Prot. n. 92193 del 14.12.2020
       Class. III/14

SUMMARY REPORT – AWARD OF RESEARCH GRANTS
There are two categories of research grants: 
A) Grants provided by Department calls and funded by University; 
B) Grants provided by Department calls and funded by the Department or research projects,
Procedures for the assignment of research grants are regulated as follows, depending on the grant typology:
A) Publication of a single call indicating all the areas of scientific interest of the Department that will assign the research grants; direct presentation of research projects by candidates, along with curricula and publications.
B) Publication of calls addressing individually funded, specific research programmes that meet the measures set by the University in terms of amount, duration and procedures and therefore conform to the limits set by current legislation.

Duration, Renewal, Amounts 

Research grants cannot be assigned for less than one year, nor for more than 3 years. Research grants may be renewed with the same person for a term shorter than one year, and in any case not shorter than six months, exclusively in respect of research projects whose duration does not allow the award of a full 1year grant.
They may be renewed with the same person as established by Art. 22, Paragraph 3 of Law N. 240 (30/12/2010) through Department resolutions. In particular, the overall length of the collaboration, as established by Art. 22, Paragraph 3 of Law N. 240 (30/12/2010), including any renewals, may not exceed six years, excluding periods in which research grants coincide with PhDs and for the maximum legal duration of the programme.
The overall length of the collaboration for research grant holders and for fixed-term researcher contracts, as per Art. 24 of Law N. 240/2010, for the same individual, may not exceed twelve years, even on a non-continuous basis. As per current legislation, maternity and sick leave are not included in the calculation of said periods. 
The minimum annual gross amount for both category A and B research grants is determined in € 19.367,00 and Research grants are paid via monthly instalments.
Research grants are subject to taxation as per Art. 4 of Law N. 476 (13/08/1984) and subsequent amendments and integrations; to social security as per Art. 2, Paragraphs 26-on of Law N. 335 (8/08/1995) and subsequent amendments; to mandatory maternity leave as per the meaures established by Ministry of Labour and Social Security Decree (July 12, 2007) and to sick leave as per Art. 1, Paragraph 788 of Law N. 296 (27/12/2006) and subsequent amendments.
During mandatory maternity leave, INPS provides an allowance (as per Art. 5 of DM 12/07/2007) that is integrated by the University to reach the full amount provided by the research grant.
The University will provide research grant holders with insurance coverage for accidents and third-party liability. The coverage addresses tasks carried out during research activities. 

Grant Typology

Research grants may be assigned to scholars with a scientific-professional curriculum that satisfies requirements for research activities, PhDs or possessors of an equivalent academic degree received abroad, and, for the relevant sectors, individuals with a medical specialization and an adequate scientific production, with the exception of permanent staff.

In relation to the measures described in the last sentence of Art. 18 Paragraph 1b of Law N. 240/2010, that are also mentioned in Letter (c) for research grants, individuals who are related, directly or indirectly, up to the fourth degree with a professor in the Department issuing or renewing the call are automatically excluded. This also holds true for all said relations with the Rector, the Director General or any member of the University Board of Administrators.
Departments may decide that PhDs or equivalent academic titles issued abroad and for specific sectors that a medical specialization and an adequate scientific production are mandatory requisites for participation in the call. If the aforementioned academic titles are not mandatory, they will still represent grounds for preferential assignment of the research grant.
Participation requisites must be possessed ad of the deadline established by the application call.

[In case of Type 1]

Type 1 grants do not necessarily require a PhD.

[In case of Type2]
For Type 2 grants that are reserved for PhDs (Postdoc) or researchers with advanced curricula who have tenure at Universities, research agencies, public or private applied research institutions abroad or, for non-tenured positions, Italian. In calls for Type 2 research grants, Departments may further specify the requisites established, with the exception of permanent staff.
Selection
Evaluation criteria are determined by the commission and must be expressed in weighted points out of one hundred. The criteria include: 
•	Research Project (only for Category A);
•	PhD (if not mandatory);
•	Final grade (GPA);
•	Publications and other research products;
•	Specialisation diplomas and attendance certificates for post-graduate courses;
•	All other academic titles related to activities conducted as holders of contracts, scholarships and appointments in national or international research agencies. This information must include beginning and end dates, and duration of activities;
•	Interview (Mandatory only for Type 1).
The result of academic title evaluations must be communicated to participants before the interview, if any, via publication on the Department Board (“Albo”) and website.
Interviews may be conducted on-line (videoconference), guaranteeing full transparency of all procedures. 

 Interview
[Obligatory for Type I, not required for Type II]
Candidates must be informed of their interviews no less than 20 (twenty) days before the date on which they will be held, unless all candidates opt out of the interview. The communication will be transmitted to the e-mail address provided by the candidates in the application. The administration is not responsible for changes in the address or wrong addresses. Interview may be conducted on-line (videoconference), guaranteeing full transparency of all procedures.                                                                     
Exam Commission
The Exam Commission is designated by the Department Director who issues the call, following a resolution by the Department Council or, in case or urgency, by the Executive Committee (“Giunta”). For Category A research grants, there will be a sole commission for all scientific areas of interest included in the call. 
For both research grant categories, the Commission is composed by three members: a professor acting as President and two members selected from amongst professors and researchers (even fixed term) at Sapienza and researchers from partnered research agencies; one member must act as secretary and keep all minutes. All members must belong to the sector or scientific-disciplinary area addressed by the selection call. For category A the Commission may turn to – without any further public expense – expert revisors, Italian or foreign, external to the University to produce said ranking for each interested area. 
The evaluation procedure terminates with the production of a ranking list based on the scores received by candidates for titles, publications and interview, if any. As described in Art. 1., Paragraph 6a, the Commission may turn to – without any further public expense – expert revisors, Italian or foreign, external to the University to produce said ranking for each interested area. 
At each meeting, the Commission must produce a written report with evaluation criteria, the overall score attributed to each candidate and the final ranking. 

Ranking

During its first meeting, the Exam Commission will establish the criteria and procedures for the evaluation and assignment of scores to academic titles and interviews, describing both in the minutes. 
The Exam Commission will produce a ranking of candidates in decreasing order, based on the points attributed for academic titles, publications and interview, if any. 
The Commission Acts will be approved via a resolution by the Department Director, following the assessment that it meets all administrative requisites by the Administrative Manager (RAD - “Responsabile Amministrativo Delegato”).
Candidates will be informed that the acts have been approved and begin the procedure for assigning research grants starting with the top-ranked candidate and moving down as long as grants are available. Candidates may opt out in writing by e-mail or be opted out automatically if they do not contact the Department following the communication sent by e-mail. 
The only valid reasons for deferring the starting date for research grants are certified ill health, mandatory maternity leave and proven force majeure. 

Award of Research grants 

Research grants are assigned via a private contract that does not in any way represent a form of employment and provides no rights in terms of access and/or seniority for University positions. 
The Department identifies a research activity coordinator (scientific coordinator) who coordinates the research activity assigned to the grant holder.

Rights and Duties of Research Grant Holders 

Research grant holders must conduct research activities in the research programmes approved by their reference Departments. Tasks assigned to research grant holders must address research activities, not mere technical support. At the beginning of the collaboration, the Department Director will appoint the grant holder to a scientific coordinator. 
Research grant holders may collaborate on research activities conducted by PhD students for their theses, participate in seminars and student exercises and participate in Exam Commissions as interested parties.
Research grant holders have the right to use all Department equipment for their research activities and enjoy al services provided to researchers by current legislation and Department resolutions.
If expressly authorised by a scientific coordinator, research grant holders can participate in missions as part of the research and will be reimbursed for expenses as established by current legislation. 
Research grant holders must present annual written reports on their research activities, along with an evaluation by the scientific coordinator, to the Department.
Research activities may be conducted, in part, at Universities or Research Agencies abroad, as long as this activity is officially certified and coherent with the research programmes and objectives received by the research grant holder. Periods of sojourn abroad must be previously and expressly authorized by the relevant Department based on a motivated proposal by the scientific coordinator.
Restrictions concerning Paid Activities, Incompatibility, Suspension
Research grants are not compatible with income from work as an employee (as established by Art. 49, Paragraph 2 of TUIR Title I, Section IV) exceeding €16,000. Moreover, research grants may not be enjoyed in conjunction with scholarships, with the exception of scholarships provided by foreign or national institutions to integrate research activities by holders during periods abroad.
Research grant holders cannot enrol in Bachelors, Masters, Specialisation or PhD degree (with scholarship) or medical specialisation programmes, in Italy or abroad.
Public administration employees receiving a research grant must be placed on unpaid leave. 
Private employment, even part-time, is incompatible with research grants.
Research grants may not be enjoyed in conjunction with other research grants, even from different public, private or on-line universities, as well as agencies as specified by Art. 22, Paragraph 1 of Law N. 240/2010. 
Research grants are individual.  Research grant holders may as free-lancers, as long as they have communicated this to the Department and the activity is compatible with research activity, does not entail any conflict of interest with the specific research activity and does not harm the University. The scientific coordinator and research grant holder must declare that they have no current or previous joint professional interests.
Research grant holders who wish to conduct or continue conducting voluntary work for associations, cooperatives, non-profit cultural institutions or assistance-based services, may continue to do so, as long as this does not affect their research activity.
Research grant holder activity can be suspended for mandatory maternity leave, parental leave or sick leave and prolonged as per current legislation. Justified absences that last less than 30 days in any given year are not considered a period of suspension. 

Forfeiture and Termination 

Candidates who do not expressly accept their research grant or do not show up by the communicated deadline automatically forfeit their grants.
The only valid reasons for deferring the starting date for research grants are certified ill health, mandatory maternity leave and proven force majeure. 
Procedures will be commenced to terminate the contract, following a motivated proposal by the Scientific Coordinator approved by the reference Department council, for research grant holders who do not regularly and uninterruptedly pursue the programme, without justification, or who are responsible for serious and repeated failures related to the assigned tasks.
The following causes will lead to contract termination:
•	Unmotivated failure to start or delay to beginning of activities; 
•	Unmotivated suspension of activities for a period that may endanger the research programme;
•	Violation of the incompatibility regime described in Art. 6, repeated after an initial warning;
•	Negative assessment by Department Council or Administration. 

Call Announcement
The selection call will be published on the Department Board (“Albo”) and on the websites of the Department, University, MUR and European Union.

Responsible for the procedure

The person responsible for the procedure (Responsabile del Procedimento, in the meaning given to it by art. 4, co. 1 L. 241/90 e s.m.i) is Mr/Mrs…….[name, email address and office site address].

Rome