Internationalisation and more funding for early-career researchers

Transparency, simplicity. But also planning and an international outlook, because the quality of research begins with calls for proposals. These are some of the proposals put forward by the Working Group set up by the Minister for Universities and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, on the evaluation of competitive calls for proposals. And it was she who presented them, together with Professor Matteo Bassetti, who chaired the Working Group, to Senator for Life Elena Cattaneo, to the President of the National Committee for Research Evaluation (CNVR), Marco Mancini, to Antonio Zoccoli, President of COPER (Council of Presidents of Research Bodies), and to the President of CRUI, Laura Ramaciotti.

“We are taking a further step on the path towards excellence in our research,” said Bernini. A journey we have already embarked upon, starting with the 2026–2028 Three-Year Research Plan, involving a total investment of 1.2 billion, and through the PRIN programme, with at least 150 million invested annually. But also by ensuring fixed deadlines for the launch of calls for proposals and the publication of ranking lists, and by developing new funding channels such as PRIN Hybrid and Sinergy Grants, totalling 364 million and covering 239 projects in 2026. “As part of the administrative reorganisation of the Ministry of University and Research (MUR),” he added, “we have also established a Directorate-General for Research Evaluation and Safety, which coordinates the work of the National Committee for Research Evaluation, thereby addressing this further identified need.”

Among the measures suggested by the experts is the internationalisation of evaluation processes, to be achieved through greater involvement of scientists from foreign institutions and Italian researchers working abroad.

The so-called peer review – that is, the assessment carried out by experts in the relevant sector – remains central to the evaluation of calls for proposals, with a proposal to further strengthen the mechanisms for managing conflicts of interest.

The Group also proposes to promote, in addition to scientific publications, other forms of knowledge production and transfer. Attention is also being paid to artificial intelligence, with a need to establish clear rules for its use in application and evaluation procedures, whilst ensuring that responsibility for the content always remains with the researcher.