree on the labour market and the costs to be borne: not only tuition fees and living expenses for those who are out-of-towners, but also the loss of income during the years of education. For those from disadvantaged backgrounds, this cost-benefit analysis is often unfavourable. The initial investment is too expensive compared to the expected benefits, discouraging access to university. The solution proposed by the authors is concrete: scholarships and partial or total fee waivers. A support programme analysed in the study suggests that these tools can significantly increase enrolment among students whose families have a low level of education.

The Dompé Foundation's commitment to promoting science talent: 56 scholarships for the year 2025/26
In this scenario, the private sector can also play a key role: making university truly accessible to all and investing in Stem disciplines means training the human capital necessary for the country's growth. The biopharmaceutical company Dompé has been moving in this direction for years, supporting science education through financial support opportunities for the most deserving students, educational paths for high schools, and strategic collaborations with the academic world.
The Dompé Foundation, set up in 2020, recently presented the calls for applications for the 2025/26 academic year: 56 scholarships to promote second and third level university education, with a total investment of 2.64 million between Italy and the United States. Of these, 32 are aimed at those attending master's and doctoral degree courses at some of Italy's most prestigious universities in the Stem field, including the MedTec School - a single-cycle course of Humanitas University and Milan Polytechnic - the Statale di Milano and the Universities of Bari, Bologna, Padua, Pavia and Trento. Another 24 scholarships, named after Rita Levi Montalcini, are destined for students admitted to master's, doctoral or post-doctoral programmes in neuroscience and neurobiology at US universities.
"At a time when complexity is growing along with the urgency for new solutions, the task we wanted to entrust to the Foundation is to support the new generations that have the courage to imagine the future and build it with competence, rigour and passion," explains Sergio Dompé, President of the Foundation. "With these scholarships we want to offer a concrete opportunity, but also a message of confidence: science can be a formidable emancipation tool".

From the Abruzzo region, innovative paths for the skills of the future in biotechIn Abruzzo, home to Dompé's production hub, the company carries out various initiatives to train new talents in the pharmaceutical sector and strengthen the link between school, university and business. The 'Industry of Talent' project, launched this year in collaboration with the 'Amedeo D'Aosta' Institute of L'Aquila, offers 30 male and female students three internship paths in strategic areas ranging from biotechnological production to quality control, from automation to plant maintenance. Through a theoretical-practical programme that alternates classroom lectures and direct experience in the group's industrial plants, the participants will acquire technical competences and transversal skills under the guidance of expert tutors.
Thanks to the collaboration between the University of L'Aquila (UNIVAQ) and the Dompé group, from this year the new training pathway in Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Management within the Master's degree in Management Engineering will also start. An initiative designed to train highly qualified professionals in a strategic sector for Abruzzo and, in particular, for the province of L'Aquila, which ranks first in Italy for pharmaceutical exports.