Today, 17 June 2026, the approval process of the Ordinary Fund for Research Bodies (FOE) 2026 was completed with its passage in the Senate. Below is the comment of the President of INFN, Antonio Zoccoli.
“The approval of the allocation of the Ordinary Fund for Research Bodies 2026 is a fundamental contribution to consolidating the system of Italian public research. This year, thanks to the increase in funding provided by the FOE, in addition to performance-based funding and the extraordinary staff plan established by the 2026 Budget Law, which strengthens the expertise built up in recent years and ensures continuity for the initiatives launched with the investments of the PNRR, Research Bodies can rely on measures that allow for greater stability of scientific activities, and that confirm the commitment of the MUR, in particular of Minister Anna Maria Bernini, to promote the conditions for medium- to long-term planning of national research.
In order to function well, research in fact needs people, infrastructure, adequate resources and planning, and this is even more crucial for those scientific institutions, such as INFN, that operate in the field of big science. It is important to reiterate that a country’s ability to continue producing knowledge, innovation and opportunities for new generations necessarily depends on high-quality scientific research.”
