University Highlights: key resolutions - April 2024

COMMUNICATIONS

CUG Report 2023
The Guarantee Committee for Equal Opportunities (CUG), the enhancement of employee well-being, and against discrimination in the workplace has presented the positive actions, promoted and curated in collaboration with various division of the Administration, to foster communication, awareness-raising and training, the promotion and protection of equal opportunities, well-being, and against discrimination in the workplace. In particular, the CUG has adopted a four-year Plan of Positive Actions (2022-2025) and, concerning training activities, has organized seminars, initiatives, surveys, and activities to promote targeted awareness-raising actions in line with the Plan of Positive Actions, without forgetting the activities of listening, support, assistance, and advice to the staff who have requested it.

Staff Training Plan 2024/2027
The report for the ongoing training of University staff has been presented, taking into account the directive of the Minister for Public Administration on the planning of training and the development of skills functional to digital, ecological, and administrative transition (promoted by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan) and all the norms, indications, and processes on the topics of organization and work, positive actions proposed by the CUG, and the training needs identified by the Structures for the development and updating of technical-specialist skills.

Student Ombudsman Report 2023
The Rector, the Student Council, and the Academic Senate were presented with a statistical examination of the requests received, the reports, and the proposals put forward with the aim of strengthening the role of the Student Ombudsman, to ensure a continuous improvement of services. In 2023, a total of 314 cases were dealt with, showing a significant reduction compared to the previous year.

TEACHING

Transversal Skills
With the aim of promoting and developing the soft skills of first and second-cycle students, eight new training activities have been approved for the first semester of the Academic Year 2024/2025. Each activity requires 4-12 hours of online training - accessible asynchronously - and results in the issuance of an Open Badge certifying the acquired skills, upon passing the final assessment.

Minor Plan 2024/2025
In addition to the plan for the Development of Transversal Skills for students, four Minors will be activated in the Academic Year 2024/2025, optional interdisciplinary thematic paths that allow students to acquire additional skills useful for further studies and entry into the job market. Each Minor entails the attainment of 16-18 ECTs and the issuance of an Open Badge certifying the acquired skills.

Cyclic Review Report (RRC) and Stakeholder Consultation (CPI) for degree programmes
A cyclical approach has been introduced for drafting the RRC of degree programmes, leading to adjustments in the timing for SC. The Cyclical Review Report will be prepared every three years for Bachelor's and Single-cycle Master's Degree Programmes and every four years for Master's Degree Programmes. RRC and CPI are expected to be completed by June 2024 for degree programmes that have not undergone cyclical review in the last five years, those that have completed at least one lifecycle without undergoing review, as well as for all degree programmes in the LM-41 Medicine and Surgery Class.

Activation of 40th cycle PhD programmes
The activation of the PhD programmes for the 40th cycle - academic year 2024/2025, which will now undergo the accreditation process at ANVUR (Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes), has been approved. As many as 48 PhD programmes are set to welcome an increasingly large number of students from the 3rd cycle.

RESEARCH AND THIRD MISSION

Doctoral Fellowships for the "Space It Up!" Project
The activation of 8 doctoral fellowships from the 40th cycle has been approved, distributed across 5 Departments of the University of Bologna within the Extended Partnership "Space It Up!", coordinated by the Polytechnic University of Turin and funded by the Italian Space Agency with PNRR funds for "Space Activities."

Public Engagement Call
Approval has been granted for the "Public Engagement Call," which, following the previous "Third Mission Call," offers Departments the opportunity to initiate or consolidate socially impactful initiatives, with a particular focus on co-designing with local entities. With a total funding of 310,000 euros, the call can finance activities related to the valorisation of public assets, knowledge valorisation, life sciences and health, environmental sustainability, inclusion, and combating inequalities.

“Ancient and New Classics - The Knowledge of the University of Bologna”
Thanks to the subscription of numerous Departments to the University’s call, the " Classici antichi e nuovi – I saperi dell’Alma Mater” (Ancient and New Classics - The Knowledge of the University of Bologna) review has been defined. Following the model of the "Classics" organised for over twenty years by the Study Centre "La permanenza del Classico" (The Permanence of Classics), it will propose six public meetings of high

popularisation that will extend to numerous disciplines: Greek-Latin classics, but also economics, musicology, medicine, engineering and science. The Departments will receive financial support from the University and the meetings will be held starting in May.

STUDENT SERVICES

Student Contributions A.Y. 2024/2025
A new algorithm for calculating ISEE (Equivalent Economic Situation Indicator) values has been introduced: it reduces the contribution burden for incomes between 45,000 and 55,000 euros, while increasing it for incomes up to 60,000 euros. All the benefits already envisaged are confirmed, from the no tax area up to 27,000 euro to the reduced contributions for weak or medium economic brackets, which guarantee around 26,000 total exemptions and partial exemptions for around 60% of enrolled students. The fixed contribution for large groups of international students, which is constantly growing, is also confirmed. To ensure more motivated applications, the participation fee for admission tests to doctoral programmes will increase from 5 to 10 euros.

Initiatives for Students
Actions and initiatives that have been consolidated for several years at the University in support of students are re-proposed and strengthened, to the value of approximately six million euros, which will support, among other things part-time collaborations (150 hours), tutoring allowances, contributions for rent, facilitations for enrolling in STEM programmes, extraordinary interventions for students in difficult circumstances, contributions for people with disabilities and SLDs, contribution waivers for parenthood, contribution waivers for Bachelor’s degree graduates with 110/110, reimbursement of expenses for language certifications, capped contributions for those who owe only the final exam (with an increase in the number of beneficiaries up to the ISEE threshold of 40.000 euro). In addition, on an experimental basis, a counter service will be activated in agreement with ER.GO (Regional Authority for the Right to Higher Education in Emilia Romagna) to direct people in difficulty and to intervene, also economically, in emergency situations. We also approve the allocation to the right to study of a significant part of the liberal contributions collected through the SostieniUnibo platform, soon to be activated.

BUDGET, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

University Single Financial Statement 2023
The University's Single Financial Statement for 2023 has been approved, reflecting the economic, financial, and asset status of the University of Bologna. The statement indicates a consistent growth of the University across all aspects over the past three years. The 2023 Statement of Assets and Liabilities shows a total amount of 1,918 million euros. The Income Statement reveals an operating result of 68 million euros. Contributions from the Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MUR) for the Ordinary Financing Fund (FFO) constitute 72% of the operating income. The FFO allocation for 2023 significantly exceeds the previous year's allocation, totalling 399 million euros compared to 372 million euros in 2022. Conversely, 25% of the operating income stems from the University's own revenue generated from its teaching, research, and technology transfer endeavours The operating result of 68 million euros has already been partially allocated. Approximately 15.2 million euros have been earmarked for ongoing multi-year projects. Additionally, 10.8 million euros will cover the salary adjustments for teaching staff, as outlined in the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) newsletter from April 2024. Furthermore, 2.91 million euros will support new projects across the Bologna and Romagna campuses.

PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION

Inspection Service: Approval of the New Regulation
The new regulation will ensure greater simplification and efficiency of verification activities and promote better coordination with the provisions of the current University regulations regarding professors' and researchers' external institutional assignments, as well as managerial, technical-administrative personnel, and expert linguistic collaborators. According to the new regulation, the verification activity remains under the purview of an external committee and is carried out by the Inspection Service based on annual random sampling checks conducted using computerized methodologies. Among the most significant changes to the regulation are the temporal scope of the random sampling checks and the identification of professional categories subject to verification activities: technical-administrative staff, Managers, expert linguistic collaborators, both permanent and temporary, teaching and research staff (including full and associate professors), researchers (including temporary ones), and extraordinary professors.

HERITAGE AND PROCUREMENT

Amendment to Temporary Space Concession Regulation
After the first months of application, the Regulation for the temporary concession of space is renewed. Simplified procedure for associations, representatives, and student groups. The use of University spaces for all initiatives organized by professors, researchers, technical-administrative staff, and heads of University Facilities will be free; in cases where registration fees are required, the applied rate will be lower than that for external parties (both reduced by 50% for half-day bookings). Changes have also been made to reproduction regulations, spaces for posting, and commercial use.

INSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Regulation for the Didactic Committee and Interdepartmental Didactic Committees
The regulation for the didactic committee, which works closely with the Quality Assurance and the University Evaluation Group to formulate proposals regarding the activation, modification, or deactivation of degree programmes, curricula, and double degrees, has been approved. The regulation for interdepartmental teaching committees, which aims to coordinate activities and services related to teaching for the three study cycles and provides mandatory opinions to Departments regarding teaching activities involving two or more of them, has also been approved.

Adaptation of the Campus Operating Regulation to the new Statute
The regulation implements the new statutory provisions, including: the procedures for electing the Campus President and the introduction of the instrument of no-confidence; the introduction of the figure of the Campus Vice-President; and the introduction, in the composition of the Campus Council, of an elected representation made up of professors and researchers based on the Campus, in an amount equal to 100% of the Directors of the Departments based on the Campus and the Heads of the Campus Organisational Units.

All resolutions are available on: OrganiWeb and Intranet.