MINISTERO DELL'UNIVERSITA E DELLA RICERCA

Their core work

Italy's Ministry of University and Research (MUR) is the national government body responsible for funding and coordinating Italian participation in European transnational research programmes. In H2020, MUR acts as a co-funding authority in ERA-NET Cofund schemes, committing Italian national budgets to joint transnational calls across sectors from water management to quantum technologies. Their role is not to conduct research but to align Italian research priorities with European agendas, open national funding streams for cross-border collaboration, and ensure Italian research teams can participate in jointly funded calls. They are a gateway for any organization seeking to include Italian partners in ERA-NET-funded consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2015-2017), MUR focused heavily on water management (three WaterWorks editions), neurodegenerative disease research (JPco-fuND, JPsustaiND), international cooperation frameworks, and climate services — reflecting traditional environmental and health research priorities. From 2018 onward, the ministry shifted toward frontier technologies including FET Flagships (FLAG-ERA III), quantum technologies, open science infrastructure, and food system sustainability, signalling Italy's growing alignment with the EU's digital and green transition agendas. The broadening from domain-specific water/health funding toward cross-cutting technology programmes like CHIST-ERA III and QuantERA marks a strategic pivot toward future-oriented research investment.

MUR is increasingly investing in frontier and digital technologies (quantum, FET, ICT) alongside its established environmental and food research portfolio, making it a relevant co-funding partner for future technology-driven ERA-NETs.

How they like to work

MUR never coordinates — all 40 projects are as participant, which is typical for a national ministry whose role is to commit co-funding rather than lead research. With 443 unique partners across 67 countries, they operate as a high-connectivity hub in extremely large ERA-NET consortia (often 20-40 national funding agencies per network). Working with MUR means gaining access to Italian national funding streams for transnational calls; they are an enabler of partnerships, not a research partner in the traditional sense.

With 443 unique consortium partners across 67 countries, MUR has one of the widest collaboration networks possible — a natural consequence of participating in ERA-NETs that bring together dozens of national funding agencies from across Europe and associated countries. Their reach extends well beyond Europe into global cooperation frameworks.

What sets them apart

MUR is the Italian national entry point for ERA-NET co-funded research. Unlike research institutes or universities, partnering with MUR means accessing Italy's national research funding commitment to a given thematic call. For consortium builders assembling ERA-NET proposals, MUR's participation signals that Italian researchers will have dedicated national funding available — a critical factor in ensuring the call attracts strong Italian applicants.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WaterWorks2014
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 899,885), reflecting Italy's strong commitment to the Water JPI and sustained engagement across three WaterWorks iterations.
• FLAG-ERA III
  EUR 485,714 supporting Europe's FET Flagships (Graphene, Human Brain Project), demonstrating MUR's commitment to frontier research at the highest ambition level.
• EJP RD
  One of only two non-ERA-NET projects (COFUND-EJP), joining the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases — a large-scale coordination of rare disease research and patient data sharing.