Italian researchers at risk of exclusion from EU 'Marie Curie' calls

Another missed opportunity for Italian research. This is what the new calls for over 1.25 billion euros in 2025 announced by the EU Commission as part of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, with the aim of attracting global talent and supporting scientific careers in Europe, risk being. At least according to sources in the Ministry of Universities, who in recent hours have pointed out that our researchers, as denounced by the entire academic community, risk being excluded from this extraordinary opportunity.

The cause is attributable to the 'new' research contracts that were introduced on the NRP's inpout during the last legislature in place of the 'old' research grants and that are not covered by the Marie Curie calls for proposals. An impasse that - according to Mur - could be resolved by approving an amendment signed by Occhiuto-Cattaneo to Decree 45. But the opposition got in the way and is even threatening to resort to the 'reversal' procedure with Brussels.

To understand how it will end, we have to wait until Tuesday 20 May when the Senate Education Committee will resume its examination of the measure. In the meantime, we try to retrace the stages of the affair.

Over the past few days, the scientific community - from Antonio Zoccoli, president of the Council of Presidents of Public Research Institutions and the National Institute of Nuclear Physics, to Giovanna Iannantuoni, president of the Crui, to Nobel Prize winner Giorgio Parisi - has sounded the alarm about the risk of Italian researchers being excluded from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie project.

In an appeal addressed to Parliament, which is currently examining the Pnrr Mim decree, it is pointed out that the recent reform of the research contract wanted by the Draghi government has "left the national system without an adequate contractual instrument to hire young PhD students participating in Marie Skłodowska-Curie European projects". An appeal that Minister Anna Maria Bernini has made her own and turned to the oppositions, stressing the urgency of finding a solution to prevent young Italian researchers from being excluded from such an important opportunity.