Research fellowships

Research fellowships are envisaged by art. 22 of Law 240/2010 for scholars with a scientific-professional curriculum appropriate for conducting research.

The fellowship is assigned by a public selection procedure on the basis of qualifications and interview, and is formalised by a contract under private law between the University and the winner.

The contract does not qualify as a salaried employment contract and does not give right of access to the role of university personnel, but figures as collaboration of a continuous nature under the direction of a scientific supervisor, under conditions of autonomy and within the limits dictated by the objectives of the research programmes.

Its duration ranges from 1 to 3 years but can be renewed up to a maximum of 6 years, excluding the period in which receipt of the fellowship overlaps with the legal duration of a research doctorate.

There are two types of fellowship:

  • post-doctoral fellowshiptype A;
  • research fellowshiptype B.
Fellowships competitions

Contacts

[email protected] (type A)
[email protected] (type B – activation)
[email protected] (type B – career)

Research fellowship – type B

Financed by university departments according to research projects or research contracts with external bodies, these fellowships are announced as requested by departments and other structures, once financial cover has been confirmed.

The PRIN 2022 declaration is available with an indication of the calls for type B research fellowship financed with European Union funds - Next Generation EU.

General information

Recipients and requirements

Application to Type A postdoctoral fellowships is open to those holding a master's degree (magistrale or specialistica) or a single cycle master's degree, with a suitable academic-professional CV to carry out research.

 

Type A postdoctoral fellowships

A doctoral research degree (PhD) or equivalent foreign qualification or, where applicable, a medical specialization and adequate scientific output, is a requirement to apply for type A postdoctoral fellowships, and will be given preference in assigning type B fellowships. For type A postdoctoral fellowships, the qualification must be awarded by the date in which the individual contract is signed or by the deadline specified in the competition announcement.

The fellowship is not compatible with any scholarships, except for those awarded by national or foreign institutes for undertaking activities abroad to complement the recipient's own research. The fellowship is not compatible with salaried employment, contract employment or earnings deriving from continuous periods of self-employment. 

Fellowships are compatible with the following:  

  • Extra-university activities such as speaking at seminars, meetings and conferences and outreach, as well as a limited amount of self-employed work, are compatible with the fellowship, subject to written notice to and approval by the supervising professor and as long the Facility in which the fellow undertakes research declares that said activity is compatible with the fellowship and that there is no potential conflict of interest with research activity undertaken at the University.

  • Teaching appointments pursuant to art. 23 of law 240/2010, limited to modules and involving less than 30 hours of teaching activity, are compatible. For research fellows who are assigned teaching activity by this or another university, the total of 90 hours which, pursuant to Art.45 of the general University Regulations, can be spent on extracurricular activities or on complementary teaching activity , must decrease accordingly.

Altogether, earnings from self-employment, excluding income deriving from exercising one's right to the economic exploitation of intellectual property, cannot be greater than the 15,000 euros per year (gross) limit set by the Board of Directors.

Type A postdoctoral fellowships last two years and may be renewed for a further two years.


Type B fellowships last one to three years and may be renewed in accordance with the limits set by law and by art. 11 of the Regulations.

The maximum period in which individuals may receive fellowships is 6 years, even if awarded through different competitions and from different institutions/universities. Fellowships received during a doctoral programme without scholarship and for the legal duration of the programme only, do not count towards the 6 year limit.

 

The gross annual amount of post-doctoral fellowships type A is established annually by the Board of Directors during preparation of the budget.

The amount of research fellowships type B is established by the Department Board that requests it, in line with the financial plan of the research project paying the costs. However, the minimum gross amount is set by MIUR at €9,367 per year.

Fellowship holders must contribute to social security (INPS gestione separata) for self-employment (maximum rate one third of 35.33%) but are exempt from income tax (IRPEF). A certificate (Certificazione Unica) indicating the amount exempt from income tax is provided.

The payment documents can be downloaded from the personnel page at LaStatale@work.

All the following information can be found on the personnel pages of the website LaStatale@work (in italian):

  • how to accept a research fellowship
  • payment
  • compatibility
  • absences, illness and maternity
  • non-EU citizens: procedure and documents required to obtain stay permit
  • how to decline a research fellowship.

All information on how university department personnel can institute type A and B fellowships can be found at La Statale@work.