Alma Research Foundation: a single entity to strengthen the University of Bologna’s scientific mission

With the latest deeds signed by Rector Giovanni Molari, the merger process of nine University of Bologna-related foundations into a single entity has been completed: the Fondazione Alma Ricerca (Alma Research Foundation).

The new Foundation promotes the activities of researchers through scholarships, doctoral grants, awards and research fellowships, and supports the development and modernisation of the University’s scientific and library facilities. Its mission focuses on the scientific areas represented by the original foundations: from medicine to the humanities, from law to agricultural sciences.

The process of merging the nine foundations into the Alma Research Foundation began in September 2021 with the union of the Luisa Fanti Melloni Foundation and the Gino Galletti Foundation. These were later joined by the Prof. Gaetano Salvioli Foundation, the Ferruccio Avoni Foundation, the Castelvetri Foundation, the Pasquale Sfameni Foundation and the Famiglia Parmiani Foundation. Finally, the last two to be incorporated in recent days were the Borsi Foundation and the Enrico Bottrigari Foundation.

Established through the will of Professor Umberto Borsi, the Borsi Foundation supports study and research in the fields of administrative law and local government law. The Bottrigari Foundation, created through the bequest of Cavalier Enrico Bottrigari, promotes scholarships and other initiatives for students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the humanities at the Alma Mater.

Among the other foundations now part of the Alma Research Foundation is the Fanti Melloni Foundation, created through the legacy of Luisa Fanti Melloni, which has funded – and continues to fund – numerous doctoral scholarships, thesis awards on cardiac infarction, and research projects for University of Bologna students specialising in cardiology. The Gino Galletti Foundation has supported the creation of a research laboratory on molecular diagnostics and neurodegenerative diseases, the establishment of a scientific information and documentation centre, and the funding of research and fellowship positions in Neurology, as well as thesis and PhD awards on neurodegenerative disorders.

The Ferruccio Avoni Foundation awards an annual prize to an outstanding Law student at the University of Bologna, while the Castelvetri Experimental Agrarian Foundation provides scholarships and other grants supporting research in agricultural sciences, agri-food technologies and veterinary sciences.

Also incorporated into the Alma Research Foundation are the Gaetano Salvioli Foundation, which funds research and activities focused on the prevention and treatment of preterm and neonatal conditions; the Pasquale Sfameni Foundation, which supports studies on the genesis, physiology and genetics of pregnancy, as well as on the evolution and anatomy of the placenta; and the Famiglia Parmiani Foundation, which promotes initiatives for deserving students in Pharmacy and Medicine at the University of Bologna.