MINISTERO DELLA SALUTE

Their core work

Italy's Ministry of Health acts as a national research funding and policy coordination body within European health research networks. Through ERA-NET co-fund mechanisms, it aligns Italian national health research priorities with EU-wide joint transnational calls, channeling funding into areas like cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, rare diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. The Ministry also plays a strategic role in shaping international policy on personalised medicine through the ICPerMed consortium and bridges European research agendas with national implementation.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), the Ministry focused on building ERA-NET infrastructure across multiple disease areas — cardiovascular, systems medicine, neuroscience, antimicrobial resistance — with an emphasis on harmonizing joint transnational calls and aligning national research programmes. From 2019 onward, the focus sharpened toward precision medicine, rare diseases, and international outreach beyond Europe (Africa, Latin America), while maintaining its AMR and neuroscience commitments. The shift reflects a move from broad ERA-NET participation to strategic leadership in personalised medicine and global health research diplomacy.

The Ministry is positioning itself as a bridge between European precision medicine research and international partners in Africa and Latin America, making it a valuable ally for globally-oriented health consortia.

How they like to work

The Ministry overwhelmingly participates as a partner (23 of 25 projects), which is typical for a national funding body — they bring co-funding commitments and national research alignment rather than scientific execution. Their two coordinator roles (TRANSCAN-2 and TRANSCAN-3) are both in translational cancer research, revealing where Italy claims leadership. With 315 unique partners across 50 countries, they are a major hub in European health research governance, connecting funding agencies and ministries across the continent.

An exceptionally broad network of 315 partners across 50 countries, reflecting the Ministry's role in multi-country ERA-NET funding schemes that typically involve 20-30 national agencies per consortium. Their reach extends well beyond Europe into Latin America and Africa through dedicated collaboration projects.

What sets them apart

Unlike universities or research institutes that contribute scientific expertise, the Ministry of Health brings something rarer: the ability to commit national funding and align Italian health research priorities with European calls. For consortium builders, having them on board means access to Italian co-funding streams and policy-level endorsement. Their dual role in both ERA-NET coordination and international personalised medicine policy makes them a uniquely influential partner for shaping research agendas, not just executing them.

Highlights from their portfolio

• TRANSCAN-3
  Their largest project (EUR 1.78M) and one of only two coordinator roles, signaling translational cancer research as Italy's flagship health research commitment.
• EJP RD
  Largest single-project funding (EUR 1.46M as participant) in the European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases, combining data sharing, FAIR principles, and patient empowerment.
• EU-Africa PerMed
  Represents the Ministry's strategic expansion into EU-Africa health research diplomacy, building personalised medicine links between continents.