National Operational Programme for Research and Competitiveness 2007-2013

The National Operational Programme for "Research and Competitiveness" 2007-2013 (NOP for R&C) is Italy's means of contributing towards the development of a European Union Cohesion Policy for Italy's least-favoured regions.

In this regard, Italy and the European Union have agreed that a significant part of European Structural Funds should be invested in research and innovation in the four regions within the "Convergence" Objective (Puglia, Calabria, Sicily and Campania). The objective is to transform these regions into drivers of social and economic development.

To accomplish this objective the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR), in its capacity as Managing Authority (MA), and the Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE), in its capacity as Intermediate Body (IB), have been called upon to administer more than €6 billion and will be defining and implementing several measures to be planned and used comprehensively. The scope of these measures is to produce positive effects on the lives of citizens, on business competitiveness and on employment prospects for younger generations.

For this reason the NOP for R&C considers itself figuratively a tree which, "once watered" with several measures and specific steps, will produce vital "fruits" capable of contributing towards those growth and development objectives for which the European Union has provided resources.

The Programme therefore includes several measures, some administered by MIUR and some by MiSE. Specific measures have also been included in the Cohesion Action Plan (CAP), which was developed by Italy in 2012. The scope of these measures is to adapt some interventions coherently and functionally to the new social needs that have arisen from the present economic crisis.

MIUR and MiSE have allocated the available funds towards a structured set of measures concerning: