With Ministerial Decree No. 150 of 30 January 2026, Italy’s Ministry of University and Research (MUR) approved and officially published the first 2026–2028 Three-Year Research Plan (PTR 2026–2028), assigning a total of €1,252,365,723 over the three-year period to the Research Programming Fund (FPR).
Established under Italy’s 2026 Budget Law, the plan introduces a stable multi-year framework for basic and applied research funding. Its scope covers not only universities, but also MUR-supervised public research bodies, AFAM institutions (higher education in the arts, music and dance) under the Ministry, as well as companies and non-profit organisations. A three-year funding timeline is attached to the Plan and may be updated annually.
Among the main new features are PRIN Hybrid, focused on multidisciplinarity and the integration of humanities knowledge with new technologies, and the Synergy Grant, designed for applied and frontier research projects requiring advanced cooperation and integrated expertise. The timeline also confirms the planning of the FIS (Italian Science Fund) Starting Grant in 2027 and the FIS Consolidator/Advanced in 2028, alongside PRIN, PRIN Hybrid, Synergy Grant, and European partnerships.
For 2026, the largest share of funding is allocated to PRIN (€270 million), followed by PRIN Hybrid (€59 million), Synergy Grant (€50 million), and European partnerships (€30 million). The total annual allocation amounts to €409,029,354 in 2026, €407,633,003 in 2027, and €435,703,366 in 2028.
The Plan and its accompanying chronoprogramme, to be adopted by decree by 31 January of the first year of the reference three-year period, set out the operational framework of the measures, including objectives, project and activity features, activation timelines and procedures, the scale of available grants and contributions, disbursement methods, procedural milestones, and eligibility requirements for access to funding.
The measure is part of the broader MUR reform linked to the PNRR, aimed at making the timing of applications, calls, and evaluation procedures more predictable. For the national lines (PRIN, PRIN Hybrid, Synergy Grant, and FIS), calls are scheduled by 30 April and rankings by 30 September of the relevant year. For European partnerships, national procedures will follow the publication of European and international rankings. The full chronoprogramme is attached below.