The Mur published the 24 April 2024 Ministerial Decree 630/2024 for theawarding of 2,868 scholarships for innovative doctorates under the PNRR, Mission 4, Component 2 “From Research to Business” – Investment 3.3 “Introduction of innovative doctorates that respond to the innovation needs of businesses and promote the hiring of researchers by businesses”.
Doctoral activities must be started by December 13, 2024.
The resources foreseen for innovative doctorates are 360 million euros: the endowment for the 40th cycle is worth 172.80 million.
The innovative doctorate scholarships last three years for the attendance of courses that respond to the innovation needs of companies and promote the hiring of researchers by companies.
The Measure includes an important innovation: the contribution paid by the Ministry to co-finance the scholarship goes from 30 thousand euros to 60 thousand euros each for attending three-year doctorate courses starting from the 2024/25 academic year. The partner companies available to co-finance the doctoral courses correspond to the amount exceeding 60 thousand up to the overall cost of satisfying the research and innovation criteria.
Resources are allocated to legally recognized state and non-state universitiesincluding online universities, and to special university institutes (Gran Sasso Science Institute, the IMT School of Advanced Studies Lucca, the IUSS Higher University School of Pavia, the Scuola Normale Superiore of Pisa, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, the International School of Advanced Studies of Trieste).
Universities are required to express interest in participating as implementing entities by 10 May 2024 under penalty of renouncing the financial allocation.
The Decree provides:
- a period of study and research in the company from a minimum of six months to a maximum of 18, even if not continuous, over the three-year period. It also provides for study and research courses abroad (minimum of six months to a maximum of eighteen months, even if not continuous);
- the involvement of partner companies, through a specific agreement, in defining the training path;
- the valorisation of research results and the protection of intellectual property, ensuring open access to the public to research results and related data.
During the accreditation phase of the doctoral courses, the implementing bodies communicate to the partner companies that they intend to participate in the co-financing of the part exceeding 60 thousand euros. Within the scope of their autonomy, each assignee identifies which doctoral courses to implement the scholarships for.
The scholarships cannot be assigned to doctorates and doctoral students who have renounced scholarships under the PNRR for the 38th and 39th cycles.
In order to perfect the procedure for assigning doctoral scholarships, by September 20th each implementing entity is required to peremptorily complete the online format via the online platform (https://dottorati-imprese.mur.gov.it/)
The implementing entities are required to communicate within the deadline September 25th through the dedicated platform (letters of commitment and/or agreements stipulated with partner companies that finance the portion exceeding 60 thousand). The letters of commitment must be finalized by the deadline of November 14, 2024.
Doctoral activities must be started by December 13, 2024.
The objective of these measures is to increase, promote and enhance higher education and post-graduate specialization, innovating doctoral paths and promoting them also within public administrations and cultural heritage, thus supporting these realities towards greater digitalisation , towards the “culture of innovation” and internationalisation.
The decree establishes the target for which 40% of resources are allocated to the Southern regions.
The involvement and role of businesses are therefore central.
We anticipate that a webinar will be held on May 7th from 11:30 amin collaboration with MUR and Anvur to best present the measure to you with institutional representatives and the opportunities that the platform offers.
