The NRRP, approved by the European Commission, has six missions, including one dedicated to education and research.
30.88 billion euros have been allocated through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This figure rises to 33.81 billion euro when React EU and the Complementary Fund are also taken into account. All funds allocated as part of the PNRR (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza, National Recovery and Resilience Plan, NRRP) and arriving from the RRF must be spent by 2026, in part due to parallel reforms that should facilitate their use.
However, Mission 4, titled ‘Education and Research’, is not the only operation investing resources into empowering research and development. Mission 1, ‘Digitisation, innovation, competitivity, culture and tourism’, is also allocating funds (or involving tax credits) above all for applied research in the field of digitisation: in fact it represents the continuation of Industry 4.0. Mission 2, dedicated to ecological transition – the largest mission with its 60 billion euro – includes some resources for environmental research, in the fields of surveillance in marine parks and reserves, the circular economy and the challenge represented by hydrogen and accumulators. Lastly, Mission 6 even has a chapter named ‘Innovation, research and the digitisation of the National Health System’. However, the largest sum is undoubtedly that found in Mission 4, ‘Education and Research’, which, with around 20 billion euro, reinforces the work of schools and includes an ambitious programme titled ‘From research to enterprise’, for almost 13 billion euro.
Figure 1. An extract from table 1.1 of the NRRP. It shows the funds from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) – allocated by the NRRP – and the finance from React EU and the Complementary Fund.
As documented by the NRRP itself in several sections, Italian research has suffered from a decade of negligence. For some years now, public spending on research and development (R&D) has been around 1.4% of GDP (OECD average: 2.4%), with funding from the public sector at 0.5% of GDP, and from the private sector 0.9% (OECD average for the private sector: 1.7%). In addition to a general lack of demand for innovation, the number of ‘researchers per person actively employed by companies’ in Italy is about half the European average. This statistic also has repercussions on scientific publications, in which researchers from both public and private sectors are found, and whose number in 2019 was just half that for Europe. This shows that cooperation between academic and industrial research is still underdeveloped when compared to other areas. That’s why the NRRP has focused particularly on this area of innovation-oriented research.
M4 Education and research (billions of euro)
NRRP €30.88
React EU €1.93
Complementary fund €1.00
Principal directions: from research to enterprise
Mission 4 envisages a reform paired with a specific investment of approximately 430 million – in the component for education – to expand and simplify the involvement of PhDs in enterprises and research centres. However, the largest item of expenditure is found in the second component of mission 4, ‘From research to enterprise’, for which about 12 billion has been allocated. This component is divided into a preliminary reform to ‘promote simplification and mobility’ and three areas of investment, for a total of eleven specific investments. The Plan states that ‘for all measures, selection will be performed on a competitive basis’. In other words, in all of the NRRP missions, the resources planned are not allocated in advance and massively offered to certain institutions, but will be subject to specific tender competitions to be launched next autumn. This represents a significant departure, and if properly implemented, it will reward the applicants presenting the most convincing projects.
But which criteria will be used to select the projects? To quote the words of the NRRP, “The criteria for the selection of projects will be inspired by: a) the guarantee of a critical mass on the part of the proponents, with attention to the enhancement of existing assets; b) the guarantee of a long-term impact (with co-financing from private capital and other sources); c) national benefits for the economic and manufacturing system; d) the project’s feasibility in relation to the Plan’s deadlines”. All this will be overseen by a ‘special supervisory board’.
Figure 2. Table from the NRRP on the allocation of funds for each investment.
11.44 billion total
Areas of intervention/Measures
Total
Reform 1.1: Implementation of measures in support of R&D to promote simplification and mobility
- Reinforcement of research and the dissemination of innovative models for basic and applied research in synergy between universities and companies: 6.91
Investment 1.1: Fund for the National Research Programme (PNR) and Research Projects of National Relevance (PRIN): 1.80
Investment 1.2: Finance for projects presented by young researchers: 0.60
Investment 1.3: Wide-ranging partnerships, extending across Universities, research centres, companies, and finance for basic research projects: 1.61
Investment 1.4: Increasing the capacity of research structures and creating R&D ‘national champions’ in certain Key Enabling Technologies: 1.60
Investment 1.5: Creation and enhancement of ‘innovation ecosystems’, construction of ‘territorial R&D leaders’: 1.30
- Support for processes of innovation and technology transfer: 2.05
Investment 3.1: Fund for the creation of an integrated system of research and innovation infrastructures: 1.58
Investment 3.2: Start-up financing: 0.30
Investment 3.3: Introduction of innovative PhD programmes that meet the demand for innovation from companies and promote their employment of researchers: 0.60
Investments
The first plan of action – for a total of 6.91 billion – concerns the “enhancement of research and the dissemination of innovative models for basic and applied research performed synergistically by universities and businesses”. The first investment will provide 1.8 billion to finance what has already been planned as part of the new 2021-2027 National Research Programme, in sectors such as digitalisation, aerospace, energy, bioeconomy and agriculture, as well as giving new impetus to the PRIN (Progetti di ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale, Research Projects of National Relevance), which will thus be able to finance more than 5,000 projects by universities and public research organisations (enti di ricerca pubblica, EPR) such as the CNR, up until 2026. A public institution with a private-law statute such as IIT is excluded from this area of funding.
A further 600 million will be dedicated to funding projects by up to 2,100 young researchers, “along the lines of calls for applications by the European Research Council, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships and Seal of Excellence”, in order to boost this type of individual funding, which is very rare in Italy.
This first chapter also reserves around 4.5 billion for the reinforcement of partnerships between universities, research centres and businesses, with special calls for applications (1.61 billion), but also to create new research centres, though perhaps it would be better to call them ‘national champions’ of R&D in certain major areas of technological research (Key Enabling Technologies), such as quantum computing, biopharma, agritech, fintech and other areas of technology for digital and ecological transitions (1.60 billion), and finally another item (1.30 billion) aimed at creating so-called ‘territorial R&D leaders’. This measure, which is not entirely clear at first sight, “is implemented by financing, before 2026, 12 ‘territorial R&D champions’ (existing or new) that will be selected by means of appropriate competitive procedures, with a focus on their ability to promote social sustainability projects. Each project will have to include the following elements to a high degree: a) innovative training activities conducted synergistically by universities and businesses and aimed at reducing the disparity between the expertise required by businesses and the skills provided by universities, as well as industrial PhD programmes; b) research activities conducted and/or research infrastructures jointly implemented by universities and businesses, especially SMEs, operating in the geographical area; c) support for start-ups; d) the involvement of local communities in innovation and sustainability issues”.
Enhancement of research
€6.91 billion
PRIN (Progetti di ricerca di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale, Research Projects of National Relevance)
Partnerships and basic research
Improving structures
Ecosystems for innovation
Young researchers
At the end of this first part of NRRP research funding, the overall impression is that the Plan aims to develop more critical mass around existing centres while not creating new facilities, not least to avoid the criticism that this plan is encountering within the world of EPRs (Enti pubblici di ricerca, Public research organisations), working principally on improving the profiles of the specialist activities performed by some centres, while also improving partnerships with universities and businesses.
The second chapter of the NRRP’s investment into research – amounting to 2.05 billion – regards support for innovation and technology transfer, in other words the ‘practical applications’ of research. The first measure adds 1.5 billion euro to the MISE (Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico, Ministry of Economic Development) fund in order to facilitate Italian participation in so-called Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEI), namely consolidating the country’s presence in the ‘strategic value chains’ of European industry at risk of failure and therefore worthy of support from public funding, above all in the sector of the enabling technologies mentioned above. 200 million has been allocated to the development of partnerships between research centres and businesses on Horizon Europe projects, in particular regarding: 1) High Performance Computing; 2) Key digital technologies; 3) Clean energy transition; 4) Blue oceans – A climate neutral, sustainable and productive Blue economy; 5) Innovative SMEs. The impetus given to innovation and technology transfer is completed by 350 million to rationalise the network of 60 centres (Skills Centres, Digital Innovation Hubs, Digital Innovation Centres) with responsibility for project development, the provision of advanced technological services to businesses, and innovative and beneficial technology transfer services. This measure will also be governed by the MISE to the benefit, above all, of businesses.
Support for innovation processes
€2.05 billion
IPCEI
Technology transfer
Partnerships
Lastly, the third area of intervention – totalling 2.48 billion – aims at increasing the osmosis between academic research and industry by working on three fronts: the creation of 30 hybrid research and innovation infrastructures with a European dimension (1.58 billion); the integration of the National Innovation Fund, the structure run by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to support the development of venture capital in Italy, aimed at the start-up of 250 small and medium-sized enterprises (300 million to be supplemented by private funds); and the establishment of ‘innovative PhD programmes’ as well as incentives for companies hiring junior temporary researchers. With reference, once again, to Key Enabling Technologies, about 5,000 PhD scholarships will be set up for three years with private co-financing (subject to international assessment) “and incentives will be provided for companies to hire 20,000 post-docs or researchers”.
Increased support for research
€2.48 billion
Infrastructures
Innovative PhDs
Start-ups
Comments
The Research Mission, as it has been defined, has attracted criticism from some people for its excessive bias towards applied and industrial research as opposed to ‘curiosity-driven’ research. As the trade unions and the group of researchers led by physicist Ugo Amaldi (see the Amaldi Plan) have pointed out, the NRRP should focus more on basic research, a true long-term investment for the development of future technology. However, Europe, particularly with the Next Generation EU package, is calling for attention to be focused on its member countries’ industrial and economic recovery in order to rapidly create jobs to supplant those burnt out by the pandemic. In a recent interview with the publication Scienza in rete, Minister Maria Cristina Messa rejected the criticisms: “By combining national funds with those of the NRRP, we will structure the PRIN with an annual budget of around 500 million for calls for applications for research, and for young researchers, we will add 600 million from the Recovery Fund to the 200 million represented by the structural funds. In addition, the new Fondo italiano per la scienza (Italian Science Fund) will be entirely devoted to fundamental research, with a budget of 50 million for 2021 and 150 million starting from the following year”. Lastly, the Minister pointed out that the NRRP includes a €600 million investment for young researchers’ projects along the lines of the calls for application by European Research Council, the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships and the Seal of Excellence. “The aim is to enable young researchers to gain an initial experience of research responsibilities” and to offer an alternative to moving abroad, which our researchers increasingly see as “the only possibility for pursuing their careers”.
