The University of Bergamo above the national average for research quality and doctoral training

The results of the Research Quality Assessment (VQR) 2020-2024, the main national exercise promoted by ANVUR - the National Agency for the Evaluation of the University System and Research, confirm the quality of the University of Bergamo's scientific activity and research training. The University of Bergamo took part in the exercise with 1,275 research products, 192 products evaluated in the field of doctoral training, 5 cases of knowledge enhancement and 9 internationally funded competitive projects. Overall, around 70% of the research products awarded by UniBg were evaluated in the highest classes, achieving a rating of 'excellent' or 'outstanding' quality. The data show results above the national average both in the quality of scientific production and in the quality of research training. Particularly significant is the result obtained in the area of knowledge enhancement, which attests to the University's ability to transform research results into concrete scientific, technological, social and cultural impacts.

An analysis by scientific area reveals the profile of a university characterised by a widespread quality of research and peaks of excellence in numerous disciplinary areas in its eight departments. The results achieved in business, economic and statistical sciences and political and social sciences are outstanding, alongside the positive performances recorded in the ancient, philological-literary and historical-artistic sciences and the medical sciences.
"The results obtained," comments Mariafrancesca Sicilia, Vice-Chancellor with responsibility for scientific research, "confirm the quality of the work carried out by our researchers and show how the University of Bergamo has consolidated its ability to produce high-level research and to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in a wide range of disciplines. Particularly noteworthy is the recognition of the quality expressed not only in scientific production, but also in the training of new generations of female researchers in many areas of our University: from economic and business sciences to industrial and information engineering, from historical, philosophical and pedagogical sciences to psychological sciences. This outcome reflects the investments made over the past years in doctoral training and in building an open, inclusive and attractive research environment. In recent years, the University has significantly expanded its doctoral offerings and strengthened research training opportunities: results such as these represent recognition of a path of growth and an encouragement to continue along this direction'.

The ability to enhance knowledge is confirmed as one of the distinctive features of the University of Bergamo, the result of a path developed over time and further strengthened by the University Strategic Plan 2023-2027, which identifies dialogue with the territory and the generation of public value as one of its priority axes.

The cases presented as part of the VQR bear witness to the many ways in which the university contributes to the growth of the community: from open learning projects dedicated to issues of great social relevance, such as gender violence and eating disorders, to initiatives inspired by the triple helix model to address the challenges of the Bergamo area, and to the valorisation and public enjoyment of the university's historical, artistic and cultural heritage. The cases presented also include Bergamo Next Level, the event that promotes dialogue between universities, institutions, businesses and civil society on the issues of sustainable development and social cohesion.
"The result obtained in the valorisation of knowledge is a particularly significant recognition because it measures the university's ability to put research at the service of society, generating concrete benefits for people, institutions, businesses and territories. This outcome confirms the solidity of the path we have taken and encourages us to further strengthen opportunities for collaboration with the territory, promoting the co-creation of knowledge and the generation of shared public value,' observes Elisabetta Bani, Pro-Chancellor with responsibility for the valorisation of knowledge and relations with the territory.

Chancellor Sergio Cavalieri concludes: "ANVUR's assessment of the quality of research is particularly significant because it attests to the degree of scientific maturity of a university, its ability to steer its recruitment policies towards quality and excellence, to invest in doctoral training and to nurture the researchers of tomorrow within it. At the same time, it measures the capacity to transform the knowledge generated by research into concrete impacts for the territory and for the country's economic, social and cultural system. The VQR results confirm that the University of Bergamo, alongside the growth recorded in recent years in terms of size, is consolidating its scientific role on the national university scene. This is proof of the effectiveness of a strategy based on the quality of research, the attraction of talent and the enhancement of the skills present in the University. This milestone represents the recognition of work built over time by the entire academic community and, at the same time, a responsibility towards the future: to continue to invest in the quality of research, in the training of young talent, and in the University's ability to generate value for society and the region'.