Call for Proposals for the funding of Research Projects by Young Independent Researchers

Outline

University of Florence, Italy (UNIFI) launches this Call for Proposals aimed at: promoting the widespread and inclusive growth of the research system; consolidating fundamental research, strengthening interdisciplinary research, accompanying the development of a new generation of researchers; promoting the international dimension of higher education and research. The projects must be consistent with the major research and innovation fields and related areas of intervention defined by the 2021-2027 Italian National Research Programme (PNR).

The budget available amounts to 900.000,00 euros. Each project may apply for a maximum funding of 300.000,00 euros.

What is funded

The projects must be multidisciplinary and be consistent with the broad research and innovation areas set out in the 2021-2027 Italian National Research Programme:

1. Health;
2. Culture, Creativity, Social Transformations and Inclusive Society;
3. Civil security;
4. Digital, Industry and Space;
5. Climate, Energy, Sustainable Mobility;
6. Food, Bio economy, Natural resources, Agriculture, Environment.

Activities will be carried out at the University of Florence and one or more UNIFI Departments must be identified to be in charge of the development of the project itself.

Duration

Each project shall have a fixed duration of 24 months.

Eligibility

Groups of at least three Italian or foreign researchers may apply for funding. At least one of the proposers must not have resided or carried out his/her main activity (study/work) in Italy for more than 12 months in the three years immediately prior to the call deadline.

A team leader and two or more team members must be identified within the proposing group. The Team Leader has the task of coordinating the group and assumes scientific responsibility for the entire project.

In the composition of the research group, proper attention shall be paid to gender balance.

Proposers (Team Leaders and Team Members) must meet the following requirements at the call deadline:

• have been awarded the PhD title no more than 5 years prior to the call deadline (the date of award of the PhD is the date of the discussion of the doctoral thesis);
• not have active contractual relationships with the University of Florence or with other Italian universities falling within one of the following types: Researcher with a fixed-term contract as per letters A) and B) of article 24 of Law 240 of 30 December 2010, Researcher with an indefinite-term contract, Associate Professor, Full Professor;
• each applicant (Team Leader or Team Member), at the start date of the project, may not have held research grants for a duration such as to exceed, with the two years of grant provided for in this call, the limit of 6 years established in art.6, paragraph 2 bis of Law 27/2/2015, n.11. In calculating the 6 years, the period in which the grant has been used in conjunction with a PhD without a grant is not relevant, up to the maximum legal duration of the relevant course.

The members of the group must have different and complementary scientific expertise.

Proposers (Team Leaders and Team Members) may only feature in one project proposal.