Universities: staff turnover reduced to 75 per cent. More flexible FFO

The Budget Bill reduces staff turnover at universities, higher education institutions for the performing arts (AFAM) and research bodies, thereby securing savings of around forty million in 2027. Article 66 of the draft bill sets the proportion of permanent appointments for teaching and administrative staff to be authorised at universities next year at 75 per cent of the number of staff whose contracts expire in 2026. It does the same, on the one hand, for higher education in the arts and music and, on the other, for research bodies. This effectively makes it more difficult for the latter to offer permanent contracts to researchers on a PNRR contract.

From the universities’ perspective, the 2027 budget is set to be remembered not only for the additional 200 million allocated to energy-saving measures, as announced in recent days, but also for the dual flexibility regarding the Ordinary Financing Fund (FFO): the massive 9.5 billion fund on which university budgets depend. Primarily downstream, given that Article 107, from 2028 onwards, releases the 271 million earmarked for Departments of Excellence, thereby enabling state universities to enhance their strategic projects in the areas of research, teaching, infrastructure and staff, promoting the responsible autonomy repeatedly advocated by Minister Anna Maria Bernini. But flexibility is also increasing at the source. This is thanks to Article 108, which primarily addresses the portion of funding allocated on the basis of standard costs per student. This removes the statutory mechanism requiring their annual increase (from 2 to 5 per cent) up to a maximum of 70 per cent (currently at 38 per cent, ed.) and instead grants the Ministry of University and Research (MUR) the power to determine, year on year, the portion of the FFO to be allocated according to this parameter. Meanwhile, the bonus allocation is also changing (2.5 billion in 2026). Instead of the current rigid three-way split – 60 per cent Research Quality Assessment (VQR), 20 per cent student recruitment and 20 per cent three-year planning – a ministerial decree will be introduced setting out the criteria and indicators for the allocation of resources. Alongside the VQR and recruitment, there could be scope, for example, for results achieved in teaching and the quality of services offered to students.