Universities: an end to the national scientific qualification scheme – the Bernini Bill has become law

It took seven months, but Minister Anna Maria Bernini’s reform of university entrance examinations has finally become law. The bill, approved by the Chamber of Deputies with 122 votes in favour and 70 against (3 abstentions), is identical to the version passed by the Senate on 9 December, and is the result of work carried out by a group of experts appointed by the ministry in September 2024.

It is no coincidence that the process of moving from approval in the Senate to that in the Chamber of Deputies took so long. In between, there were months of hearings with trade unions and associations representing PhD students and researchers, as well as discussions on the proposed amendments tabled in the Culture Committee, which were subsequently rejected. And finally, there was also controversy over the risk of ‘nepotism’ within the new committees, which will now play a crucial role in lecturers’ careers.

To understand this point – which Bernini denied in the Senate before the vote – one must look at the first article of the bill, which is ultimately at the heart of the reform. It provides for the abolition of the National Scientific Qualification (ASN), which has been in force since 2010. This is to be replaced by a self-certification process: essentially, candidates for competitive examinations for fixed-term professor or research fellow posts will declare online that they meet the scientific output requirements set for each disciplinary group. It is worth noting the transitional arrangements for those who obtained their scientific qualification before today: in such cases, they are exempt from self-certification until their qualification expires.

The figures from the recently abolished system are the main reason for this change. In the six ASN recruitment rounds held since 2012, over 71,000 aspiring teachers have been qualified, but fewer than 40,000 have subsequently been appointed to a teaching post. In other words, over 31,000 qualified candidates – 41.3 per cent of the total – were left out; despite having passed the national assessment, they did not receive an offer. Added to this is the litigation: between 2013 and 2024, the qualification procedures generated over 2,500 appeals before the Lazio Regional Administrative Court and the Council of State, compared with just 45 for the appointment of professors and 179 for that of research fellows during the same period.

The new measure, which comprises four articles in total, stipulates that self-declared eligibility criteria will be assessed by five-member panels. Specifically, four of them will be external members, drawn from a list of 40 prospective committee members for each scientific discipline group, which will be drawn up by the Ministry on the basis of applications accompanied by CVs available online; the fifth, however, will be selected by the university from among its own staff, specifically those permanently engaged ‘abroad in research or teaching activities with an academic position at least equivalent’ to the one sought. The panels will be reduced to three members (two external and one internal) for smaller scientific-disciplinary groups (where the initial lists contain fewer than 40 names).