University Highlights: Key Resolutions – March 2025

COMMUNICATIONS

Institutional communication strategy

The communication and information activities carried out by the University since 2022 have been presented within a comprehensive framework. These activities focus on increasingly up-to-date channels and content, aiming to share the University’s values, institutional policies, and achievements across its many areas of operation with both the academic community and external stakeholders. For the 2024/2025–2026/2027 period, existing strategies will be expanded with additional actions to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of both internal and external communication.

Update on the context analysis of the University’s Strategic Plan 2022–2027

A participatory process has been launched to update the reference context for the 2022–2027 strategic planning. This analysis—engaging both external and internal stakeholders at national and international levels—will guide the University of Bologna in defining strategies and actions that address current needs in education, research, and third mission activities.

University Research Assessment (VRA) 2025 and development of resource allocation methodology

Following the departmental hearings held between October and November 2024 and considering the guidelines outlined in the 2025–2027 Departmental Strategic Plans regarding research resource allocation criteria, the 2025 University Research Assessment (VRA) has been suspended and postponed to 2026. By December of this year, the University Research Evaluation Committee (CVRA) will develop a methodology to allocate resources based on VRA results.

Staff training plan 2025/2027

The training plan for 2025–2027 for the University’s professional staff has been presented. This plan is designed to enhance the role of employees, enabling them to acquire the technical-specialist skills required in their respective areas of operation.

APPOINTMENTS

Council of the Centro de Altos Estudios, University Research Evaluation Committee, and the Guarantee Committee for Equal Opportunities

Appointments have been made for the Council of the Centro de Altos Estudios in Buenos Aires, a new member for Area 4 - Earth Sciences within the University Research Evaluation Committee, and a new substitute member for the Single Guarantee Committee for Equal Opportunities (CUG).

Renewal of the Board of Auditors

Approval has been given for the appointment of Dr. Enrico Mirone (permanent member) and Dr. Francesco Antonio Ponticelli (substitute member), designated by the Ministry of Universities and Research (MUR), as members of the new Board of Auditors for the 2025–2028 term. The Ministry of Economy and Finance will subsequently appoint the other two members.

TEACHING

Regulation on teaching assignments, tutoring, and language training

The new regulation has been approved to streamline and enhance the sustainability of processes, align assignment procedures with educational planning, and update access requirements to ensure compliance with new regulations.

Regulation on the functioning of degree programmes

The regulation defining the governance of Degree Programme Boards has been updated to include Advisory Committees, which will strengthen connections with society and the labour market to gather insights beneficial to curriculum design.

Guidelines for stakeholder consultation

The new guidelines consolidate into a single document the procedures for stakeholder consultation in first- and second-cycle degree programmes and PhD programmes. In line with the AVA3 framework, these guidelines play a central role in quality assurance for curriculum design and revision. The document introduces a new procedure for conducting the Cyclical Review Report and stakeholder consultation.

Guidelines for the establishment of professional masters programmes

The guidelines have been updated for the 2026–2027 academic year. To facilitate increasing collaboration with other universities, the approval process for joint-degree masters programmes, where the University of Bologna is not the administrative home institution, has been simplified.

New agreements for double and joint degrees

An agreement has been signed with Universidad Carlos III de Madrid for the issuance of a double second-cycle degree. Additionally, a new interuniversity cooperation agreement with ICN Business School, Universidad La Salle, ECUST - East China University of Science and Technology, and UFRGS - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul will allow for the issuance of a multiple degree. Furthermore, an agreement has been signed with the Royal College of Spain to enable Spanish College students to enrol in PhD programmes at the University of Bologna.

RESEARCH AND THIRD MISSION

Membership in the Innovative Advanced Materials Initiative (IAM-I)

The University has joined IAM-I, an association dedicated to accelerating the development of sustainable advanced materials, which will enhance the quality and interdisciplinary nature of research in this field.

Framework agreement with NTT DATA ITALIA S.p.A.

The agreement with NTT DATA ITALIA S.p.A. will define multidisciplinary activities and projects in Data Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence, and Technological Projects, covering areas such as research and innovation, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, education and lifelong learning, career guidance, internationalisation, development cooperation, sustainability, and social innovation.

Framework agreement with the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)

The agreement with IIT has been renewed to foster interdisciplinary research activities, particularly in the fields of drug development, chemistry, pharmacology, medicine, and computational sciences. Collaboration will also extend to competitive funding calls, doctoral scholarships, research grants, and educational initiatives.

STUDENT SERVICES

Support measures for student caregivers

Specific support measures for students and caregivers, selected through joint annual calls from the Universities of Emilia-Romagna and ER.GO. Eligible students will benefit from online meetings with faculty, flexible exam dates, dedicated tutoring services, the option to switch courses in cases of scheduling conflicts, and full tuition exemptions for students with an ISEE of up to €35,000 for a period equal to the standard course duration plus two years, regardless of ECTS credits earned. Additional measures may be introduced at the department or programme level.

Participation in the University Corridors for Refugees - UNICORE 7.0 project

The University of Bologna has approved participation in UNICORE 7.0, enabling one refugee student from Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, or Zimbabwe to enrol in a master’s degree programme at the Bologna or Forlì campuses in the 2025–2026 academic year. The selected student will receive financial aid and support services to facilitate their academic journey and integration into the local community and job market.

INTERNATIONALISATION

Agreements with non-EU universities

Approval has been given for framework cooperation agreements with Addis Ababa University (Ethiopia) and the University of Nairobi (Kenya) to facilitate student and faculty mobility.

BUDGET, PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT

Annual report on the University’s Quality Assurance System – 2024

The governing bodies have given a favourable opinion on the Annual Report on the University Quality Assurance System – 2024, which outlines the evolution of the QA system at the levels of Departments, Degree Programmes, and PhD Programmes; the monitoring and support activities carried out by the University Quality Assurance Board (PQA) and the competent offices of the Planning and Communication Division (APPC) and the Education and PhD programme Division (AFORM); the training and information initiatives implemented to support the stakeholders involved in the QA processes described in the previous sections; the PQA's involvement in the hearings of Degree Programmes and PhD Programmes conducted by the Evaluation Unit and in the assessment procedure for knowledge valorisation activities within the VQR 2020-2024.

PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION

Allocation of staff unit points and personnel planning for 2025

Following the issuance of Ministerial Decree No. 36 of 23/01/2025, which allocated 98.04 staff unit points to the University of Bologna for recruitment, the distribution of this allocation has been approved as follows: 50 points for teaching and research staff, and 32.6 points (equivalent to 100% of the 2024 turnover) for professional staff. Of these, 9.55 points are designated for the General Administration divisions, 7.3 for departmental administrative staff, and 4.6 for a specific measure in support of Departmental Administrative and Management Officers. The remaining staff unit points, net of those already used as an advance on the 2024 allocation, will be pooled into the undivided quota.

Sustainable mobility: Mobility Management agreement with the Municipality of Bologna

Approval has been given to the proposed agreement that, for the 2025–2028 period, will promote solutions—particularly concerning home-to-work travel and including benefits for university staff—aimed at reducing environmental pollution. The agreement also sets goals such as establishing an Observatory to create a shared data system, fostering information exchange and joint strategies across the Bologna metropolitan area, and enhancing collaboration to design urban cycling routes.

Regulations on research contracts

The Regulation governing research contracts has been approved. These are fixed-term employment contracts with a duration of two years, renewable for an additional two years, exclusively for carrying out specific research projects. The selection process, open to individuals holding a PhD or a medical specialisation degree, or those who expect to obtain the qualification within six months of the selection notice publication, is conducted through a comparative procedure based on qualifications and an interview. This aims to assess the alignment of candidates' research proposals with the project under selection, as well as their scientific and professional background in relation to the research activities outlined in the contract.

Activation of new research contracts

New research contracts will be activated for the following projects: Advanced Hybrid Systems for Impact Protection (Department of Industrial Chemistry "Toso Montanari"); AI Images and Visual Heritage: Memories, Digital Corpora, Futures (Department of the Arts); Comparative Stratigraphic Study of Late Quaternary Paleovalleys in Pescara, Pisa, and Tokyo: Implications for Seismic Risk Assessment (Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences); Di-Growth – Sustainable Digital Growth: Work, Energy, and Environmental Impact in the Digital and Platform Economy in Italy (Department of Sociology and Business Law).

Direct appointments of European Research Council (ERC) project winners

The appointments of Professor Elisabetta De Cao and Professor Emanuele Campiglio, faculty members in the Department of Economics at the University of Bologna, have been approved. They are the respective recipients of the HARSH – Uncovering the Roots of Harsh Parenting project and the BELIEFS – Climate-related Beliefs and Low-Carbon Transition Dynamics project.

TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE

Centre for Teaching and Learning – CTL

The operational regulations of the new Centre for Teaching and Learning (CTL) have been approved. This new entity incorporates the former Teacher Training Centre and is granted financial planning, review, and reporting autonomy, as well as independent management of accounting, resources, and assets within the scope of its activities. The CTL will directly implement all initiatives aimed at achieving its institutional objectives, organised into three sections: Teacher Training, Methods and Tools for Teaching Innovation, and Teaching Organisation and Faculty Development. Its goal is to become a key forum for discussion, as well as a multidisciplinary structure and a bridge between central and local university divisions.

Interdepartmental Research Centre Punto Europa – CeSIPE

The establishment of the new Interdepartmental Research Centre Punto Europa (CeSIPE) has been approved. Proposed by the Departments of Interpreting and Translation, Economics, Political and Social Sciences, and Sociology and Business Law, CeSIPE aims to harness the University of Bologna’s considerable interdisciplinary potential in European Studies, particularly at the Forlì Campus, historically oriented towards internationalisation.

ASSETS AND PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

New study room for students

A new study room, accommodating up to 50 students, has been created in the building at Via Belmeloro 8/3. The space has been allocated to ER.GO – the Regional Agency for the Right to Higher Education – to increase the availability and quality of student facilities.

PARTICIPATION IN EXTERNAL ENTITIES

Food University of Emilia-Romagna – FOODER

The University of Bologna has approved its participation in the establishment of the Food University of Emilia-Romagna – FOODER, an association promoted by the Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences (DISTAL) following a multilateral agreement between the Emilia-Romagna Region and local universities. The initiative aims to create a hub of expertise in education, research, and third-mission activities to contribute to innovation and sustainable development processes.

All resolutions are available on Organi web and Intranet